Do you feel an infection of the ukulele bug coming on or do you just want to see if it is really all that contagious? If so, this class is just for you so come along and try a taste of the ukukoolaid. No previous experience with the ukulele is required. This is for anybody who is new or fairly new to stringed instruments or even new to music.
Do you like to sing but never have an accompanist? When you reach that awful realization that singing along at a jam or with a band is a lot different from singing along with a record or singing in the bathtub, learning the uke is the solution for you! It will get you singing more often. Do you play a non-chording instrument and wish you had a better ear for not just basic chords but for cool chord extensions? Jazz chords are just as easy to finger on a uke as cowboy chords!
Although to be a master of ukulele takes persistence and dedication just like notoriously difficult instruments, you can get from rank beginner to a most satisfying level in a much shorter time on a ukulele than almost any other instrument! It is not necessary to have callouses with which you could drive a 16 penny nail in order to spend a lot of time playing. For once it is exciting and fun to be a beginner! By the end of the week we should have a small repertoire of songs in a couple of keys, basic right hand technique, and a few things for your bag of tricks.
My class will be taught in the C tuning: GCEA. I will be able to loan a couple of good playing ukes out for the week if necessary by reservation. Even my supply is limited.
Questions? reitz@verizon.net or 240-463-0044
Instructor Bio
Kathy Reitz has attended Augusta for 30 years. She plays a big bass and a little uke. She appears on The Zombies of Swing (Swing Cat Records, recorded at Augusta with Paul Anastasio and other swing faculty in 1992), Home by Miss Tess, Razz’em Jazz’em’s album on Patuxent, 2 albums by the Buffalo Nickel Band on Patuxent, and a small variety of other people’s recordings. She freelances around DC and plays in most of the same bands as her music and life partner, Marv Reitz. These include the Buffalo Nickel Band, Paramount Jazz Orchestra, Big Bang Swing Band, Swing Underground, and Sunshine Skiffle Band. Besides playing with Marv, Kathy’s favorite people to play with are her friends from Augusta.