Workshops to suits all levels
We are delighted to present a really fantastic selection of ukulele master workshops for the 2023 festival.
As well as an opportunity to pick up new ways of playing, they are also great fun. There is a workshop to suit everybody, so book yours ASAP – they always fill very quickly, and you don’t want to miss out.
This is your opportunity to join a class of skilled and talented ukulele musicians.
Each of the workshops lasts approximately an hour.
All workshops are on Saturday 26th August.
We have 4 workshops taking place and are €17 each.
Workshop Schedule
10:30am
IN HARMONY WITH THE BLUES – THE LAVA BIRDS – Lighthouse Bar
CHORD PLUS AND COMPING – ADAM FRANKLIN – dlr LexIcon
12 noon
INTRODUCTION TO FINGERPICKING THE UKULELE – DEL REY – dlr LexIcon
JUG BAND JAM – PHIL DOLEMAN – Lighthouse Bar
1:30pm
KIDS & BEGINNERS WORKSHOP – dlr LexIcon
In Harmony with the Blues - The Lava Birds [All levels]
The Lava Birds – All levels
In Harmony with the Blues
A workshop with the Lava Birds from Madrid to learn how to sing a classic blues song in 3 part harmonies. You’ll learn how to play the song on your uke and pick out the 3 different voices of the melody and put them together to create a beautiful harmony. Be prepared to sing along and have fun while you strum!
The workshop will suit all levels.
Workshop at 10:30am, Lighthouse Bar
Workshop takes place on Saturday 26th and costs €17
Chord plus and comping - Adam Franklin [Competent Beginner / Intermediate level]
Adam Franklin – Competent Beginner / Intermediate level
Chord plus and comping
How to extend your chord vocabulary, add notes to chords to get more out of a tune and the ‘comping’ rhythm style of swing bands such as Count Basie & Duke Ellington.
Ukulele has been the first instrument in the Franklin family for four generations. I have been playing blues and jazz on uke since 1998, influenced by my jazz musician dad who was around for the first ukulele craze of the 1920’s. I play uke in a hot jazz style using three finger picking to create the syncopated rhythms of the 1920’s/30’s that I love so much.
Heavily influenced by my sometime duo partner in crime, the sublime Del Rey (www.delreyplays.com), I play uke in most of my solo blues shows and on five of my solo albums. I regularly perform and teach all over the world, notably for EuroBlues here in the UK and the Centrum organisation in the US.
Many of the early blues players, especially around Alabama, Georgia and along the east coast of the US, played and sang in fairly high registers. This makes the ukulele a great accompaniment for pre-war blues and jazz.
Workshop at 10:30am, dlr LexIcon
Workshop takes place on Saturday 26th and costs €17.
Introduction to Fingerpicking the Ukulele - Del Rey - [Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced]
Del Rey – Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Introduction to Fingerpicking the Ukulele
Level: You are comfortable with first position chords and can keep time while changing them.
This class will show you how to position your hand for picking rather than strumming your ukulele.
Your thumb becomes the time keeper, while each string has a finger to play melody. After some exercises to get started, we’ll play a C scale finger style, then move on to answer the question “what makes the blues blue”? Re-entrant (high G) tuning preferred. By ear, no TAB.
Workshop at 12 noon, dlr LexIcon
Workshop takes place on Saturday 26th and costs €17.
Jug Band Jam - Phil Doleman [Confident Beginner/Intermediate level]
Phil Doleman – Confident Beginner/Intermediate level
Jug Band Jam
A great fun workshop! We’ll learn some standard jug band chord patterns and riffs that will have us playing great old songs by Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers, The Memphis Jug Band, The Hokum Boys, and lots of other songs that work in the same way, and then you’ll be able to write your own jug band song! Whilst these songs are not technically difficult, this workshop is all about injecting energy and fun into our playing and performances (whilst I sneakily teach you about the music theory behind them)
Intermediate. These songs are not difficult, and whilst we will try them in different keys, the chords used should be familiar to anyone who has ever strummed along with a ukulele club, so confident beginners will also enjoy this workshop.
Workshop at 12 noon, Lighthouse Bar
Workshop takes place on Saturday 26th and costs €17.
Become a friend of the festival
The Ukulele Hooley is a not-for-profit, family-friendly, community event now in its eight year and growing in popularity and reputation as each August comes and goes.
We’d like to ask for your assistance.
Putting on a free, not-for-profit, community-based event such as the Ukulele Hooley costs money.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has been very generous to us over the years as our Main Sponsor but, as costs rise, we could do with a little more support to bridge the financial gap.
That’s why we are asking if you would like to pitch in and help out. Become a Supporter of the Ukulele Hooley.
As a ‘Thank You’, each ‘Friend of the Festival’ will receive an exclusive ‘Friend of the Festival’ button badge.
Kids and Beginners Workshop
Sheilagh Fox of RUGs’ kids & beginners workshop is on at 1:30pm on Saturday 26th in the dlr LexIcon. There is no need to register.
Download & print the songbook and come along. Bring your ukulele with you, or if you’re new to the ukulele come along and we should have some available to play during the workshop.
You can download the 2023 Kids Workshop Songbook here.
Workshop at 1:30pm, in the dlr LexIcon
