December 16 Ukulele Jam, at the Kingston Community House

Greetings!

It's time again for our twice monthly ukulele jam! This time, we're trying out a new venue for our jam, the Living Room at the Kingston Community House. If this room meets our needs, we'll make it our regular venue. As you can see from the photo, there's comfortable seating for those who arrive early. But there are also more chairs that you don't see in the photo.

The Kingston Community House, 99 York Street, is easy to get to. If you driving from the north, drive down Division Street. Turn left at the second traffic lights south of Concession Street. The house is in the third block in, on the left, just past Cherry Street. The number 99 is easy to spot above the door. If you're driving from the west end, take Princess Street or Bath Road to Concession Street, and turn right at Division. There should be plenty of parking on the street across from the house.

Note that we need to pay for the use of this room. And so we need to charge a small fee for attending the jam. Initially, expect to pay $2 per jam. However, if we get at least 10 people per jam on a regular basis, the charge will drop to $1 per jam. This is probably the best deal in town for a meeting room.

For this jam, we'll be practicing the songs for our show on the 19th at the Fairmount Home, 2069 Battersea Road. So if you plan on participating in that show, please attend this jam. For others, just come on Wednesday and enjoy playing some of your favorite seasonal melodies. Here's the set list we used last time:

1. Jingle Bells (C)
2. Rocking around the Christmas tree (G)
3. Silver Bells (C)
4. Must be Santa (D)
5. A Marshmallow World (G)
6. Christmas in Killarney (D) (irish rovers tempo)
7. Here Comes Santa Claus (C)
8. Huron Carol (Am)
9. Jingle Bell Rock (C)
10. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (F)
11. Deck the Halls (G)
12. Winter Wonderland (C)
13. White Christmas (C)
14. Frosty the Snowman (G)
15. Santa Claus is coming to town(G)
16. We wish you a Merry Christmas (C)

We came up a bit short on time, so we'll probably add one or two songs to the list. You can find the full Kingston Ukulele Society Christmas song list at www.kingstonukes.com/songs/kus-christmas.pdf. Please print out a copy if you haven't already done so. If you have a favorite that's not in that document, bring it along to the jam.

Remember, we're jamming at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street, in downtown Kingston. 7pm. The cost is now $2 per jam.

Cheers! Hans

December 2 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukelele fans! And mele Kalikamaka!

We're now back in the Christmas season again! We have one Christmas show scheduled, for Saturday, December 19, 2pm at the Fairmount Home, 2069 Battersea Road, just a few minutes north of the 401. This is the same place we played at last year, and they're happy to have us back again. Already, some of you have offered to join in. Last year, we had eight uke players performing at our Christmas shows. Hopefully, we can get at least that number this year. This type of event is a lot of fun, and the more participants we can get the better. If anyone has any ideas for other venues where we can play, please let me know. 

Our next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, December 2, 7pm at the Royal Tavern. This will give is a chance to practice our Christmas songs, and decide on repertoire for our Christmas show(s). I'll probably bring a few other non-holiday songs as well. We'll have one more opportunity to practice our repertoire at our December 16 jam. You can find the Kingston Ukulele Society Christmas song list at www.kingstonukes.com/songs/kus-christmas.pdf.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

November 18 Ukulele Jam

Aloha, Kingston ukulele fans!

It's uke jam time again! Meet your fellow ukulele fans this Wednesday, November 4, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. You can find some of the songs I'm bringing here. 

If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

November 4 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, November 4, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well, which you can download from here. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

October 21 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

Those who weren't at the last ukulele jam missed a great time! We had a few newcomers, and most people brought songs to strum along with. We even had a few songs left unsung by the end of the evening. Ukulele jam is only as successful as the people who attend. No matter what your skill level, you have your own talents to bring. You don't have to solo or lead the group if you don't want to. Just come along with your ukulele and strum along.

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, October 21, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

October 7 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

On September 29, 2010, a group of ukulele fans first met at the Kingston School of Music. We've been jamming ever since! We now begin our sixth year of strumming together!

A lot has happened over the past five years. We moved to the RCHA club for a while. And then almost three years ago, we moved to our present location, the historic Royal Tavern. What would you like to see moving forward? This is a good time to start a discussion on what to do next. 

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, October 7, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

September 16 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

Last Wednesday we had a great time jamming on Sydenham Street, with a total of seven ukulele players joining in. We even had an audience of about half a dozen people (not counting the Tai Chi group).

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, September 16, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here. If you miss this jam, you'll have to wait another three weeks until the next jam, on October 7.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

September 2 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, September 2, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We're also doing an additional jam, outdoors, on September 9, 6:30pm. They're closing down Sydenham Street between Princess and Queen in an event called "Sydenham Street Revived". This is a special event, so let's get a good turnout to show Kingston how much fun ukulele is! We'll mainly do familiar songs from our favorites list, as well as some other easy songs.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

August 19 Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans in the Limestone City!

Summer is winding down. Which means that it's almost time for the CNE! Yeah, I know, there's never anything new to see at the "Ex". Except for this year. Check this out. The Langley Ukulele Ensemble is performing this year at the Ex, daily from August 30 to September 2. If you're not familiar with the group, it's where James Hill got his start. (James was described by CBC host Stuart as the "Wayne Gretzky of Ukulele".)

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, August 19, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

August 5 Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

Summer is racing by, and it's August already. Time for another ukulele jam!

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, August 5, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. Here's a PDF with the current draft of the songs I'm bringing. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

July 15 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

The next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, July 15, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

In other news, the next session of the Blue Skies Adult Music Camp will take place this September. For more information, visit their web site. Or click here for more information on the workshops.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

June 17 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

It's time again for ukulele jam! The next jam is this Wednesday, June 17, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

June 3 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

It's time again for ukulele jam! The next jam is this Wednesday, June 3, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

In other news, Eve Goldberg is doing a ukulele workshop in Port Hope this Saturday, only an hour and a half from Kingston. For details, click here. And this Friday, the Kingston Sing-along Society meets at the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship, 206 Concession Street, at 7:30. We usually do 3-chord folk songs which are easy enough to follow along on uke. It's a lot of fun!

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

May 20 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

Ukulele Week has officially been declared for the town of Midland, Ontario. You know that I'm excited about the Canada Ukes festival this weekend. But before that happens, we have ukulele jam again this Wednesday, May 20, 7pm at the Royal Tavern. Like last time, Aaron will start the jam since I'll be arriving late. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

May 6 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

It's ukulele jam time again! We jam this Wednesday, May 6, 7pm at the Royal Tavern. Aaron will start the jam since I'll be arriving late. Please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

April 15 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

Finally, Spring has arrived, and it's time again for ukulele jam! We jam this Wednesday, April 15, 7pm at the Royal Tavern. If you want, please bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others and lead the group. I'll bring a few new and old songs as well. And if you haven't yet printed off your own copy of the new favorites document, you can download it here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

April 1 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

It's time again for ukulele jam! We jam this Wednesday, April 1, 7pm at the Royal Tavern. I'll bring a few extra copies of our new favorites document, and lead the group in some of those songs. You can download the latest draft here. As usual, feel free to bring copies of your own favorite songs.

Don't forget about the Canada Ukes festival this May in Midland Ontario. There are still a few days left before the price for the weekend rises to $188. There's a lot going on at that festival - you really don't want to miss it!

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

March 18 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

Did you make it to the Jake Shimabukuro show last weekend? Wow! What a show! Now that life has returned back to normal, it's time again to think about our next ukulele jam, this Wednesday, March 18, 7:00pm at the Royal Tavern. This is your chance to show off your favorite songs, or lead the group in song. Or just sit back and strum along with the group. If you want, bring copies of your favorite songs to share with others.

There are a couple of other exciting announcements. You've probably already heard of the Canada Ükes festival in Midland, Ontario, this May. For details, go the the web site www.canadaukes.com. I will be going, and I hope at least a few others from the Kingston area will go too. If you're interested, let me know. Perhaps we can practice a song for the open stage evening.

Finally, the group Gathering Sparks is doing a house concert in Kingston on March 28. Here are the details from Eve Goldberg, one of the members of the group:

Gathering Sparks in Concert w/Special guest Jason Fowler
Saturday, Mar 28 at 7:30 pm
House Concert
Kingston, ON
Email: gwrasberry@gmail.com for details. 
$20 suggested donation

GATHERING SPARKS is the graceful collision of Eve Goldberg and Jane Lewis—musical friends who bonded over finely tuned harmonies and the craft of songwriting. With their love of participatory group singing and an infectious mix of styles, Gathering Sparks is already making waves. Their debut 6-song CD, released in April 2014, was nominated for a 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, and they are quickly becoming an audience favourite. Their inclusive approach embraces blues, gospel, folk, and pop influences tastefully played on acoustic guitar, piano, accordion, ukulele, and banjo. 

On Saturday, Mar 28 at 7:30 pm, Eve & Jane will be joined by special guest Jason Fowler, who is a highly respected Toronto singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own right.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

March 4 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

We have an exciting week. First, the next ukulele jam is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 4, 7:00pm, at the Royal Tavern. Second, the next meeting of the Kingston Sing-along Society takes place this Friday, 7:30pm, at the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship, 206 Concession Street. The songs are typically three-chord folk songs, and ukulele players are always welcome. (I usually bring my banjo uke.)

And on Saturday, Jake Shimabukuro visits Kingston, with a show at the Grand Theatre. I checked the Grand Theatre website, and there are still tickets available. Jake has a busy schedule this week, with shows in Markham, Oakville, St. Catherines, and Burnstown, in addition to Kingston.

Stay tuned, though, there may be one further exciting event. But for now, keep your calendar free for Saturday afternoon.

Lately, I've been lazy, and haven't arranged any new songs for this weeks jam. I plan on bringing a few copies of our new favorites document, and leading the group in some of those songs. You can download the latest draft here. It's a lengthy document, so please print out your own copy. Based on discussion at the last jam, the only change from the last draft is the addition of a couple of Elvis Presley songs. As usual, feel free to bring copies of your own favorite songs.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

February 18 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!

This brutally cold Winter continues to drag on. But we can forget about the cold for one evening this week while we enjoy our usual ukulele jam, 7:00pm this Wednesday, February 18.

Here are some songs I'll be bringing:

• Kansas City words by Bob Dylan, music by Marcus Mumford and Taylor Goldsmith
• Marrakesh Express by Crosby, Stills and Nash
• Massachusetts by the Bee Gees

Feel free to bring copies of your favorite songs. In addition, we'll further discuss the proposed songs for a new edition of our favorite song list. You can download a draft here.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

February 4 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

Today was Groundhog Day. Today is when some hibernating mammal decides whether we'll have six more weeks of Winter, or if Spring will arrive in a month and a half. Regardless, this Wednesday is when we'll have our usual ukulele jam.

Come to the Royal Tavern, 7:00pm this Wednesday. If there's interest, we'll start with a beginners workshop. This will be followed by our usual open jam. You'll have your chance to show off your latest techniques, or lead the group with your favorite songs. I'll bring a few myself, including:

• Kokomo Beach Boys 1988
• Love Is All Around the Troggs 1967
• It Don't Come Easy Ringo Starr 1971
• San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) Scott McKenzie 1967

Please feel free to bring copies of your favorites.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

January 21 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!

Our next ukulele jam is this Wednesday, January 21, at 7:00pm. If there's enough interest, we'll start with a beginner's workshop. This will be followed by our usual open jam, where you'll have your chance to show off your favorite song, or lead the group. If you want to lead the group with a song, be sure to bring extra copies. I usually bring a few songs too.

By the way, here's a little known fact about another stringed instrument: Take a tenor banjo tuned to its normal tuning, CGDA. First, switch around the 3rd and 4th strings. Then, re-tune the 2nd string up a whole note. You end up with a banjo that can be played exactly like a ukulele. The tenor banjo isn't very popular these days. However, there are a couple for sale in local stores. And Renaissance Music even has a tenor guitar. That's a small guitar tuned like a tenor banjo. But some people restring it with baritone uke strings.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans

January 7 Ukulele Jam - Three Chord Jam

Happy New Year, everyone!

We had a great 2014! Last winter, we returned to a twice a month schedule. In the spring, we held a Manitoba Hal workshop, which was well attended. And in the fall, we had some successful concerts. For the Christmas shows at Conservatory Pond and at the Fairmount Home, we had eight ukulele players performing seasonal favorites.

What does 2015 hold in store for us? We'll just have to wait and see. But for now, we have our next ukulele jam this Wednesday, January 7. We'll start with a workshop at 7:00pm. We'll focus on first steps for beginners, such as strumming basics. At 8:00pm, we'll have our open jam. And in order to make things easier for beginners, let's just bring three-chord songs. Note that this doesn't necessarily mean the usual I-IV-V type of three-chord song. Any song with just three chords will do. I've put together a few songs, packaged as one PDF. (I'll probably add a couple more before the jam.) Please feel free to bring copies of your own favorite three-chord songs.

We jam in the Royal Tavern, 344 Princess Street. Parking is normally available on Princess Street. Or park in the lot at the back of the Royal, off Brock Street, just past the fire hall. Be sure to show your appreciation to the Royal by visiting the bar and purchasing a beverage or two. Don't forget that they also offer soft drinks, in addition to their assortment of beers and other alcoholic drinks.

Cheers! Hans