GROUP UKULELE LESSONS AND INSTRUMENTS

Have you ever wanted to learn to play the ukulele? Dreading the freezing cold outside here in Calgary? Imagine yourself strumming along on a Hawaiian beach with the sounds of the waves crashing into shore… You may not be able to make it to Hawaii anytime soon but you can still learn to play the wonderful sounds of the ukulele. Who knows maybe you will make it to Hawaii one day and be able to play your ukulele on the beach! We do offer group ukulele lessons, so read on to learn more.

GROUP UKULELE LESSONS

Here at Cornerstone Music Cafe, we offer group lessons where people of all ages can learn to play the ukulele. It takes some work but is a relatively easy instrument to learn. Fewer strings than a guitar and obviously a lot smaller! And affordable too! A lot of our students really enjoy the group aspect of our ukulele lessons, you will get to meet others who want to learn and maybe you will even find a partner to jam with. Nothing better than bonding over music! We offer 8 week programs to teach you all the basics you need. After going through our ukulele course, you will be able to play several songs, be familiar with different strumming patterns, and know enough chords to learn many, many more or your favourite tunes! Imagine singing and strumming with your new friends, we promise it will make you smile. The ukulele is a great instrument choice for everyone from children to seniors. It is accessible and affordable, and sure to be fun! Take lessons privately or in a group setting – strum along in a class with our light-hearted and easy going instructors. You’ll be ready to jam wherever you go! Learn to play ukulele in our Calgary studios in our NW or SE locations. We offer expert ukulele lessons for beginners or those looking to refine their ukulele skills. The best way to learn ukulele is to start group classes with Cornerstone Music Cafe!

WE ALSO SELL UKULELES

Set on playing the ukulele already? We also sell the instruments! We have a wide selection of ukuleles. Not sure what to buy? Talk to one of our team members and let us guide you through the process of getting the right instrument in a colour you will love. Ukulele’s start from about fifty dollars, and expect to pay about $65.00 for a reasonable quality instrument like this:

SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR JANUARY

We will offer you a 20% discount on the purchase of a ukulele when you sign up for an 8-week course. Thanks for reading our post about group ukulele lessons and instruments! If you want to try out any of our instruments, feel free to stop by anytime or call us.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING UP YOUR MUSIC LESSONS

Something worth doing is never easy. Those are strong words, and they are true when it comes to learning to play a musical instrument. The importance of keeping up your music lessons cannot be overstated. It takes patience, hard work, dedication, and the ability to work through the rough patches that you will come across, and I promise you that it won’t always be easy. But should you see it through to the other side, the rewards will more than make it worth your while. Through my years of performance, I have long ago lost track of how many people told me they wish they would have kept going with their music lessons when they were younger, that one of their biggest regret is quitting, or that they wish their parents would have forced them to continue. It is a common story that I encounter all the time.

GET TO THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE

When students, especially children, express frustration with music, it doesn’t necessarily mean they hate it. More often than not, it means that they do not know what to do or where to start, or that they are facing a challenge, perhaps for the first time in their life, and are not equipped to overcome it. As educators and parents, it is important to get to the root of the issue. What is causing the student to be frustrated is more important than the fact that the student is frustrated. The reality is that many students will quit music at a very young age. But it is important to be clear and determine if a student is just going through a rough patch or if music is really not for them. Do they have the correct instrument? Is practicing a part of their regular routine, and are they practicing correctly? Do they have the right teacher? Are they playing music that interests them, and is it at an appropriate level of difficulty? The answer to these questions will help you determine if keeping up your music lessons is the right decision for you. There is not a single musician in the world who has not struggled at some point, or questioned their abilities or commitment to their craft. It is perfectly normal and there is only one way to get better: Don’t quit.

LEARNING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT WILL HELP YOU

Learning a musical instrument will help you. It will teach you discipline, perseverance, work ethic, how to overcome challenges, how to organize your time. You will learn to believe in yourself, your abilities, develop your self-confidence, have the satisfaction of accomplishing something, and ultimately the pleasure of playing a musical instrument. The thing about practicing regularly is that you will get better. As you get better, you will have more fun playing. When you have fun, you will play more. As you play more, you will improve your skills and develop your repertoire. It is really that simple. And along the way, you will need the wisdom to understand that sometimes you won’t be as productive, and the patience to work through those phases.

KEEPING UP WITH MUSIC LESSONS WILL GET YOU HERE

CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESS

Students must be set up to succeed, and there are many factors that contribute to their success or failure. Parent and teacher support, along with proper practicing habits will go a long way to help create an environment for success.

IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE COULD DO IT

Watching a great performance is exhilarating. Playing a musical instrument is a special skill and doing it at a high level is a privilege reserved only for those who persevere. Remember that if it was easy, everyone could do it. For more information about our music lessons, please contact us, email us, or visit our website.

HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR

One of the most common challenges when first learning to play is how to tune your guitar. All you need is an electronic guitar tuner of your choosing. That’s it! The easiest to use is the type which clips on the head of your guitar. Start with your sixth string, the thickest one, closest to the ceiling while in playing-position. This string should be tuned to an E note. Tune that string to the lowest E possible, without the string becoming completely loose and flappy. Make sure to keep striking the string, as the tuner will ‘hear’ the ‘attack’ of the string most prominently. Turn the machine head to increase tension on the string and the pitch will rise. Turn the other way to decrease tension and the pitch will fall.

HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR TIP#1

While your tuner will be able to tell you how close you are to an E, it likely won’t tell you which E you’re closest to. You’ll know the string is tuned too high if it begins to sound thin and tinny, and the machine head becomes more difficult to turn. It should NOT be difficult to turn. To get a good idea what that single E note on a guitar sounds like, throw on AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” The first chord is an E, with that low string ringing out nice and loud.

HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR WITH THE FIFTH FRET TRICK

Once you’ve got your string tuned to a low E, it’s time to move on to your next string. The next string is the fifth string, which should be tuned to A. Before you go to that string, simply press down on your 6th string, the one you just tuned to E, on the fifth fret (see diagram below). Play that one note. That note is the A your fifth string should be tuned to. Turn the machine head of the 5th string until it matches that pitch. Once the pitch sounds close, use the tuner to finely adjust the pitch until it shows that your string is right at the pitch it needs to be (A). You can continue this pattern for the next two strings. The fifth fret on your fifth string is a D, which is the desired pitch of your fourth string, and the fifth fret on your D string is tuned to a G, which is the desired pitch of the third string. The only place on the guitar where the “fifth fret trick” does not work is between the third and second strings. Here, it is actually the fourth fret on the third string that will sound just like the tuning of the second string played open, a B. Finally, the fifth fret on the second string is yet another E, tuned two octaves above the lowest string.

TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR

Once you have that string tuned, go back and make sure each string is still at its designated pitch. Your tuner will tell you if you are correct and will help you make the finer adjustments that may be required. Once you feel you’re ready to test and see if the guitar is in tune, play your favourite open chords. The E and G chords are great to test tuning, as they use all six strings at once. Tune your guitar each day when you pick it up! Remember that it is totally normal for most guitars to go out of tune while playing once in a while. With a little practice, you should be able to have this whole process down in no time.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR, HERE ARE SOME EXTRA TIPS FOR YOU

• You may want to detune each string before tuning UP. This will help ensure you won’t break a string by starting out higher, and accidentally attempting to tune to the next highest octave.

• Be aware of ‘accidentals’. It is possible that you may tune your note to a FLAT version of itself, usually indicated on the tuner with a little (b) symbol. You’ll have to tune up just a bit from there to reach the NATURAL pitch, which will have no symbols next to it. You may also tune your note to a SHARP version of itself, usually indicated on the tuner with a hashtag symbol (#).You’ll have to tune down just a bit from there to reach the NATURAL pitch, which will have no symbols next to it.

• On most guitars, your fifth fret will have a small dot on it.

• The overall tuning stability of your guitar is dependent upon each individual string being perfectly in tune. Electric guitars have much skinnier strings and some have “floating bridges” that require precise tuning of all strings at once to remain stable. If you have a whammy bar on your guitar, you may want to go over each string in succession three or four times total, just to be sure.

With that, good luck and happy tuning! If you would like more information on guitar lessons or on purchasing a guitar, click here.