Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill

Booster Uke is one of the most popular courses at Uketropolis for good reason. Who wouldn't want to learn easy ways to play Blues, Gospel, Pop and Jazz tunes? It's pure musical magic courtesy of a fretboard phenomenon called Chord Twins. But what happens at the fringes of the Chord Twin concept? What happens when we stop analyzing and, instead, use pure intuition to navigate the fretboard?

Alex Beds interviews James on his Ukes With Podcast. Get to know Alex better: Ukes With Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukeswithalex/episodes Alex's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ukeswithalex Alex's Website and Original Songs: https://www.alexbeds.co.uk/ Southern Ukulele Store: https://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk

Brad Bordessa's new online course brings important elements of traditional Hawaiian teaching into the digital age. It's a brave new approach to online education... and it might just work.

Slide ukulele slows us down and helps us savour the music we make. Here's how to get started with this beautiful style right away: an easy, gentle and fun introduction to the "slow uke movement." Bonus: get two free slide ukulele lessons with me here: https://www.uketropolis.com/slide . Enjoy!

What does it mean to explore the fretboard in all directions? It brings discoveries at every turn: move across the strings for speed and efficiency and or along a single string to gain understanding. To join the next live taping of the Uketropolis Podcast, go to uketropolis.com/podcast Get two free lessons from my new course Americana Ukulele. Go to uketropolis.com/americana

What is the jazz strum and how can it be so simple given the complexity of jazz? Find out in this episode.  To discover the world of ukulele jazz, go to: www.uketropolis.com/jazz or www.uketroplis.com/baritonejazz (get a free lesson!) To join the next live taping of the Uketropolis Podcast, go to uketropolis.com/podcast (it's free to attend).

Why is the ukulele better at dancing (i.e. rhythm) than it is at singing (i.e. lyrical melody playing)? What can we do to get the most lyrical sound from the ukulele? Find out in this episode of the podcast. To join the next live taping of the Uketropolis Podcast, go to uketropolis.com/podcast Get two free lessons from my new course Americana Ukulele. Go to uketropolis.com/americana

Join me on a new musical adventure as we explore the wide-open spaces of Americana Ukulele! Watch my performance of "Are You My Sunshine": https://youtu.be/OsAMEyCStxQ Get 2 free lessons on slide ukulele: https://www.uketropolis.com/slide Sign up for the full Americana Ukulele course: https://www.uketropolis.com/americana

My new online course, Americana Ukulele, is coming out on Thursday, March 9th! The course includes lessons on bottleneck slide ukulele, clawhammer, three-finger bluegrass picking, Travis picking, mandolin-style chords and flatpicking. It's gonna be big fun. Join me on March 9th for a special episode of the podcast; I'll walk you through the course and demonstrate the songs and techniques it includ...

One of my favourite episodes from the podcast archives, this is "House of Mirrors." It combines creativity, pedagogy and technology in a novel way that can bring more excitement into your own ukulele practice. Join me on the first Thursday of every month for Uketropolis LIVE! on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jameshillmusiq/streams . Bring a question; these conversations become futur...

Join the next Uketropolis LIVE and be part of the podcast! Bring a uke, bring a friend, bring a question on the first Thursday of next month. It's free to attend. Details at www.uketropolis.com/podcast .

Join the next Uketropolis LIVE and be part of the podcast! Bring a uke, bring a friend, bring a question on the first Thursday of next month. It's free to attend. Details at www.uketropolis.com/podcast .

Join the next Uketropolis LIVE and be part of the podcast! Bring a uke, bring a friend, bring a question on the first Thursday of next month. It's free to attend. Details at www.uketropolis.com/podcast .

The Uketropolis podcast is now taped LIVE on the first Thursday of every month.

Join James live every Thursday in May for Uke Heads Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_FUXbUQfwo Follow Uke Heads on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukeheadsmusic Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ukeheadsmusic

Links for in this episode: Melanie Doane Uschool Ukulele U on CBC Kids

Mentioned in this episode: 1879 Apparel Booster Uke JHUI Teacher Certification Program

Download the free handout for this episode: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5sqyp11pvdq47f/Uketropolis-Podcast-Note-Wheel.pdf?dl=0 (Note: you do not need to register for Dropbox to download the file. If prompted to register, simply close the pop-up and proceed to the download.)

What is a delay pedal? How is it like a house of mirrors? And how can it help you in your teaching and practice? Listen in as James creates soundscapes on-the-fly with the help of a BOSS DD-5 digital delay.

Links: Ukulele Funbook by Zsolt Schäfer: www.ukulelefunbook.com Treasure map activity: www.canonclub.ca (near bottom of page)

Free handout of Plaisir d'amour, the song James demonstrates in this episode: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ct39zcovmk95ua/Uketropolis-Podcast-Plaisir-dAmour-Handout-C6.pdf?dl=0

When you're teaching (or self-teaching), how much truth is too much? When does information become counter-productive in the learning process? Explore these questions and more as we grapple with an interesting student question about the Harmonized C Scale.

Free sheet music: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a4lx26j04hvlgpp/Dona-Nobis-Pacem-in-F-C6-Tuning.pdf?dl=0 Free mp3 download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k0hsick6ntggluy/James-Hill-Dona-Nobis-Pacem.mp3?dl=0

Let's tie up some loose ends with a "lightning round" of questions from Uketropolis this week. Felt picks vs. guitar picks, thumb position for chording, figuring out the chords when there are no chord diagrams, and how to manage a melody once you add harmony parts to it.

For information about the California Ukulele Hideaway, go to: https://www.musicworldretreats.com/ca-ukulele-hideaway-2022-james-hill