Latest Uketropolis Podcast Episodes
Raglele, Six Weeks Later
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - July 12, 2024 20:13 - 17 minutesRagalele is the newest resource at Uketropolis.com. It was released about six weeks ago and the response has been amazing! New questions and conversations are happening every day as students begin to explore the 6000-year-old tradition of Indian classical music. Today we tackle one of t...
Ragalele
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 06, 2024 14:45 - 35 minutesMy guest today is Sayali Tank, my co-author on Ragalele, a new resource that brings the magic of Indian classical music to the ukulele. Go to www.ragalele.com for a free download and follow Sayali on YouTube and Instagram. In this episode we talk about: How Ragalele came to be The he...
Arranging Made Easy
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - April 25, 2024 12:00 - 17 minutesArranging. It's the all-too-often-overlooked skill that brings music to life... or not. Over the years, there is one simple strategy I've relied on time and time again. It's so simple that it's easy to miss. Plus: why not singing is one of the most important techniques for us singers. ...
BONUS: The Dreaded Squeak
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - April 18, 2024 12:00 - 9 minutesAre you afraid of strings that go squeak in the night? My latest educational project, Ragalele, brings the magic of Indian Ragas to the ukulele: https://www.ragalele.com Uke Heads new single "Hearts On Fire": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGrTIBBjnY My online ukulele courses (some...
Play First, Ask Questions Later
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - April 12, 2024 12:37 - 17 minutesMusic theory is a form of understanding that comes after you play and experiment. A lot. At least that's my opinion. In this episode I make my case for playing first and asking questions later. Enjoy! I'm on tour in Ontario and Quebec! Join me for an in-person ukulele workshop: https:/...
Travis Picking to the Rescue
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - February 23, 2024 10:00 - 15 minutesTravis picking is named after Merle Travis, the Country-Music Hall-of-Famer who popularized the technique. If you're a bit bored with the same old strumming and picking techniques you've been using, well, it's Travis picking to the rescue! The thumb goes back-and-forth, the fingers danc...
165 Players, 10 Rehearsals, 1 Album: Uke Heads Has Landed!
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - February 15, 2024 10:00 - 48 minutesMy new album Uke Heads comes out tomorrow, February 16th, 2024! But it's not just my album, it's a project that has become a global community. How did an idea go from doodles on scrap paper to a full album with over 165 players from 15 countries? In this special episode, taped live at t...
Angeline the Baker
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - February 08, 2024 10:00 - 13 minutes"Angeline the Baker" (also known as "Angelina Baker") is one of the most well-known songs in the Old-time repertoire. It's appeal is a bit of a mystery: it only has two chords and its melody is pentatonic, meaning it doesn't even use all the notes of the major scale. And yet it contains...
Flatpickers Welcome!
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - February 01, 2024 10:00 - 15 minutesIs it legal to use a pick on the ukulele? Yes! Once and for all, YES! In fact, it's a gateway to some really interesting sounds. Specifically, it brings a level of agility to your melodies that is unlike anything else and it opens the door to tremolo flatpicking which can bring a new ki...
Live Long and Posture
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - January 25, 2024 10:00 - 19 minutesCan't do the Vulcan salute? No problem! Stretching your fingers apart (think "live long and prosper") isn't the only way to play challenging chords. In this episode, we explore the difference between stretching for the notes in a chord and reaching for the notes in a chord. Although pos...
The Magic Triple Strum
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - January 18, 2024 10:00 - 20 minutesThe triple strum: it's one of my favourite ukulele topics... ever! I've been fascinated by this technique since I was a kid. Today, we get to dig into the magic of the triple strum and discover how left-hand muting takes this already-great strum to a new level. If you're looking for a ...
Walking Backwards
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - January 11, 2024 11:57 - 20 minutesWelcome back! I took a bit of time off to do a tour and release a new album but I'm back now and I have several episodes lined up for the coming weeks. This week I'll show you a simple strategy you can use in your practice to figure out which left-hand fingerings will work best. It's a ...
A Tree With No Root?
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - November 02, 2023 13:00 - 16 minutesThis week, two topics: 1) How can you have a chord with no root? 2) Ideas for managing stage fright through creative pre-concert prep. Learn ukulele with James: www.uketropolis.com
Turn a one-chord lullabye into a two-chord rocker
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - October 26, 2023 13:00 - 11 minutesA short, bite-sized bonus episode for ukulele teachers. Here's a technique you can use in the classroom RIGHT NOW: turn any one-chord song (e.g. Row Your Boat, Frere Jacques, Every Night, etc.) into a soulful rocker. It's easy and fun. Definitely something you want to have in your bag o...
Speed vs. Style
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - October 19, 2023 13:00 - 25 minutesWelcome to Season 4 of the Uketropolis Podcast! To kick things off, a question from Uketropolis student Doug leads us to explore the relationship between speed and style in music. Specifically, we take a page from jazz saxophone technique in an attempt to have it all: speed and style. ...
The Tuning Paradox
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - July 28, 2023 13:00 - 30 minutesIn this final episode of Season 3, we tackle a thorny musical question: how can your ukulele be in tune and still play out of tune? It's a question that will take us on a fascinating listening journey. Ultimately, you'll discover why tuning to the song may be the only way around this tu...
What everyone can learn from jazz ukulele
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - July 20, 2023 15:18 - 32 minutesJazz teaches us many things. Even if we're not playing jazz, we can apply the lessons learned to many areas of music-making. In this episode: how jazz teaches us to do more with less (e.g. easier ways to play the B-flat chord), and how jazz encourages us to find our own personal musical...
Cliffhanger
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 29, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutesThere's an open question in the ukulele community: what to do when the tuning of the baritone doesn't mesh with the tuning of the other ukuleles in an ensemble? In this episode we explore this vexed question and as well as some possible solutions. BONUS: this episode includes a preview ...
A Bridge Between Tunings
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 22, 2023 13:00 - 11 minutesWouldn't it be nice if there was a bridge between standard tuning and baritone tuning? Turns out, there is! In this episode: how to make the transposition between standard and baritone tuning in the most painless way possible.
Show of Hands
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 15, 2023 13:00 - 13 minutesAre your hands too small for baritone ukulele? Probably not. That being said, there's one chord that might give you trouble: the diminished 7. In this episode: a workaround for the diminished 7 that works on all sizes of ukulele, not just baritone.
Baritone Bonus!
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 11, 2023 13:00 - 8 minutesA bonus lightning round of the most common baritone-ukulele questions.
Baritone: What's the Big Deal?
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 08, 2023 13:00 - 15 minutesPeople who love baritone ukulele really love baritone ukulele. Why? We kick off Baritone Month with a simple question: "What makes baritone ukulele so great?"
June is Baritone Month!
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - June 02, 2023 12:54 - 1 minuteThis month is all about our favourite BIG ukulele. Welcome to the land of D-G-B-E tuning! Tune in starting next week for episodes about the benefits of baritone, how to make the transition to bari painlessly and how to better understand the place of the baritone in ukulele ensembles. #B...
My Three Principles for Left-hand Fingering
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - May 25, 2023 12:00 - 15 minutesNavigating the ukulele fretboard is a bit like playing chess: sometimes it's mathematical, other times it's intuitive. Because there's no perfect solution for left-hand fingering it's a perennial topic among players of all levels. In this episode I offer three principles you can use whe...
How do I know which notes to noodle on?
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - May 18, 2023 12:00 - 13 minutesIt's one of the most common student questions: when I'm improvising or composing, how do I know which notes to use? In this bonus episode, we explore practical and intuitive ways to create melody. Spoiler alert: in the end, there's only one scale you absolutely need to know...
Fringe Twins
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - May 11, 2023 12:00 - 32 minutesBooster Uke is one of the most popular courses at Uketropolis for good reason. Who wouldn't want to learn easy ways to play Blues, Gospel, Pop and Jazz tunes? It's pure musical magic courtesy of a fretboard phenomenon called Chord Twins. But what happens at the fringes of the Chord Twin...
Alex Beds Interviews... James!
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - May 05, 2023 14:36 - 37 minutesAlex Beds interviews James on his Ukes With Podcast. Get to know Alex better: Ukes With Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukeswithalex/episodes Alex's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ukeswithalex Alex's Website and Original Songs: https://www.alexbeds.co.uk/ ...
Brad Bordessa's Brave New Approach To Online Teaching
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - April 20, 2023 13:30 - 39 minutesBrad Bordessa's new online course brings important elements of traditional Hawaiian teaching into the digital age. It's a brave new approach to online education... and it might just work.
Slide Ukulele
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - April 13, 2023 13:30 - 34 minutesSlide ukulele slows us down and helps us savour the music we make. Here's how to get started with this beautiful style right away: an easy, gentle and fun introduction to the "slow uke movement." Bonus: get two free slide ukulele lessons with me here: https://www.uketropolis.com/slide. ...
North, South, East and West
Uketropolis: Ukulele Q&A with James Hill - March 30, 2023 12:21 - 19 minutesWhat does it mean to explore the fretboard in all directions? It brings discoveries at every turn: move across the strings for speed and efficiency and or along a single string to gain understanding. To join the next live taping of the Uketropolis Podcast, go to uketropolis.com/podcast...
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