I thought this was cool to see the Beatles themselves strumming along.
Lately I have began to appreciate the advantages of teaching many little things around one simple concept. It lets students feel familiar with some of the material while introducing new things that would seem complex if learned separately. Teaching ‘ukulele like this seems to help beginners see the possibilities of music instead of just notes on a fretboard while reinforcing the basics of the simple concept at the core.
One such thing is as simple as a C major scale, which I like to introduce to beginners fairly early on. Here is a chart I made showing several things you can do with a C major scale. All examples use the same notes, but some things change with each. This helps the student get beyond focusing on the location of each note and instead thinking about what you are doing to the notes. (It tricks them into thinking that the new thing is harder and makes them put “remembering the notes” on autopilot.)
The world is darker today. Bob Brozman has died.
Bob was a legend here in Hawai’i. I’ve never heard of any outsider who was more respected by local musicians. We all looked up to him and were constantly floored at the sounds he could extract from a guitar or ‘ukulele. The stuff he played wasn’t supposed to be possible! But somehow he did it and he did it with heart and humor.
I met Bob during Uncle George Kahumoku’s Slack Key Guitar Workshop last year. And while I was only in his presence for a week, the things that he played, said, and taught will stick with me forever. I am grateful to have spent that time with him. Aloha e Bob.