Tartan Tundra Music

Performing Every Friday in June

I'll be performing every Friday in June at the gazebo (near the Harding car) in Pioneer Park, (more happily known as Alaskaland). It's a one-hour show, from 7-8,outdoors, fairly informal and relaxed, and suitable for the whole family. I'll be fiddling, and may or may not have special guests. If I get my voice back, I'll sing you some songs, too. You'll just have to come and see!

Lyrics and Chords Section Added

Heads up to all ukulele, guitar and mandolin players: find links to chord and lyrics sites in the green section! There are also links to transposition and chording site. Both are very handy tools. Have at it!

If you find a song you want to learn, email me as soon as you know so I can get up to speed on it before your lesson. Thanks! I'm good, but I'm not psychic!

New Links to Downloadable FREE Sheet Music

I've just added a list of places on the internet where you can search for and download lots and lots of sheet music for free. This is all traditional music, Old Timey, Irish, Scottish, Swedish, etc.. It's free because folks have be kind enough to collect these tunes and make them available. Traditional tunes have no copyright so downloading them for free is perfectly okay.

If you are looking for the tune to Star Wars or the theme to Lord of the Rings, you won't find that for free, as those kinds of compositions are copyrighted, as well they should be! There are many sites online that you can order and download such music for a small fee. This assures the composer is paid his or her royalties, and that's something I can support.

My next project for this site is to add some of the music I've written out (my students all have my handwritten copies, you know what I mean!) in a file section so that you can download specific tunes. This is good if the dog ate your music folder, (or you've "lost" it in your room) or if I've run out of copies in the studio. So stay tuned, I'm getting up to speed on this and hope to have tunes up by next weekend.

Latest News on Workshops

We have just enough people to conduct class if we combine the two workshops, Guitar Strum  & Sing for Adults and the Uke Strum & Sing for Adults. These are now one class and will meet on TUESDAYS beginning tonight, May 19, from 7-8pm. If you missed last week no worries, we'll give you last week's songs and help you catch up.

The Children's Uke Strum & Sing is cancelled due to lack of enrollment. However it will be held whenever there are enough students enrolled.

Good Old Fiddling and Beginning Celtic Fiddling are both meeting on Saturdays.There are also spaces available in both workshops if you would like to join.

The only class that hasn't met once yet is the Children's Guitar Strum & Sing which begins this Thursday from 2:30pm -3:30pm. There are five more spaces left in this workshop.

Directions to the studio are on the sidebar---------------------------> See you there!

Ukulele Strum & Sing Class Tonight!

We still have room for more folks who want to have fun with easy ukulele chords and songs! The workshop starts tonight at 7 and ends at 8. Absolutely NO experience is needed, just bring yourself and your ukulele, and maybe another friend so you can play songs together, eh? This isn't Beethoven, trust me! It's a real bargain at $30 for the entire four weeks. If you would like to try it out you can for only $10 per class. But you'd save $10 by signing up. See you tonight!

Children's Workshops to Start a Week Later

Ukulele Strum & Sing for Children and Guitar Strum & Sing for Children are both being delayed a week due to school NOT being out on the initial starting day. My bad! I thought school was out by the 14th but I'm hearing that isn't so.

Therefore BOTH workshops will start on May 21, and end on June 11. That's four Thursdays: May 21, 28, June 4 and 11.

Grand Opening Jam and Potluck May 9

On May 9, Saturday, from 1—7 come down and check out the new studio. Bring your instrument as we plan to be jamming all day. I'll have some snacks for you, but if you can bring something to share that would be great!

You can eat, play, relax, say hi to Ole the dog and watch ravens out my windows. See you next Saturday!

Great Summer Workshops: Fiddle, Guitar, Ukulele

Sign up now for these very affordable and fun workshops! Only $30 for each 4-week session. Registration is limited to ten students per class. If demand is great enough we will go for another four weeks.

You must know how to play, that is, to make the notes with your fingers and bow, to take these fiddle workshops. They are open to all ages.

On the other hand, the guitar and ukulele workshops are open to anyone with an instrument, no experience required, just a desire to have fun! (You must have your own guitar, fiddle, or uke.)

Click here to download a poster with all the workshop information on it, and feel free to post it around town. Download Workshops.flyer

Please let me know if there is a workshop you would like to attend that isn't being offered. I'm open to suggestions.

Beginning Celtic Fiddling
Saturdays, 2—3pm:   May 16, 23, 30, June 6
 From slow, beautiful airs and waltzes on up to jigs and reels.

Good Old Fiddling
Saturdays, 11am to noon:   May 16, 23, 30, June 6
Learn good old American and Alaskan-style fiddle tunes.

Guitar Strum & Sing for CHILDREN
Thursday afternoons: 2:30—3:30pm May 21, 28, June 4, 11
This is for beginners, no experience necessary. We’ll learn simple songs that children and the whole family will enjoy.

Guitar Strum & Sing for ADULTS
Tues. Evenings: 7—8,  May 12, 19, 26, June 2
This is for beginners, no experience necessary. Finally you’ll have fun with your guitar!

Ukulele Strum & Sing for ADULTS
Monday Evenings, 7—8: May 11, 18, June 1, 8
This is for beginners, no experience necessary. We’ll learn new ways of playing fun songs on the ukulele and won’t be afraid to be silly!

Ukulele Strum & Sing for CHILDREN
Thursday afternoons: 1—2pm May 21, 28 June 4, 11
This is for beginners, no experience necessary. We’ll learn simple songs that children and the whole family will enjoy.

Welcome to the New Tartan Tundra Blog!

Welcome to the new Tartan Tundra home on the web. Getting the new studio has been very exciting for me. There are many possibilities to be explored, and many more things I can do for you, my students, now that I have my own studio. This blog will serve as a place to get in touch with me, to suggest classes, music, or to send music and make music requests. I will have a file section where you can download the music I've written out and arranged, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Having a tune library of written sheet music could be quite handy. This will be a wonderful place to post pictures of the recitals, and means that if everyone sends in their videos and photos, we can all share them. Likewise, I can post photos and videos of myself and friends performing. With this blog you can now keep track of all the workshop dates, performances, and probably key concerts by touring artists as well. I will expand the Music Links section and will probably have to split that into at least two headings: musicians and tune collections. Useful music programs might need their own category as well. We'll see! I often have thoughts about music, tunes, songs and what they mean. Now I finally have place that is perfectly suited to sharing thoughts thoughts and ponderings. So welcome, and keep coming back, because I'll be making changes on a constant basis from now on!