Three Day Ukulele Festival in Roseville, CA!
Come one, come all to the 10th annual Placer Ukulele Festival in Roseville, CA (formerly the Auburn Gold Pan Festival). Ukulele instruction for beginning and intermediate players. Fun for all! Join us at the The Strum Shop, Roseville Eagles Club + the Vernon St. Town Square and let’s fill classic Vernon Street with Ohana and big-time music vibes.
Friday Sept. 9th
Dom & Friends Concert
The Strum Shop: 209 Vernon St.
As part of the very first Placer Ukulele Festival, come on out and join ukulele virtuoso Dominic Pieranunzio along with guitarist Buford Robey and bassist Shirley Robey for an evening of uketastic music. Dom & Friends perform a variety of styles including pop, jazz, Hawaiian, classic rock and more.
Saturday Sept. 10th
Ukulele Workshops
The Eagles Hall: 124 Vernon St.
Leader of the group strums will be the legendary Leonard Kaufer. Get your strum on with bluegrass ukulele maestro Dr. Dennis Fisher. Renowned multi-instrumentalist and uke teacher Steve Kritzer helps you with strum patterns and “how to add frosting” to your uke playing. Master teacher John Sandoval brings it home with his unique chord/melody classes.
Sunday Sept. 11th
Extra Strum Fun
Town Square: 311 Vernon St.
Top off the weekend by joining us in the town square (across from the Sierra College building) on Sunday for even more strum fun! Don’t forget your to bring your ukulele for a strum-a-long hosted by Leonard Kaufer.
SATURDAY NIGHT AFTER PARTY!
Stick around Saturday night after the festival for the after party uke jam, strum-a-long, open mic & more fun over at The Strum Shop!
Instructor Bios:
Keoki Gordon
Keoki and ohana originally come from the Kalihi Valley and Nu’uaru areas of O’ahu. Raised on music, his kapuna (elders) sang and played to a variety of traditional and hapa haole music. It was during the resurgence of Hawaiian culture and music in the 70’s that he and his ohana realized the importance of carrying on
Leonard Kaufer
Leonard Kaufer is the curator of the www.ukejams.com website where you can find over 700 high quality ukulele chord charts. He leads a weekly jam in Lincoln, CA, and presents workshops throughout Northern California. You can find out more at the website or on the UkeJams page on Facebook.
Steve Kritzer
Steve Kritzer, who’s musical talents also include guitar, mandolin, banjo, and songwriting, has developed a special passion for ukulele over the years, and has become one of the pre-eminent instructors, jam leaders, and “go to guy” for all things ukulele in the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s performed, and taught ukulele to everyone from Kids
Dr. Dennis Fisher
Dr. Dennis Fisher has been playing banjo for over 50 years. He was privileged to study bluegrass banjo under Warren Kennison, Jr. who helped the legendary Earl Scruggs develop his instruction manual Earl Scruggs and the Five String Banjo. Having professionally taught banjo, Dennis also has performed for Ronald Reagan and played with music groups
John Sandoval
John Sandoval is an extraordinary ukulele talent who is well respected in the local ukulele community. John focuses on the fundamentals of ukulele by introducing and breaking down songs into understandable sections. His classes are tailored to accommodate all ages and ability levels. His light-hearted, up-beat manner of teaching makes learning stress-free and tons of fun. John developed
Workshop Information:
Advanced Workshop/Play Along with Leonard Kaufer (Level 3)
This play along will examine well-known songs that share a common pattern: Minor, Minor(Maj7), Minor 7th, Minor 6th. For example: Em, Em(Maj7), Em7, Em6. We may start with a song using the same progression using major chords just to get into the groove.
Great American Songbook Play Along with Leonard Kaufer (Level 3)
Classic jazz and swing tunes. Expect 10-20 chords per song!
Little Something Extra Play Along with Leonard Kaufer (Level 2-3)
This play-along will feature songs that include a little something extra – an unusual strum or special chord pattern – that will lift them out of the ordinary.
“Groovin’ on a Saturday Morning” Play Along with Budd Snell (Level 1-2)
Budd Snell will lead a group of easy play-along songs to help you find your ukulele goove.
Hawaiian Music Intro 2 with Keoki Gordon (Level: 2-3)
This session will pick up where HMI 1 left off. We will briefly go into the pronunciation of the Hawaiian alphabet and the lyrics in our Hawaiian mele (music). Then we will go through several beautiful meles and also touch on a simple picking pattern for some of the songs from both sessions.
Hawaiian Music Intro 1 with Keoki Gordon (Level: 1)
This session will include a brief history of the origins and early days of the ukulele. Then there will be a dive into one of the most popular styles of Hawaiian music – hapa haole. This style (mainly in English with a few Hawaiian words mixed in) was created for the tourist trade right around the turn of the century. We will be using standard wahine tuning as well as
Right Hand Rules! The Fine Art Of Strumming Ukulele with John Sandoval (Level 1-2)
Learning your chords is one thing but it’s just as important to learn how to strum your ukulele. This workshop will teach you the basics of strumming and how to improve your rhythm. Some topics we’ll cover include the “island strum”, various rhythm patterns, “chunking”, and triplets.
Playing Well With Others with John Sandoval (Level 1-2)
The Do’s and Don’ts of Group Play for the Ukulele. Have you ever been in a Ukulele Play-Along group where it just sounds like one loud ukulele? Why do some groups sound harmonized and “groove” better? The difference can be just a few simple tricks! Learn how to play well with others by using substitute and alternate chords as well as various strumming and other creative techniques.
Next Step in Bluegrass Ukulele with Dr. Dennis Fisher (Level 2-3)
Learning roll patterns is a great way to become familiar with right hand technique when playing bluegrass music on the ukulele. Using the C, Am, F, and G7 in standard tuning, we will show you this lively new way of playing the ukulele. After teaching you how to retune your uke from a 1st string A down to a G in “slack key tuning,” we will show you a simple
Introduction to Bluegrass Ukuleles with Dr. Dennis Fisher (Level 2-3)
Most of us began our ukulele journey strumming, but fingerpicking on the ukulele opens up a whole new way of accompanying a song as well as playing solos. If you know the C, Am, F, and G7 in standard tuning, you are on your way to learning this exciting new way of playing the ukulele. A basic understanding of how to read ukulele tablature is recommended. For those students unfamiliar
Alternate Chord Shapes with Steve Kritzer (Level 2-3)
How to find and use alternate chords up the neck with just enough theory to be dangerous. How to use these to add the “frosting” to any jam session.
“What Strum Do I Use?” with Steve Kritzer (Level 2)
You know the basic Island Strum, and maybe a little “chucking”. Now where? We’ll explore a couple more complex strums, including 3/4, and 6/8 time, as well as a basic “Travis” fingerpick, and figure out how and when to use them to compliment what others are doing.
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