The March 12th Austin Ukulele Society meeting was cancelled.

Greetings, friends! Our next monthly meeting is fast approaching, on Thursday, March 12, 7:00–9:00pm. Be there to strum and sing along with ukulele players of all levels. We’ll meet, as usual, at the Memorial United Methodist Church, located at 6100 Berkman Drive, Austin, TX, 78723.

With the passing of rock’n’roll legend Ric Ocasek about six months ago, we’ve been wanting to pay tribute by doing one of The Cars’ big hits: “Just What I Needed”. While we did this song years ago, as a much smaller group, it is such an infectious and catchy power-pop-rock song that it’s definitely worth revisiting, learning together (and recording). 🙂 If you’re not familiar with it, check out The Cars’ original recording.

The original is in the key of E, but Bob shifted our ukulele-friendly arrangement up a half-step to the key of F. Apart from that change, we’ll follow the original arrangement pretty closely. Here are some details about the song sheet:

• Pages 1 though 3 have the lyrics and chords
• Page 4 has diagrams for the two main strumming patterns (one pattern for the Intro, Verses, and Interlude 1, another pattern for the Choruses, Interlude 2, and the Ending)
• Page 4 also has additional details about the special strums in the Intro
• Page 5 has tab for the riff that appears in Interlude 1 and the second half of Verses 2 and 3 (played on synth in the original)
• Page 6 has vocal harmony options for the Choruses as well as Vocal Options for Part 1 of the Ending
• Page 7 has additional vocal options for Part 2 of the Ending

As always, we recommend getting familiar with the song by listening to the original recording and also by practicing the song using the chart and diagrams, before we meet on the 12th, if possible. 🙂

At the meeting, Bob will perform “Just What I Needed” to demonstrate the arrangement, and then take us through some helpful exercises to get us comfortable with the chords and chord progressions, strum styles, vocal and harmonizing options, before we put it all together to play it through.

We’ll also include some open mic time for those of you who’d like to showcase a tune you’ve been working on. A sign-up sheet will be available at 6:30. As open mic time is limited to five participants, please sign up when you arrive and understand that preference will be given to those who have not participated recently or ever before.

Ukulele Society T-shirts!
As you may know, we release a new Austin Ukulele Society t-shirt design each year. Check out our latest edition, as usual created by the talented Lyda Guz and screen-printed right here in Austin at a fantastic locally-owned print shop! Available in charcoal heather cotton/poly blend in mens/unisex, womens, and kids styles.

Please bring cash or a check made out to Austin Ukulele Society. The new “Austin Lasso” shirts are $20, as are last year’s “Cowboy” and 2017’s popular “Mermaid” shirts. All previous years’ styles are $15.

Location
Memorial United Methodist Church, 6100 Berkman Drive, Austin, TX 78723. We meet in the school located behind the church, in the gym.

Map it

Where to park and find the gym

For those attending for the first time, the church is easy to find – but it is big. You’ll enter from Berkman Dr. using a ‘one way’ entrance and you can park anywhere alongside or behind the church. Past the canopied main entrance, on the same side of the building, there is another entrance on the right. Walk in there and you’ll be in the gym. From there simply follow the sounds of ukuleles tuning up. 🙂

Newcomers and beginners are ALWAYS welcome! Even if you’re a complete novice, we encourage you to come out. Many beginners come to the meetings, and it’s so great to see their skills grow over time! There are almost always easier ways to play the songs, even if you can play only a few of the chords. Or just sing along!

Our friends from the TUG (Tuesday Ukulele Group) now make available loaner ukuleles at the AUS monthly meetings! They are Makala concert and soprano ukes, and you can borrow one to play during the meeting. You’ll find them at the front of the room; so if you don’t have a uke yet, or you forget your uke at home, or your uke is in disrepair, please join us and borrow a TUG loaner uke. 🙂

Feel free to get familiar with the chord charts for any of the songs in our repertoire, all available on the “Music Library” page. We always play “Three Little Birds” and “On the Road Again” as our opening and closing songs, so if you’re new to the group and want to get familiar with them, you can play along using the presentations and our videos.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, March 12, at 7:00pm!

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