My adopted home state is tall and, well, stately. There is the top–where I went to college near the redwood trees of Humboldt County. There is the bottom–where my parents and I landed so many years ago, brand new immigrants from Washington D.C. And there is the middle–where I did a week-long silent meditation retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains…and lived to tell about it.
Hubby and I are going “all-middle” at the end of June for a whirlwind ukulele tour to Modesto, Sacramento and San Jose. Because of our schedules–Craig teaches high school and I do shows and teach and write Monday through Monday–well we don’t get out of Los Angeles very much. But when we do, I’m like a wide-eyed kid on her first trip to Disneyland.
This mini-tour “fell together” because people in the ukulele community are really kind. And supportive.
For example, we met Stu Herreid at the Reno Ukulele Festival. Stu owns The Strum Shop which is a popular music store/performing venue near Sacramento. I have attended his festival workshops and marvel at his teaching methods. He is the “strum master” and above all, Stu’s honest. About the “P” word.
PACTICE…
There he is, alone on stage, perched comfortably in a chair and demonstrating some cool strum. Stu is telling everyone in the room that you can get this strum. Yes you can. Si Se Puede! IF you do it over and over and over and over. For…say…45 minutes…straight.
I am laughing so hard (well on the inside) that I almost spit up my Ricola because I know I can barely do anything for 45 minutes without running to the fridge or the computer or going off to fantasyland. If you get my drift…
Nevertheless, I completely agree with Mr. Herreird. Practice, hard-core repetition, is key to learning to play this or any instrument. And truth be told, I’ve done countless “practice marathons” in my life and…I’m tired.
When we email him about our plans for a mini-tour, Stu books us for a workshop and concert at the Strum Shop Friday night, June 27th. Just like that. Whoo Hoo!
Then I remember that my friend and former Skype student, Portor, lives in San Jose and I grab a map of California. “Oh San Jose is only “two inches” from Sacramento,” I exclaim to no one else in the room. Well, Porter gets to work and works miracles. He arranges a workshop and concert for us at Atria Willow Glen and goes above and beyond the call of duty, inviting several local ukulele groups from Silicon Valley to Monterey “to party” with us in San Jose.
Suddenly, out of the blue…of my computer screen…I get an email from Lorrie who helms the Funstrummers, based in Modesto. She sees we are performing at The Strum Shop and invites us to do a workshop for her group that same morning. Back to the map I go… “Ah, Modesto is a “little over an inch” from Sacramento. We can do that!
And now you see how we put a tour together. One inch at a time and with A LOT of help from our friends. Here’s the schedule.
Friday, June 27 in Modesto with The Funstrummers.
Workshop at 9:30 AM. $20.
209-505-3216 for information
Email: FunstrummersUke@aol.com
Friday, June 27 at The Strum Shop in Roseville. 7:00 $20
Saturday, June 28 at Atria Willow Glen in
San Jose at 2:00 P.M.
Workshop & Concert $20
Atria Willow Glen
1660 Gaton Dr
San Jose,, CA 95125
Contact info, pgoltz@me.com.
If you live in them there lands of middle California, please join us for some ukulele education AND fun. Craig, my chord-melody man, will do his thing. I’ll do mine, which means hot ukulele rhythms and singing and comedy from my Dr. Demento days. And we’ll do our husband-wife “let’s-play-together” thing too.
It’s almost summer, the earth is still spinning, so let’s make music!
And a big “thank you’ to Stu, Portor and Lorrie for making this possible!