Louisville Ukulele

KEITH URBAN, UKULELE & MARYLOU

On August 22, 2009, Keith Urban will be in concert at Freedom Hall during the Kentucky State Fair. This reminds me of my first meeting with Keith on August 24, 2003.
In my ukulele classes at Bellarmine University, I teach Keith Urban’s songs as part of my curriculum. After learning the chords to play rhythm on the ukulele or the lead to play the melody on ukulele, I turn on the CD and the entire class plays along with Keith. Urban’s sheet music only included guitar and piano arrangements. I had to write the ukulele music arrangements for each song.
One of the class’s favorite songs is “Somebody Like You”. Below is the article written by Capitol Records.

SOMEBODY LIKES UKE

Sep 4, 2003
By Capitol

Keith Urban is hot among Louisville ukulele players. Over at Bellarmine University, teacher Mary Lou Dempler has added Keith to her curriculum. All ukulele students own GOLDEN ROAD and have the sheet music to “Somebody Like You.” When the bell rings and class begins, it’s time to pick along with Keith. “His music is really hot, and you need that to get 19 and 20 year old kids interested,” says Dempler, who also teaches guitar. She notes that members of the Louisville Ukulele Association Unlimited are big fans, too. “People think ukuleles are only for Hawaiian music, and they’re so much more,” she says. Keith would be sure to agree. He started out playing a kid-sized ukulele when he was just a wee thing in Australia.

I had received a “meet and greet” pass to meet Keith Urban on August 24, 2003 at the Kentucky State Fair. The word TEACHER was written in bold letters and underlined on my pass. I had never been to a “meet and greet” in my life. I really didn’t know what to expect. I was first in line. I was to meet with Keith before his “meet and greet” began for fans. When Keith was ready, I got to talk with him and have photos taken for my classroom and Capitol Records. He discussed music with me and my musical career. WOW!!!! Keith Urban wanted to know about my musical career, the classes I taught and thank me for supporting his music. He talked so much with me, his manger had to remind him, he did have a “meet and greet” to do.
The biggest thrill for me; Keith Urban asked me to autograph my Mel Bay’s Easy Ukulele Method Books 1 and Book 2 for him. Of course, I did it. During the next few months I had the opportunity to meet with Keith several times. For example, my husband and I had received an invitation to be on the CMT set while Keith performed “LIVE”.
If you play an instrument, learn to play your favorite Keith Urban Song. Turn up the music and play along. You can tell everyone you have played with Keith Urban. You will learn new chords, rhythm patterns, notes and melodies.
If you have any music questions you can email me at musiclou42@msn.com
MaryLou Stout Dempler www.allmarylou.com

Play Ukulele In 2 Minutes

Lesson One was How to Buy A Ukulele. Now that you have your ukulele, you can learn to play it in just two minutes without reading music or tablature. Just follow these easy steps:

Hold Your Ukulele
Hold the neck of the soprano, concert, tenor or banjo ukulele in the left hand. If you are left-handed, the ukulele must be restrung and the steps reversed.
Cuddle the ukulele like a little puppy in your arms resting it upon your chest.

Tune Your Ukulele
I recommend an electronic tuner like the Intellitouch © professional tuner with a backlight or the Intellitouch © PT-2 Tuner “Bare-Bone” which has no backlight. Lanikia also sells a programmed electronic tuner. Find the one that works best for you and fits your budget.

The strings are tuned G C E A.
The First String A, is the string facing the floor.
The Second String E, is above the A.
The Third String C (Middle C on the piano), is below the top string.
The Fourth String G, is the top string.

Finger Positions
The left hand index finger is #1. The second finger is #2. The middle finger is #3. The pinky finger is #4. Do not count the thumb.
Rest the thumb behind and in the middle of the instrument’s neck.
The right hand index finger is in a pointing position (all other fingers closed) and pointing to the strings over the sound hold.
I use a pick and I prefer that my students use one. There are several different brands, shapes and sizes for different effects. Many ukulele players use the felt pick, which produces a flat, dull, soft sound. As a guitarist, I changed that immediately. I wanted my strings to be heard. Take your uke and go to your local music store. Try out several different brands and thickness of picks. Find the sound you like when you strum your ukulele.

Fret Board
The ukulele has frets on the neck.
The first fret is from the nut right below the tuning pegs to the first fret wire.
The second fret follows and continues down the fret board.
Fret markers (dots or symbols) are placed at intervals on the fret board to help locate frets quickly. The markers usually begin at the third fret, fifth fret and so on.

Finger Positions On The Fret board
Each finger corresponds with each fret. Finger #1 is played on the first fret. Finger #2 is played at the second fret. Finger #3 is played at the third fret. Finger #4 is played at the fourth fret. Now you are thinking WHOA! I’ve run out of fingers on my left hand. You are right but don’t panic! The #4 finger is used on the fourth and fifth frets. When you play notes or chords through the fifth fret, you are playing in the first position on the ukulele fret board.

NOW START YOUR STOP WATCH. You are going to play the ukulele in 2 minutes or less.

Step 1 Place your #3 (ring) finger on the third fret. You have just made a C chord.

Step 2 Strum the strings down over the sound hole while holding the C chord formation.

Step 3 Keeping Strumming and sing. This symbol / means down strum.
/ / / / /
Row Row, Row, Your Boat
/ / / / / /
Gently Down The Stream
/ / / / / / / / / / / /
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
/ / / / /
Life Is But A Dream!

YOU DID IT! YOU SHOULD HAVE A BIG HUGE SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
You just played your first song on the ukulele!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

BARITONE UKULELE
If you have a baritone ukulele follow the directions and steps above however the tuning will be E B G D.
The chord formation is a G Chord. You can also play this on a guitar but do not strum the fifth and sixth strings. You need to form other notes on the guitar for a full G Chord.

This was EASY and now you are playing music on your ukulele!

You can DOWN LOAD FREE EASY INSTANT MUSIC for Soprano (including concert, tenor, banjo) and Baritone Ukulele at www.lanikaiukes.com. I wrote these booklets and one is provided with each Lanikai uke purchase sold all over the world. You will enjoy playing and singing the tunes using the special strum patterns. I have arranged the strum patterns in order to hear the melody (lead) of each song as you strum the ukulele. Sing while you play your ukulele. ENJOY MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!

If you have musical questions, email me at musiclou42@msn.com

Chris and Lindsey Meyer, general music teachers in Kentucky and Indiana, went to Hawaii on their honeymoon five years ago. As general music teachers with woodwind instruments as their major, they were fascinated with the ukulele. They decided they both needed a ukulele to play in their classrooms for their students. While ordering their ukes, they were asking lot of questions. What books should they buy to teach themselves? What are the easiest method books? Which books are for the most advanced student? The salesperson and a ukulele teacher discussed uke books in detail with them. Lindsey said, “I wish there was someone in Kentucky who could teach us how to play the ukulele.” The ukulele teacher and uke salesperson said, “There is a uke teacher with a huge following, known worldwide, that teaches in Kentucky. That book you are holding is written by her.”

Lindsey contacted me as soon as they arrived home. I have never had the opportunity to actually teach Lindsey private lessons, but we have been in contact for the last few years.

She began the group Kentuckiana Ukes on Yahoo. They have only had three or four meetings. This is the information she sent me in an email:

The Kentuckiana Ukes meet once a month on the fourth Sunday. Our next meeting is Sunday, June 28 at 2pm. We meet at Power Play Music Store, which is located in Greentree Mall in Clarksville, IN. All ages and levels are welcome!

For anyone looking to jam playing the ukulele, this would be a GREAT place to start your journey.

After I taught two semesters at Bellarmine University, my students were addicted and could not play enough ukulele. I began the Louisville Ukulele Association Unlimited, known as LUAU, to give my uke students their ukulele fix. This group has over 571 members now. The last big meeting and I do mean BIG meeting, was two years ago at a restaurant in Fern Creek. The police had to be called to direct traffic on Bardstown Road. The fire marshall was going to be called because the restaurant was filled to capacity. People were hanging out of the doors in the rain. This restaurant had the capacity of 271 people and is part of a national restaurant chain. This was the last regular meeting of LUAU. LUAU members meet with other members in small groups now. My schedule doesn’t allow me to attend every meeting. I do keep up with LUAU members through emails, snail mail and phone calls. I have created my LUAU orchestra that accompanies me on my CDs. For a real ukulele sound go to www.cdbaby.com and listen to my “PRAISE THE LORD” CD. Only ukes were played. You can hear the full ukulele sound using soprano, concert, tenor, banjo and baritone ukuleles. All of my CDs are in the Ukulele Hall Of Fame Museum because I only use ukes on my cds. I think you can hear the CDs that are no longer available on their website. You will hear the full potential of just ukulele arrangements without any other instrument.

If you make it to the Kentuckiana Uke Meeting, email me. I would love to hear from you and about the meeting. Lindsey usually emails out minutes of the meeting. If you have any musical questions or need uke information, just email me. I’m here to help you play music.

As I write this post for the Louisville Ukulele Blog, I am pondering all the wonderful ukulele information, instruction and knowledge I can give to all the readers of the Louisville Music News. I want my readers, ukulele fans and music lovers of all instruments to read the Louisville Ukulele Blog, ask music questions and get answers, so their musical skills will improve whether they play the ukulele, guitar, mandolin or a dulcimer.

I started teaching online music lessons, with every email I received from around the world, about 4 months ago. I answered questions “asked” on “YAHOO ANSWERS” that were displayed on the front page of my group, “UKULELES WITH MARYLOU.”
After that, emails with every music question imaginable flooded my inbox. I replied with the exact, personalized information each individual needed, as I started to teach online classes via email.

I want the Louisville Ukulele Blog to be an active music community, asking questions, getting detailed information, receiving mini-music lessons and having the opportunity to share their own musical experiences while meeting others with the same musical interests.

This first lesson will concern purchasing a ukulele.

Where do you purchase a ukulele in Louisville? The answer is, not at your local music store. When I started this ‘ukulele craze’ in Louisville 10 years ago, every music store hopped on my ukulele bandwagon, hoping to increase store sales. Students proudly brought their new ukes to their first private lesson or to the Bellarmine University class. Sadly, the students learned the following:

1. If a ukulele is $25.00 retail (even if it is supposed to be on sale) it was really only worth $12.50.
2. The strings on their new uke were not real strings but clear fishing tackle line. The ukulele would not stay in tune and could not be played.
3. The $25.00 ukulele was really a tourist’s souvenir and was meant to be a wall decoration.
4. The ukulele’s tuning pegs were not geared so the pegs could not be tightened to tune the strings.
5. The ukulele’s action was so HIGH that the uke could not be played.

The definition for the term “action”: The nut at the top of a stringed instrument (uke, guitar, mandolin) holds the strings in place over the fret board down to the bridge. The bridge holds the other end of the strings. Nuts and bridges have to be adjusted to the specific uke (or instrument) in order for the strings to almost touch the fret board but not touch the fretboard (high or low action, is the distance between the strings and the fretboard) so the player has the best ability to note the strings. When the strings have HIGH ACTION (many, many, guitars and ukes have too HIGH action), it takes more effort to apply pressure to each string to form the notes, making it harder to play. If the ACTION is too LOW, there are all kinds of buzzing sounds, thuds and plunks when notes are played. Most instruments come out of the factory without much setup, although the factory setups are usually pretty decent. As a student develops skills, the student and a luthier can together decide on the exact setup needed to obtain the correct action for their instrument. Without a proper set-up to obtain the correct action, it’s like driving a car without windshield wipers, heat, air conditioning, etc. You can still drive the car but, it would be better to have the car in working order.

The ukulele has been alive and well in the Louisville area now. I cannot personally recommend a music store to purchase a uke. I should tell you (full disclosure here) that I am a Lanikai Artist, I endorse all Lanikai Ukes and I order LANIKAI ukes for each of my students. These ukes are the best-sounding ukes and are comparable to the sound of my handmade $2,000 uke at an affordable price. Please go to www.lanikaiukes.com for more information and my personal testimonial.

When you decide to purchase a ukulele, no matter the brand, the music store or online website, consider the following:
1. Ask if the strings are GHS black nylon strings. These are professional strings and are used on most ukuleles.
2. Check the tuning pegs. You want geared tuning pegs so the strings will maintain the correct pitch.
3. Strum the ukulele. See how far the strings are above the fret board. Ask if the ukulele has been set up.
4. Concert, Tenor and Baritone ukuleles may have acoustic electric pickups installed. Check out the details of the pickup and the sound of the ukulele when played through an amp.
5. After you decide, research the ukulele brand. Bounty Music at www.bountymusic.com is a wonderful store. Tell Paul Weinstein I personally sent you. Or tell Roy T. Cone at www.ukuleleworld.com I told you to check out his on line uke store. Or contact me and I will help you purchase a Lanikai. Every ukulele brand has low-end and top-of-the-line ukes. Martin Ukuleles are super sweet but are usually collector’s items. Martin does make a Back Packer Ukulele with steel strings. You have to decide what you like and want in your ukulele. What sound do you want to hear when you play? What’s your price range? What type of wood? What size ukulele? Why this brand and not another brand? Don’t forget to do your research.

A SOPRANO uke is the tiniest ukulele with the sweetest highest pitch. This uke is the “most traditional” ukulele sound.
A CONCERT uke is a little larger with a little bigger sound than the soprano.
A TENOR uke has a deep, rich, full sound.
A BANJO uke sounds like a banjo, of course.
A BARITONE uke is the “daddy” ukulele, with an unusually high bass, rich guitar sound.

The soprano, concert, tenor and banjo ukes are tuned A-E-C-G.
The baritone uke is tuned to the first four strings of the guitar E-B-G-D and is played just like a guitar without the bass strings.

A few months ago, I wandered into a local music store just to browse. I found soprano ukes for $23.00 available in all different colors hanging all over the store. I asked a salesman to get one down for me to play. He took one down and handed it to me from his perch on the ladder. Someone came from a back room calling his name. As they both stood at the edge of the room, I heard one say to the other, “It’s her. You should have never handed her that uke to play.” The other replied, “Is it really her?” The other one replied, “Oh yea! She knows what she’s talking about…” I hated to walk up and interrupt their “private” conversation, but it had to be done. As I approached, both sales people fell silent; my husband just dropped his head, while shuffling his feet. I said, “Okay, boys, let’s talk about these little toys you are trying to sell for ukes.” And the conversation began …

Please email me with any music questions at musiclou42@msn.com. I want to hear from you. Do you have a question about learning to read music? Playing the ukulele? Email me. I will personally answer your email and it might be the subject of a future post.

I look forward to helping you on your musical journey.