Jim D’Ville will be offering a workshop for us sometime in August and early September this year. Take a look at the offerings below and let me know which one’s you’re interested in.
Jim D’Ville Bio:
Jim D’Ville is a music educator and facilitator who is on a mission to get ukulele players off the paper and playing music by ear. Over the last seven years he has taught his Play Ukulele By Ear workshops to thousands of players in the United States, Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. Jim is the author of the Play Ukulele By Ear DVD series and hosts he popular Play Ukulele By Ear website (www.PlayUkuleleByEar.com). Jim is sponsored by Kala Brand Music and Deering Banjos.
NEW! Learning Songs The Fun Way, By Ear! (All Levels)
I’ve combined the most popular elements of my Play Ukulele By Ear #1 and #2 workshops into a sleek new presentation which offers the ear a delightful journey through some of the most popular chord progressions in western pop music. This is a hands on, ears on, play along session utilizing super familiar songs. Once you start learning songs this way you’ll never go back to simply playing from the book.
Play Ukulele By Ear Vol. 1: Learning To Listen (All Levels)
Get the most out of your ukulele experience by getting rid of that songbook and learning to Play Ukulele By Ear. This entertaining and informative workshop will give you the tools you need to tap into your innate musical abilities. Playing by ear is easy, fun, and it will propel your understanding of how music works to a new level. Learning the emotional value of just three major chords will open open your ears to the structure of millions of songs, in under an hour! This workshop will make you a better listener and student! All skill levels welcome, however, knowledge of basic chord shapes (C F G7) is helpful. “Jim’s Play Ukulele By Ear workshop is a high-energy roller coaster of learning and laughs. He’s one-of-a-kind. Buckle up!” James Hill
Play Ukulele By Ear Vol. 2: Chord Progressions & The Circle of 5ths (Advanced Beginner and up) Being able to hear and identify chord progressions will go a long way toward demystifying the basic structure of music. Before you know it you’ll be hearing and recognizing dominant seven and diatonic chord progressions. This exciting workshop will open your ears to the way all songs work around the Circle of 5ths. Knowledge of chords C F G7 A7 D7 E7 Am Dm Em is helpful.
Uke Jam By Ear Techniques (All Levels)
It’s your turn to lead a song at the ukulele club! Be prepared by learning the techniques that have made Jim D’Ville one of the most sought-after ukulele jam leaders in the world. Topics include timing, rhythm, singing on pitch, song arranging on the fly, and having fun.
Strumming Ukulele By Ear (All Levels)
Free yourself from memorizing Down-Up patterns! Starting with the basic index finger strum, Jim will quickly have your muscle memory absorbing fun strums like The Gallop Triplett, The Chunky Chop and many more strumming techniques that will spice up your playing.
Picking Ukulele By Ear (All Levels) Learn to pick the melodies to your favorite songs without tab! This ground-breaking workshop is the first of its kind to use the solfege syllables to organically train your ears to hear and play the scale patterns where all the melodies live. Topics will include playing scales, arpeggios, rolls and fills, and of course songs! This workshop is the first step to being able to play anything that comes into your head!
3 Chord Magic Chord Magic (Advanced Beginner & Up) The 3 Chord song form is probably the most popular in Western music. In this workshop we’ll dissect a number of interesting variations of the progression beyond the I-IV-V7. Learning to hear the emotional quality of chords other then I-IV-V will dramatically improve your playing. We’ll play a lot of very fun and familiar tunes in the rock, pop and blues genres. Knowledge of chords C F G7 A7 D7 E7 Gm Dm Am Em is helpful.
NEW! Fab Beatles Songs 1963-’64 (Advanced Beginner/Intermediate)
Why were The Beatles the greatest band ever? The chord progressions! The Beatles songs written in the breakout years of 1963 and ’64 showcase Lennon and McCartney’s exciting use of cadence and colorful extended chords. We’ll learn immortal pop classics including I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, Tell Me Why and more all by ear!
NEW! Magical Mystery Chords (Intermediate)
The Beatles employed every trick on the Circle of 5ths to write some of the most ear-catching musical phrasings in popular music. In this workshop we’ll play snippets of over 25 Beatles songs and examine how they used the emotional values found in chords to write some of the most popular music of all time. Songs include Hey Jude, Nowhere Man, Let It Be, Taxman, Octopus’ Garden, Eight Days A Week, Rain. Penny Lane and many more!
Hank & Buck By Ear (All Levels)
Hank Williams and Buck Owens were masters of the three chord form. Jim will lead you through country standards from each artist including Jambalaya, Your Cheatin’ Heart, Hey, Good Lookin’, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail, Cryin’ Time, Together Again, Foolin’ Round and more. You’ll not only learn the chord progressions to these classics by ear, you’ll learn about the hooks that made these songs famous. This workshop will also teach you about basic song structure and the Nashville Number System.
Buddy Holly By Ear (All Levels)
Buddy Holly changed the face of rock and roll. And he did it in just 18 months! With blues-based classics like That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, and Oh Boy, Buddy Holly melded the best of rock, rockabilly and blues into his own style of music. Other classic songs you’ll learn include Everyday, Maybe Baby, It’s So Easy, Rave On and Heartbeat. Jim will also share his experiences in visiting the Norman Petty studio in Clovis, New Mexico where many of this timeless classics were recorded.
Carl Perkins Rockabilly By Ear (All Levels)
Carl Perkins was one of the founding fathers of Rock and Roll and was the King of Rockabilly. In this rocking workshop we’ll learn such classics as Blue Suede Shoes, Matchbox, Boppin’ The Blues, Your True Love, Everybody’s Tryin’ To Be My Baby and Gone, Gone, Gone. You’ll also learn some of the licks, strums and rhythms that all the cats dig!
NEW! Jersey Boys By Ear (Intermediate)
The Four Seasons exploded onto the music scene in 1962 when their first three singles, Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, and Walk Like a Man, all rocketed to #1 on the Billboard chart! They were swept back into the limelight more recently with the Broadway musical and film Jersey Boys. In this latest workshop from Jim D’Ville, you’ll not only learn to sing and play the music of one of the most popular vocal groups of all time, you’ll discover the underlying structure that made their first three hits, along with Dawn, and Rag Doll, immortal classics.