Manitoba Hal offers several ukulele workshops when he is on tour. He is a great instructor and has a way of breaking down complex ideas into simple components that are easy to master at all levels. He regularly appears at the Ottawa Folklore Center, Broadway Music and Folkway Music.
| Beginner Ukulele So you wanna play ukulele? Manitoba Hal will teach you the basics of holding the instrument, strumming styles, tuning, chords and a practice method that will have you playing along with your favorite hits in no time. This method is proven to develop good playing skills and the ability to move forward quickly on this wonderful instrument. |
Ukulele Blues  You can't play blues on a ukulele! Who ever heard of using this diminutive guitar for anything other than novelty music or Hawaiian music? Well Manitoba Hal says you can and he wants to show you how. For those who don't know Manitoba Hal is one of the top ukulele players in Canada and he loves playing the blues on his ukulele. He has been a featured performer at the Ukulele Ceilidh in Liverpool and recently appeared in the ukulele documentary The Mighty Uke (www.mightyukemovie.com). He has two international ukulele endorsements and is one of a handful of authentic blues performers performing with the ukulele today. “People often think of the ukulele as a happy instrument and they're not wrong, but it is also capable of delivering the mojo that makes the blues so interesting” says Hal. “There are many blues performers like Edgar Winter and Otis Taylor who began on the ukulele before migrating to guitar and I believe the instrument certainly can carry the weight of the blues.”This workshop covers topics such as the twelve bar blues and sixteen bar blues, shuffle strumming, solo playing and performance skills. Participants will be led through a basic blues song from simply playing the song to “pimping it out” with lead licks and other tricks of the blues. Arranged for C6 tuned ukulele's this course can be adapted for D6 students easily. (intermediate - players should already have a solid grasp of the basics) |
South Shore Ukulele Players  "You presented an excellent workshop. You were very aware of the ability and limitations of the group. It is so important to have visuals to work with and you are one of the very few instructors who have accommodated our visual learners. Using the white board (or flip chart that is available) is a great skill. It allows the people sitting in the back row, who may not be able to see your hands, to see exactly what you are playing. Your ability to break the playing process into smaller, workable steps for the less skilled players was excellent. Not every instructor can do that." Sandra Orbitsch South Shore Ukulele Players |
