Rhan Wilson || All In Good Time (Video)

IMPROVIZING with the C-Scale

[This is G-Scale on Bari, G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G. The finger locations and order is exactly the same as shown in the video. I thought Some Bari players might also like to bookmark this link, regularly check it as you visit here.]

Here's Rhan Wilson, my good buddy, teacher and lifelong musician. He has a blog about musicality and it is exemplified by using the ukulele even though Rhan is a multi-instrumentalist. The blog is called ALL IN GOOD TIME, and here's a direct link. The video below is from his 1-14-2011 post and it is about the C-scale and playing notes in the scales over the chords. I know many people that are looking to step up their ability to solo. Here's a great stepping stone.

Rhan Wilson || Altared Music with Friends

This is a photo of my buddy Rhan Wilson with his Baritone Ukulele. People that have followed my postings on my other blog, Humble Uker, know that Rhan (pronounced: Ron), was the music guru whom created Ukulele University (or UkeU) which was a group class with ukulele players who wanted to improve their abilities over a 10 week course meeting once a week.

This experience was the best musical experience of my short musical life. The group included two people with 30 years of playing experience: Jay Holiday (guitar) and Judy Plicka (uke & bass) and Rhan's lifelong creative musical experience. We also had Pete the percussionist. The rest of us were ukulele players: Robbie, Sheila, Chuck, Bob, and myself. Each of us worked on a song or two for our personal performances in the band. We had so much fun that we morphed into a garage band for about 18 weeks and culminated in a on stage performance that was near the Elkhorn Slough close to Monterey.

Enough about that, Rhan is the story here. He and I converse regularly even though I live up in the east San Francisco Bay Area and he's in Tropical Santa Cruz, California. He is the creator of An Altared Christmas show which performs a Christmas show with all of the songs altered into minor keys. Rhan is multi-instrumentalist and performs regularly in a variety of ensembles, but his main band has been ROMP, link.

Here's another one of Rhan's videos that looks like it includes Olaf S. on drums and the lovable lady Patti Maxine on the lapsteel, and Matt Bohn on Bass. Take a look at some of the special guests on the performer's list below.

Rhan Wilson presents this "altared" version of the song, "Truckin'" at the "Have You Ever Been Altared" show, April 20th (420), 2010 at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA.
Performing:
Rhan Wilson - Guitar, Vocals
Matt Bohn, Bass
Olaf Schiappacasse - Drums
Patti Maxine - Lap Steel
Dale Ockerman - Keyboards (Doobie Brothers)
Rick Zeek - Vocals
Jerry Martini - Sax (Sly and the Family Stone)
Ernie Rideout - Trombone
Modesto - Trumpet
Videotaped by Ron Hollman

For information about the other Altared shows, go to: www.altared.com

Rhan has also taken on the duties of the Santa Cruz and surrounding area music news. If you're local and would like to receive then please contact Rhan here, rhanw@altared.com. You may have also noted that Rhan is the man behind one of my 3 blog-links, called: "All in Good Time" which is a place for many us to get some musical inspiration. And a good place to ask musical questions.

Rhan Wilson || Chrstmas in Minor Keys

From "Rhan Wilson presents - "'An Altared Christmas - LIVE", the cast performs the opening number, "O Christmas Tree" in the traditional minor key.

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Onstage: Rhan Wilson - Baritone Ukulele and vocals,

David Wallis - Vocals & tree presentation,

Bob Burnett - Guitar,

Kyle Gorath - Bass,

Patti Maxine - Steel.
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Sweet Afton || The Experience is the Thing

Song Fu Challenge with a Baritone. This playful video uses an exercise as a device to break thru and create. My instructor Rhan Wilson in Santa Cruz had us Uke U Students nearly screaming to get over our singing inhibitions: to get over our fears of singing in front of others -- which is not the easiest for us shower singers.

Another obstacle is the desire to be perfect. We want to be smooth and polished. Sometimes we need to perform with all of our warts! This Song Fu seems to break thru this barrier. Another technique I've seen is UkiSocietie's 5 second songs (usually longer) that lets small sparks of brilliance shine out and perhaps the small sparks will add up.

Thank you SweetAfton for the lesson...

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Here's another Sweet Afton creation...

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