December 2025

Are you fed up with the news cycle? Do you feel driven to “kill someone softly with your song”? In this workshop, we will talk about the basics of songwriting, using the basic format of the murder ballad to write our very own.

Interested in some basic fingerstyle ukulele? Like that old-time sound? Join us to create an amazing arrangement that uses chords, melody-playing, and singing. You will leave with 2-3 tunes for you ukulele group to play.

This class outlines the process that I use as an arranger to build exciting works that are both fun to play and exciting to listen to. We’ll cover vocal harmonies, using the ear to find lead parts and harmony parts, basic soloing skills, and strumming. A low G is highly recommended for this class. Attendees should be familiar with singing the strings or have previously taken Harmony at Your Fingertips.

Intro to the Nashville numbering system. 1 - 4 - 5. We'll learn to play 1 - 4 - 5 in any key. You should have a solid understanding of the notes on the fretboard before taking this workshop. Taking my "Navigating the Fingerboard" workshop is helpful, but not necessary. 

Chord substitution. Pure chord embellishments, no theory involved. Weʻll add new “vocabulary” to familiar songs. 

Navigating the fingerboard in a logical sense using the chromatic scale. Using the “Grip” system as opposed to the grid system. This is a helpful lead-in to my "Intro to Nashville Numbering" workshop, but not necessary. 

In this workshop,  we will work on the various aspects of rockabilly and the multi styles that this early form of Rock and Roll incorporated. Country, blues, boogie patterns, riffs, strums, etc!

In this workshop, we will expand our ukulele skills by focusing on various strumming techniques, song intros and riffs from fun, popular songs throughout the decades.

Learn how to build a simple, effective ukulele practice routine that actually leads to progress without killing the fun. We’ll explore how to stay motivated, work efficiently on challenging material, and gently tackle the habits we tend to avoid, all in a way that fits real life and real schedules. Players of all levels will leave with a practical, customizable practice plan they can use immediately to practice smarter and play with more confidence.

This class consists of the three strums I use the most: a swing strum, a shuffle strum, and a rumba strum. After demonstrating each strum, we will practice it together on tunes that are available as handouts. 

The Swing Strum I use is slightly different than once I have observed and is based on rhythm guitar players from the 1930s. The Shuffle strum imitates the rhythm played by 1940s and 50s rhythm and blues bands like Louis Jordan. The rumba strum is useful in playing 1950s and 60s pop tunes like Save the Last Dance for Me.