Steveston Ukulele Circle

It's a bit of a trek from Vancouver's West End where I live to the Steveston Japanese Cultural Centre where the weekly ukulele circle meets on Friday mornings but it's well worth it!

On sunny days I take transit part ways then ride my bike along the lovely Richmond bike paths. 

Some days it's transit all the way or a pal picks me up at the Skytrain station and occasionally I even drive our car but no

matter my mode of transport I rarely miss this gentle easy going ukulele group. 

Everyone in the group is warm and welcoming so it's easy to meet new friends - ukulele players just seem to be like that wherever you go, I've found. And lucky for me the Steveston group has been a fun magnet for some of my long time friends as well. 

Vancouver's largest summer drum circle.

Vancouver's largest summer drum circle takes place weekly, on Tuesdays, at Third Beach in beautiful Stanley Park. The energetic meeting of hand drummers and dancers has been happening for more than 10 years and is referred to as 'Brahm's Tams' respectfully recognizing the event's organizer and guide. 

All are welcome and the drumming flows out of the group's common energy. There is not a moment without a pulsing beat from the start of the circle until after sunset. 

Though stronger substances are partaken by many at the circle, my drumming pal and I kicked off the evening with a tall cool glass of raspberry blueberry bubble tea!

After a lovely 45 minute walk along the seawall to the beach, we immersed ourselves in the sound waves of Brahm's Tams until comfortably mellow then enjoyed the last of the sunset during the stroll home. 

Itsy Bitsy goes to Vanukes

On the third Tuesday of every month a group of up to 100 uke strummers and pluckers head to an old church venue in Vancouver's Kitsilano district to attend Vanukes. 

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/vanukes/

This energetic evening has been offered to uke'sters far and wide for 15 years and is organized and led by none other than the King of Ukulele himself, Ralph Shaw. 

http://www.ralphshaw.ca

When I introduced Ralph to the Itsy Bitsy uke at last night's Vanukes and jokingly asked him how I could restore the wee uke to its former tenor size he was quick to reply with classic Ralph Shaw humour. "Use a bicycle pump, of course!" Ralph quipped. 

The social little instrument continues to bring smiles to players' faces as they often ask to see it and immediately start to pluck and strum.

Some folks even neglect their full size ukes in order to play the Itsy Bitsy:

Big Fun with a Small Ukulele

This morning the Stevenston Strummers had a big surprise when they saw the Itsy Bitsy uke being played at their weekly meetup.  A rumour rippled through the group hinting that the little mahogany uke had once been a tenor but after a wash and spin dry shrinkage led to the instrument's reduced size!

Players all commented on how well crafted the uke is.  During the uke jam, More than once a player asked to borrow the uke to play one of the group favourites on.  By the end of the morning the uke was spirited away by one enthralled strummer who asked to borrow the teeny instrument so she could play it over the weekend. 

Definitely a big hit with the uke crowd, this little ukulele lived up to its reputation of generating a lot of fun!

More Itsy Bitsy

This teeny ukulele has a way of challenging players to try playing their favourite songs on the minature instrument. Yet it doesn't give them satisfaction immediately. Fingers need to adjust to the small fretboard spaces and though single finger chords like 'C' and 'Am' ring out easily, more crowded chords like 'G7' and 'D' require more agility. To hear a 'Bb' or bar chords ring out signals a real Itsy Bitsy pro!

Koa Spruce Tenor

I played the newly crafted ukulele last week at the Steveston uke meetup. It blended well with the the other ukes and added a full rich tone.

A local luthier at Rufus Guitars gave the instrument a thumbs up commenting that the uke had beautiful sound both when played quietly or at greater volume. 

Definitely a fabulous uke for meetups!

Shakuhachi

Now that I'm back from ukulele building, it's time to turn my attention to my shakuhachi. I've been studying the Japanese vertical bamboo flute for six years. Michael Gould is my teacher and you can read more about my journey at my other blog:

http://ashakuhachijourney.blogspot.ca/

Today is lesson day and I'm very excited to be starting Shika no Tone, a two part piece which I'll be playing with my good friend, 'Tsu'.

Summer Drumming

It's been a long hot summer in Vancouver, perfect drumming weather. 

Monday nights at Gary Point Park in Steveston have provided our intimate little drumming group with great opportunities to experiment with the interplay of rhythms.  Here's my pal Bonnie settling in with her new djembe:

I've been exploring the wide range of tones of my alder drum. The djembe is a beautiful drum crafted by Robin of Sylvan Temple Drums on Vancouver Island. 

http://www.sylvantemple.ca/