Greetings Friends!

Thank you for tuning in to Adventures in Social Music for Guitar and Uke here on Sonic Junction.

These are beginner and intermediate lessons. We’ll be exploring the basics for both instruments as we dig deep into the idea of Social Music. I spend a lot of time playing and practicing by myself but it’s when I play songs with other people that I feel the real joy that music making has to offer.

To a person who hasn’t had this experience, the idea of friends sitting and jamming together often seems like a magic trick. Something along the lines of pulling a ferret out of a shirt sleeve. So, we’ll break it down and make it possible for all of you to get to a place where you have a bag full of songs for most occasions and the skills to play them, by yourself and with others.

We’ll gather tunes for campfires, house parties, weddings, funerals, block parties, classrooms, and family reunions. We’ll talk about developing a personal style.

I’ll break each song down for guitar and ukulele and work as many of my musician friends as possible into the lessons in order to give you a sense of what things can sounds like with a few people playing together.

I’ll also talk about singing, song leading, and the various ways to get everyone engaged ... remember, it’s social music!

Below I’ve listed specifically where I plan to go with all this and what songs I’ll be using to get us there. I look forward to sharing the adventures with you.

Dan Zanes

Tuning Your Instrument

• How to use an electronic tuner
• How to tune by ear
• What you should know if your instrument is new

Chord Basics

• Overall posture and position for guitar and uke playing
• The left hand mechanics of playing chords
• Troubleshooting when things sound janky
• Open position chords for guitar and uke

Strumming Patterns

• How to begin using a pick with the guitar
• Basic strumming patterns for the uke
• Simple fingerpicking for guitar and uke

Singing

• Finding your voice
• Singing in tune
• Finding the right key for a song

Rustic Music Theory

• The basic language of music
• What are scales?
• What are chords
• Why is a little theory important?

Choosing an Instrument

• New or used?
• The trade-off with starter instruments
• Considerations when shopping online
• What to look for in a guitar
• What to look for in a uke

Developing an Individual Style

• The benefits of simplicity
• How to get inside a song
• The value in recording yourself

The Signature Song

• A song for every occasion
• How to use the internet to find songs and chords
• How to memorize lyrics

Song Leading

• Why is group singing important?
• Effectice ways to teach songs to an all-ages group
• Effective ways to teach songs to children
• What makes a good song for group singing?

The Audience

• What to understand in performance situations
• How to guage the audience
• How to develop confidence

Arranging for Two Instruments

• The beauty of two ukes
• The beauty of two guitars
• What is an arrangement?
• The importance of dynamics
• George Harrison's uke legacy

Harmony Singing

• Fundamentals of harmony singing
• A few different styles
• How to develop harmony singing

More Chord Adventures

• Chords up the neck of the guitar and uke
• Chords as the basis for solos
• Simple chord substitution

Soloing

• What is a solo?
• Soloing when you're the only instrument
• Soloing when you're part of a group

Songs

• Pay Me My Money Down (Georgie Sea Islands)
• Stand By Me (Ben E King)
• Three Little Birds (Bob Marley)
• I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston / Dolly Parton)
• All Around The Kitchen (Traditional)
• Wagon Wheel (Old Crowe Medicine Show)
• Wild Mountain Thyme (Scottish Folk Song)
• The Rock Island Line (Blues)
• Wonderall (Oasis)
• Hello (Dan Zanes)
• Jump Up (Dan Zanes)
• My Girl (Temptations)
• La Siren (Haitian Folk Song)
• El Canario (Puerto Rican Jibaro Song)
• One Love (Bob Marley)
• Dreamland (Bob Marley)
• The Nearness of You (Hoagy Charmichael)
• Cape Cod Girls (Sea Shanty)

I look forward to sharing the adventures with you.

Dan Zanes