Tuesday 14 November 2017

November 15 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!



You are invited to our ukulele jam! This Wednesday, November 15, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. Bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group. Or if you want to sit back and strum along, that's okay too.

Remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.


Cheers! Hans

Thursday 9 November 2017

Invitation To Our Ukulele Jam



Do you play ukulele? Would you like to jam with other ukulele players in the Kingston area? Did you know that we've been holding regular ukulele jams in Kingston since 2010?



That's right! Twice a month, a group of ukulele players meets in Kingston to sing songs. And you are invited! You know how much fun you can have playing ukulele. Playing with a group of other ukulele players adds to the enjoyment of the instrument.

We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road. The jam runs using an informal song circle format. If you like, bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the others. Or just sit back and strum and sing along.

During the past few years, we've occasionally performed publicly. We've also hosted workshops led by Manitoba Hal and Ralph Shaw.

So come on out and have some fun! The next jams take place on November 15 and December 6.

For more information, visit kingstonukes.com, or visit and like our Facebook page.

Tuesday 31 October 2017

November 1 Ukulele Jam



Greetings, ukulele fans!


Come to our ukulele jam! This Wednesday, November 1, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. Bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group. Or if you want to sit back and strum along, that's okay too.

Remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.


Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 17 October 2017

October 18 Ukulele Jam



Greetings, ukulele fans!



It's uke jam time again! This Wednesday, October 18, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. Please feel free to bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group, or just sit back and strum along. You can find my choices here.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.



Cheers! Hans

Monday 2 October 2017

October 4 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!


It's ukulele time again! The next jam is this Wednesday, October 4, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. I'll bring an assortment of songs, new and old, easy and more challenging. You can find it here. Please feel free to bring copies of your favorite songs to share if you want. Or if you want to sit back and strum along with the others, that's fine too.

If you live near Gananoque, you might be interested in a new group that started there. For the first six weeks (starting last Wednesday), I'll be providing beginner lessons, a sort of ukulele boot camp. After that, the plan is for the group to continue with twice monthly jams. You can find more info on the Gananoque Public Library website.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.



Cheers! Hans

Monday 18 September 2017

September 20 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!


Summer is almost over, and I know most of you are anxious to get back to jamming. The first jam of the new season is this Wednesday, September 20, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. If you'd like to lead the group in song, please bring copies of the songs you want to do. Or if you just want to strum along with the others, that's fine too. As usual, I'll bring along a selection of songs too. And if we run out of songs, we can turn to the songs in our favorites list.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.



Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 1 August 2017

August 2 Jam in City Park

Greetings, everyone!




It's time again for our regular ukulele jam, again in City Park! Check the map below. We'll meet at the south end of City Park, 6:30pm this Wednesday, August 2, and we'll jam until dusk.

Like last time, there's rain in the forecast with a chance of thunderstorms late in the afternoon and early evening. So stay tuned. Check your e-mail, or check Facebook. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we may have to cancel. If we do go ahead, bring your favorite songs, a lawn chair, and your favorite ukulele!



Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 18 July 2017

City Park Ukulele Jam - Wednesday, July 19


Greetings, all!



It's time again for our regular ukulele jam, again in City Park! Check the map below. We'll meet at the south end of City Park, 6:30pm this Wednesday, July 19, and we'll jam until dusk.

There's rain in the forecast with a chance of thunderstorms late in the afternoon and early evening. So stay tuned. Check your e-mail, or check Facebook. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we may have to cancel. If we do go ahead, bring your favorite songs, a lawn chair, and your favorite ukulele!



Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 4 July 2017

City Park Ukulele Jam - Wednesday, July 5

Greetings, all!




It's time again for our regular ukulele jam, again in City Park! Check the map below. We'll meet at the south end of City Park, 6:30pm this Wednesday, July 5, and we'll jam until dusk. The weather forecast looks good: sunny, with a high of 25C. Bring your favorite songs, a lawn chair, and your favorite ukulele!




Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 20 June 2017

City Park Ukulele Jam - Wednesday, June 21

Greetings, all!



You are invited to the first City Park jam of the Summer! Check the map below. We'll meet at the south end of City Park, 6:30pm this Wednesday, June 21, and we'll jam until dusk. There's rain in the forecast for tomorrow, but it's expected to clear by evening. Bring your favorite songs, a lawn chair, and your favorite ukulele!




Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Uke Jam Summer Schedule

Greetings, all!


Summer is almost here! Here's the schedule for our Summertime jams:

  • Wednesday, June 21
  • Wednesday, July 5
  • Wednesday, July 19
  • Wednesday, August 2
  • Wednesday, August 16

All Summer jams will start at 6:30pm and end at dark. In case of rain, jams may be canceled or rescheduled. All Summer jams will be held in City Park, in downtown Kingston. As in the past, meet at the south end of the park.


Cheers! Hans



Monday 15 May 2017

May 17 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!


Ukulele jam time again, this Wednesday, May 17, 7pm at the Collins Bay Legion. We'll have our usual song circle, so bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group. Or you can just sit back and strum and sing along. You can download my selections here.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here. There's no cost to the jam, but do show your appreciation to our hosts by visiting the bar, or at least dropping a buck or two in the tip jar.




Cheers! Hans

Monday 1 May 2017

May 3 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans! It's...



That's right, it's time again for our twice monthly ukulele jam, 7pm this Wednesday May 3, at our new venue, the Collins Bay Legion. We had a great time last week, so you don't want to miss this. Clearly, people appreciate the new venue. There's no cost to joining in, other than spending a few bucks at the bar, or at least dropping a toonie into the tip jar.


We'll have our usual song circle, so bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group. Or you can just sit back and strum and sing along. You can download my selections here, most of which are three or four chord songs.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites docume
nt, you can download it here.


Cheers! Hans

Monday 17 April 2017

April 19 Ukulele Jam - New Venue!

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!


Come on out to our first official jam in our new venue, the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road in Collins Bay, 7pm, this Wednesday April 19. Check the map. You can't miss it. it's just east of Collins Bay Road in the village. We'll meet in the bar. No cost for the jam, but do show your appreciation by visiting the bar and either buy a beverage or at least drop a toonie in the tip jar.

We'll have our usual song circle, so bring copies of your favorite songs to share with the group. Or you can just sit back and strum and sing along. You can download my selections here.

So remember, we jam at the Collins Bay Legion, 4034 Bath Road, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 3 April 2017

April 5 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!


Well, it's been five weeks since our last jam, so let's get back at it again! This Wednesday, April 5, 7pm at the Kingston Community House. If you like, bring your favorite songs, and prepare to have some fun strumming and singing. You can find my choices here.

If you've had trouble finding the location of the jam, check out this map. If you drive south on Division Street, turn left at the second traffic lights south of Concession Street. 



So remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $2 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 27 February 2017

March 1 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!


As I mentioned earlier, the search continues for a new venue. The Collins Bay Legion looked promising, but it didn't quite pass muster.
So we continue with our jam at the Kingston Community House. We jam again this Wednesday, March 1, 7pm, at 99 York Street. Bring along your favorite songs to share with the group. You can find my choice of songs here. It's a selection of a couple of new songs and songs we've done before.

I know some people have trouble finding 99 York Street. Here's a map showing the location. The X marks the spot. If you're driving south on Division Street, turn left at the 2nd traffic lights south of Concession Street. The blue lines indicate where parking is allowed on the streets on Wednesday evenings. Watch the parking signs. Note that there's no parking on York Street until past 108 York Street. I suggest parking in the first available spot on York Street after that point. The Kingston Community House is not well marked, so look for the street number, 99.


So remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $2 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 20 February 2017

Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

First, I'd like to invite all of you to participate in an informal, unscheduled jam this Wednesday, February 22, 7pm. The purpose of this jam is to evaluate a new venue, the Royal Canadian Legion at 4034 Bath Road in Collins Bay. This is very easy to find, right in the village, just east of Collins Bay Road. There's plenty of parking on the east side. Enter through the bar, and take the stairs at the other end of the room up to the second floor.

Please take the opportunity to check this out. If the consensus is positive, we'll make this our regular venue.

As usual, we'll do this as a song circle. Bring copies of some of your favorite songs.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to fill in a survey about our regular ukulele jam. Here are some of the results. There were 20 responses in total.

Question 1: Rate your skills. 6 (30%) considered themselves beginners, 12 (60%) intermediate, and 2 (10%) advanced.

Question 2: Preferred jam format. Most (11) want mixed instruction and song circle. 7 want primarily song circle, and 1 wanted primarily instruction.

Finding topics for a workshop is always challenging. We should have topics that appeal to a wide range of skills. If you have any ideas for workshop topics, or you're willing to lead a workshop, please let me know.

Question 3: Preferred schedule. 89% want a twice a month jam, with the rest preferring a monthly jam.

No surprises here.

Question 4: Jam attendance. Ideally, two thirds of respondents would like to attend every jam if possible, with another quarter expecting to attend every other jam.

This is a positive result. Based on informal feedback, it seems many people have issues with our current venue. With a more appropriate venue, hopefully we'll see a better turnout.

Question 5: Ideal group size. Most respondents think the ideal group size is either 9-11 (41%) or 12-15 (35%).

No surprises here.

Question 6: Ideal room. Most respondents (44%) would prefer a quiet back room in a licensed establishment. 22% would prefer a quiet room in a church, school, or library. One respondent would prefer a living room in someone's home. 28% have no preference.

I, for one, would prefer a venue where I can have a beer while jamming. I think the Collins Bay Legion may be a good choice for venue.

Question 7: Cost. Most (58%) are willing to pay $3-$5 per jam.

There's always a cost. Venues that are willing to provide space for free, such as a licensed bar or restaurant, expect to make money from attendees visiting the bar or ordering food. At least, if you don't buy anything, drop a toonie into the tip jar at the bar.

Question 8: Age. Most respondents were either 61 or older (53%) or 41-60 (37%).

Question 9: Where do you live. Respondents were equally split among inner city Kingston, suburban Kingston and outside the city.

Question 10: Willing to organize. Of 19 respondents, 2 expressed willingness to take an active role in organizing jam activities, 9 replied "perhaps".

Thank you all for participating in the survey. The results will be helpful as we move forward.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 13 February 2017

February 15 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, ukulele fans!


It's ukulele jam time again! We jam again this Wednesday, February 15, 7pm at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street. Bring along your favorite songs to share with the group. You can find my choice of songs here. It's a selection of a couple of new songs and songs we've done before, mostly three- or four-chord songs.

Remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $2 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 30 January 2017

February 1 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

It's time again to let the music ring out! Bring your ukes along to our regular ukulele jam. Next jam is this Wednesday, February 1, 7pm at the Kingston Community House.

We'll start with a workshop, continuing to practice the song we started last time. This time, we'll look at the strumming pattern and speed up the pace.

The workshop follows with our usual song circle. Bring along your favorite songs to share with the group. Please do that. If you don't, others will choose what we play. You can find my choice of songs here. It's a selection of largely three-chord songs, mostly songs we've done before, but with one new song.

Remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $2 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Monday 16 January 2017

January 18 Ukulele Jam

Greetings!


For the second jam of the new year, I propose a 3 or 4 chord jam. That is, let's do songs with no more than 3 or 4 chords. You can find my choice of songs here. Feel free to bring along your 3 or 4 chord favorites too. Or if you just want to sit back and strum along, that's okay too.

But first, let's begin the jam with a workshop. I've found one particular song that should be good for a workshop. Beginners can learn from this song, but it also should be interesting for more intermediate players. This week, we can practice the chords and chord changes. In future weeks, we can work on other aspects of the song, such as tempo and strum patterns. 


If you haven't already done so, please respond to the survey I put out a few days ago. There has already been a good response, but I'd like more before I report on the results. The survey can be found by clicking here.


But based on discussions so far, I am making changes to the jam, starting with this week's jam. For example, every now and then, we should have a jam where we limit ourselves to 3 or 4 chord songs. Also, people have made it clear that we should have a workshop. This may be problematical since we don't have any music teachers in our group. But I welcome any suggestions for future workshop topics.

Also based on discussions on our mailing list, I welcome any suggestions for a new venue. Remember, we should have a venue available on Wednesday evenings, roomy, with good lighting, and with convenient parking. I'll be checking out some possibilities when I have a chance later this week.

Remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $2 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans

Tuesday 3 January 2017

January 4 Ukulele Jam

Greetings, Kingston ukulele fans!

Let's welcome in the New Year with our regular ukulele jam, this Wednesday, January 4, 7pm at the Kingston Community House. Bring along your favorite songs to share. Or just sit back and strum along. As Manitoba Hal said, music demands participation, not perfection.

Remember, we jam at the Kingston Community House, 99 York Street in downtown Kingston, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (excluding holidays). 7pm. The cost is $1 per jam to cover the cost of room rental. If you haven't yet printed off your own copy of our favorites document, you can download it here.

Cheers! Hans