About Me

My photo
Atlanta, GA, United States
When I suffered a lip injury that ended my career as a classical trombonist, I thought my life as a musician was finished, but I fell in love with music all over again when Santa gave me a guitar for Christmas in 2003. Even as I was struggling with my first chords, I was planning a new performance career. As a trombonist, I performed with the Heritage of America Band at Langley Air Force Base, the Ohio Light Opera, and in pick-up bands for touring acts that included Rosemary Clooney, George Burns, and the Manhattan Transfer. Reborn as a jazz guitarist, I sing and play my own solo arrangements of jazz classics, am half of the Godfrey and Guy duo, and hold the guitar chair in the Sentimental Journey Orchestra. I have been a freelance music copyist since 1995, served as Director of Music at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation from 2011 to 2017, and currently serve as Contemporary Band Director at the same congregation.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Meet My Little Friend

Meet my little friend.
This jazz guitarist just bought himself a ukulele! I have to admit that this is in part an investment. I've had several parents ask me if I teach ukulele. On Monday, one more parent asked about uke lessons, and that was the tipping point. The plan is to spend some time getting comfortable with it, and then offer ukulele classes to youngsters at Tessitura, where I teach guitar. It'll be nice if some of those little ones eventually become guitar students, but even if they don't, I'll be doing us all a favor by sending happy little ukulele players out into the world.

This is a fun instrument! I've already taught myself a few chords. It seems like it would be almost impossible to play a ukulele and be anything but happy. There are people who do amazing things on the ukulele, but I think I'll stick to the basics. I enjoy pushing myself as a jazz guitarist, but I also like the idea of playing an instrument simply for the sake of strumming and singing some happy little songs.

I like to record "memo songs"…just single take songs captured by my iPhone's voice recorder. Yellow Submarine seems like a perfect ukulele song. Time to get busy!
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)