Category Archives: ukulele

Jingle Bells: the Perfect Place to Start Harmonising

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

I’m well into Christmas Carol territory with most of my students now. Carols are great tunes to start people off with harmonising, as they are so familiar. The melody is already there, deep in the player’s subconscious. I don’t know … Continue reading →

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Mele Kalikimaka

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

For music teachers, Christmas is just around the corner (you have to have time to learn a tune if you want to impress everyone with it at Christmas) and Conrad’s Chords has had a request! A Christmassy duet for piano … Continue reading →

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Hit the Road Jack

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

My previous blog was all about songs which have one short chord progression repeated throughout the entire song. But I’ve just realised I missed a real gem: Hit the Road Jack! It’s a joy to teach and jam through. Here’s … Continue reading →

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‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’/’Marry You’ Ukulele Mash Up!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

Downloadable charts (lyrics with chords) – Don’t Worry Be Happy Marry you in C Marry you in F The top two charts include chord diagrams for the soprano ukulele, but any instrument will work. Playing Around with Cyclical Chord Progessions … Continue reading →

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Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

The Frozen phenomenon continues unabated. The other evening my husband and I were treated to the sounds of a drunken teenage garden party wafting though our kitchen window, the climax being when they all started singing ‘Let it Go’ at … Continue reading →

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Let it Go

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

I wonder how many more music teachers have noticed the ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen phenomenon? Having had the song mentioned to me by a couple of students, I looked it up on youtube, saw a cartoon character with an … Continue reading →

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American Pie

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

A while ago I was singing the beautiful round, ‘By the Waters of Babylon’ with a group of pupils. On listening to the recording by Don MacLean, I advised the young teenager to listen to his two most famous songs, … Continue reading →

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Big Fat Music Party!

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

My students and I had our fifth Big Fat Music Party the other evening. I came up with the name as I was trying to get away from the formal idea of a ‘concert’, a word bound to strike fear into … Continue reading →

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The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

My next Big Fat Music Party is coming up, where all my students get together and play. For a sing along number I’m planning on doing The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The beauty of this song is that not only does … Continue reading →

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The Three Chord Trick Explained

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Rosa Conrad

You might have heard that there are three chords which, if you learn them, you can play just about any song in the world. It’s true. So many songs only use three chords and many more can be boiled down … Continue reading →

Posted in guitar, music teaching, piano, theory, ukulele | Tagged , , | 5 Comments