RUG INTRO GROUP
For the first forty-ish minutes of the Wednesday weekly session (19:00–19:40) the RUG Intro Group will meet in a side room away from the main group. This section is called “RUG Intro Group” partly because not everyone is a beginner (not for long anyway), but also to emphasise that it’s an introduction to either the ukulele as a whole or to RUG as a group, or both. Our aim is to provide new members with the resources to learn and improve as ukulele players, whether that’s from scratch or building on previous experience. It’s also a place to make friends and connections within RUG.
Introduction to the ukulele
If you are a total beginner then this is where you will start. One of our lovely members will tell you a little about the ukulele, but most importantly put one in your hands and get you learning your first chords. You can play a song knowing just one chord, you know! We usually have spare ukuleles, but if you have your own please bring that along.
Introduction to RUG
For those of you who have some experience playing the ukulele then this group is for you. In this group you will be introduced to various chord families, as well as different strumming patterns and techniques, and we will play songs from a range of styles of music.
During the session we will play through a song as a whole group. At some point we will aim to get up on stage and perform it for the rest of the club (under the stage name “The Rolling (G)s”), but don’t worry, we won’t force anyone to do that. At that point you may decide to “graduate” out of the RUG Intro Group and stay in the main hall for the whole evening session.
At about 19:40 each week we will all go out into the main hall and join in with the group sets – our set leaders rotate weekly according to availability/nerve. In Roy’s words “I stand on stage and make a fool of myself singing old songs, and not so old songs, with different timings, strum patterns and a few new chords. If you can master 3 or 4 chords and SING no matter how badly, come along, this spot will promise nothing but a smile and some lovely people”.
Don’t forget the 3 S’s:
SING STRUM SMILE
And the 3 P’s:
PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE
