Monday Night Ukulele Jam
The Monday Night Ukulele Jam has been the mainstay of the Lamorinda Ukulele Club since its inception. We love to get together to jam and can't wait for the Monday ukulele jams to roll around!
When and where are the jams?
We meet every other Monday from 7 pm until 9 pm at 1786 2nd Ave. in Walnut Creek, CA. See the Jam Schedule page for upcoming dates.
Are beginners welcome?
Absolutely! Most of us in the group started with just a couple of chords. If you are going to learn just one before coming to the jam, make it C! Want to branch out? Add Am, F, and G.
Is this a group that is only for beginners?
No! We have members of all different experience and skill levels. You'll find everything from newbies to experienced players who fingerpick, play up the neck, harmonize, and do all kinds of fancy stuff. There's room for everyone to come and have fun!
What's unique about the Monday Night Ukulele Jam?
There are several characteristics that help to make us who we are, including:
We are 100% volunteer led.
Our group has been going strong for more than 10 years. Several members have been around since the very beginning! Others have joined relatively recently, but we can't imagine the group with them. We have a great mix!
Our jam is one of the few evening jams in the area.
We tend to play a greater variety of songs at a wider range of difficulty levels than many groups do.
Our community is about music and so much more. Many lifelong friendships have been formed through the Lamorinda Ukulele Club, and many members make music and socialize together outside of official club events.
What should I bring to the jam?
Bring your ukulele and a $5 contribution for our host venue. You may bring water, but no other food or drink is allowed in our jam space. Don't worry about bringing music or a music stand. For your first jam we will pair you up with someone who has those.
What about other instruments?
The Lamorinda Ukulele Club provides a space for ukulele players to come together. Our bass player is the only "non-ukulele" member of our group. From time to time, other members may provide a bit of percussion, whip out a harmonica for a solo on a song or two, or add kazoo to a song that screams out for it, but they play ukulele most of the time.
Who leads the jam?
Members Jen Courter and Laura Brandt are our volunteer jam leaders. Our group loves collaborations and sharing the mic. Sometimes other members might help lead a song or two or even step up to guest lead an entire jam. All members who are interested in leading are invited to volunteer!
What is the format of the jam?
The club has a tradition of starting each jam with "At the Jam", which is our version of "At the Hop", and ending with "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." We typically play about 8 - 10 songs in the first half of the evening, take a break, have open mic time, and play another 8 - 10 songs in the second half.
Songs in each half of the evening usually come from a single source. In a typical jam, we might play all of our songs from individual chord sheets, but we like to mix it up. Sometimes we might take songs from one of Jim Beloff's "Daily Ukulele", aka the Yellow Book, for the first half and individual chord sheets for the second half. Sometimes we have a theme night for holidays or musical genres or artists. Sometimes we have "Hat Tricks" for the second half. Everything is announced in advance, and it's all fun!
What the heck are "Hat Tricks"?
"Hat Tricks" is a name we have given to a way we like to do round robin. We announce in advance what source we will be using, for example the Yellow Book. You identify a song from that source ahead of time that you feel comfortable strumming and singing. When you come to the jam, you write down the title of your song and put it in a hat. During the Hat Tricks portion of the night, songs are drawn out of the hat. If yours is chosen, you introduce your song and get us started. Don't feel confident leading? No worries! We will make sure everyone is comfortable, including providing song buddies if requested! It is a great, low-risk way for everyone to experience leading a song.