James Hill in Singapore

I got to see his show tonight.

It was well worth the money and the time.

He's talented. He's creative. He's a badass!!

James Hill

I saw Hill at the 40th Annual Ukulele Festival of Hawaii, and he was amazing. He has such a unique style. I've noticed that he will be playing Napa Valley with Victoria Vox. I can see that would be a hot ticket item.

amazing is right.

There was a thread with somebody talking about a pickup problem because of the loud bass thump that was heard. SOmebody mentioned how James Hill took advantage of that . Yes, he does.

Great rythym and beats he can layer in with chord harmony and melody fingering.

The Billy Jean song - very entertaining. It is too bad he can't moonwalk.

I paid good money and felt like I got a hell of a deal. I don't ever recall being that entranced by one musician on a stage. One musician and 2 ukuleles. That's it.

The part where he played techno music and shook the rafters with his bass sound. Yeah, "That's Ukulele" he said. Is it? Is that what we'll all be doing to prove out the versatility. why not? James suggests we are all capable of seeing what the ukulele is hiding from us. He says he keeps uncovering new ways, new methods, new sounds.

James is truly an amazing artist. He came like 2 weeks ago in Montreal and my uke club opened for him so I had the chance to chat with him and see him playing close....and he's really good. He even invite us to share the stage with him for an impro at the end of the show.

I think he has his very own style of playing and what he's doing is quite hard to nail down!!

What impress me the most is that he's trying new stuff and push the boundaries to create a whole new spectrum of sounds with his uke.

Aloha SuzukHammer,
I'm glad you enjoyed the show....Did you have the oppertunity to take any pic's????
MM Stan..

Does he and jake play in different areas of the Uke music?

On a side note, what would happen if James Hill + Jake Shimabukuro had a concert?

Lexxy said:

On a side note, what would happen if James Hill + Jake Shimabukuro had a concert?

Click to expand...

Um, the world would implode from the awesome?

As much as I respect Jake's talent, I prefer James's style. He's so amazingly versatile.

So I'm able to attend the sold out workshop(s) by James Hill (both Beginner and Intermediate workshops)

How cool will it be to say I was taught by James Hill?

They would not allow pics at the concert. Hopefully, I can get a few pics in today or tomorrow.

Hey Suzuku,

Are you from Singapore by any chance?

Customer: Hey that guy playing the uke there is really good. Who is he?
Shop staff: Oh he's suzukuhammer. He's a really really good player isnt he?
Customer: HI SUZUKU! I IZ YOUR BIG FAN

*What happens when you get taught by James Hill?*

Lexxy said:

Hey Suzuku,

Are you from Singapore by any chance?

Customer: Hey that guy playing the uke there is really good. Who is he?
Shop staff: Oh he's suzukuhammer. He's a really really good player isnt he?
Customer: HI SUZUKU! I IZ YOUR BIG FAN

*What happens when you get taught by James Hill?*

Click to expand...

I used to live in Singapore; but, now I live in Thailand. haha on the customer.

James put his teaching hat on. He said that the class was supposed to be only for beginners. Well, I am a beginner - 7 or 8 weeks self taught is beginner. Its beginner but also with some experience and some passion for the instrument.

As such I was able to keep up but also learn new things.

He always kept things moving. Each action has a reason. James is a great teacher. He is an ambassador to ukulele. Another day where I felt like it was money well spent.

If all instructors were like him, we'd all be up and running in short order. He can teach songs in 5 minutes. He just gets after it.

As a side note: I remember pointing out the missing Cm6 chord in Uncle Rod's uke chord boot camp. It was never presented. I found it last night. Its a keeper.

SOme of the chords in the boot camp - I had wondered why they were there. Let's just say. Do as Uncle Rod suggests. SPend some time on the boot camp learning the family of chords. In time, each one will have its own sound to you. and James Hill's class will have all those chords.

Here's some words of encouragement. He asked if anbody knew what a Bb chord was. I was the only guy to raise the hand. He said if you can do the Bb chord, then you shouldn't be afraid of jazzy chords.

He planted a seed. jazzy chord progressions seem to be his current passion.

Let's hope he doesn't try to train us on the fiddler feet. haha. If you see the show, you will know what it is. Very entertaining but my god, a juggling act.

I commited to buying a uke today. long story; but, I have my eyes on 2 ukes. It was between 2 ukes. (okay, 3 really).

I was feeling a little embarassed because of me spending money on ukes so I decided to go win some money at the casino. I thought this was a good idea.

yeah. good idea.

You know the story. win some, lose some, try to win it back. win some again and then lose it... all. I mean lose it all is pretty normal. Check for atm receipts. Check for money to get a cab ride home and maybe some food. THat's the normal butt kicking I get in casinos.

Not Today People!!! I walked out with $ 1400 more than I walked in with. THat was 2 hours playing BlackJack. I was up $ 2000 of the houses money at one time. Still, up $1400 is a good amount to call it quits. THe only reason I quit is because I wanted a uke. I didn't want empty pockets and no uke.

Its Uke time.

Wow suzuku! So what uke are you looking at? with 1400, i dont think anything can go wrong.

Aloha SuzukHammer,
Sounds like it was a win win for you there in Singapore....By the way, how much was the class anyway...
Looking back now, was there anything that really stood out teaching wise maybe in technique, style, or
new riffs..did he personally come up to some of you who were more advanced and offer advice or
suggestions...
Anyways glad to hear you did well in the casino's ....are you looking into a Kamaka..he he
it's better to buy one good ukulele than two average ones....you'll benefit in future upgrades..
In the long run you'll come out ahead, plus it'll play, sound and feel better...Probally learn faster too on
a quality instrument..Good moven that you left while you were ahead and not suckered to
giving it back to the house...
Didn't know you lived ind Singapore too, it's probally a little over an hour from thailand, by plane eh!
Gee, you're actually an international guy that makes you...Cool!!!
I'm glad you had a wonderful and beneficial time there and thanks for sharing....MM Stan...

$1400! Wow!

I recommend that you not get a bunch of cheap-er ukes because the trajectory for me and a lot of other players is an increased price point as you play more/get better. What I'm saying is that 1 really, really nice uke may be a more worthwhile investment than 2 or 3, that's all. I'd take a look at Moore Bettah or Mya-Moe.

So, I went and bought a Ohana CK-75CG which is a limited edition blingy glossy pretty boy uke because I did not get your advice in time.

I really tried out a few ukes and made sure I liked this uke before I bought it. I am happy with the purchase. ANd I think it will take me another 6 months before I need an upgrade to performance uke.

I had tried somebody's Honu and .... gasp... .I couldn't see why it cost so much. Well anyways.

I decide I will go to the casino after the purchase and before the next workshop time slot. ANd I won another $800 US in an hour. THe best part was walking away from a casino as a winner. 2 times in the same day. awesome. THe casino paid for my uke

THe intermediate workshop was not as fun as the beginners. It was worthwhile and there were more pretty women; but, there were some inconsiderate people playing their uke while James was trying to teach (talk). ANd that ruined the vibe because yesterday he had the whole crowd's attention and James' personality was loads better than today. Content was good and I think I reached my skill level about right - I learned some things and now have items to techniques to concentrate on.

I feel lucky to have been able to participate because both workshops were full; but, the good people at Ukulele Movement let me into the 2 sold out workshops. I didn't want to mention that before but, I am pleased with that.

Good People - THe Ukulele Movement people in Singapore.

I need to post pics of the uke the casino bought for me today.

Lexxy said:

On a side note, what would happen if James Hill + Jake Shimabukuro had a concert?

Click to expand...

As awesome as a FULL Double Rainbow, dude!

James is an amazing player. It's a treat just to see his enthusiasm and love for the instrument let alone his skills and playing technique.

best,
Shawn

http://ukulelefriend.com

Concert and workshops were fantastic. I was right next to you at the Intermediate workshop, Suzukhammer. I remember your very nice Ohana well. It was nice to meet you and trust you had a good trip home. Went home that evening all inspired and signed up for the Friday (Intermediate II) workshop at midnight. That was definitely pushing my skill level, but figured if I could pick bring one thing home and remember it, it would be worthwhile. Loads of jazz stuff, developing from the Thursday (Intermediate) workshop. The man is a teacher's teacher.

Yes, Matt, I remember you.

I am practicing "The Sheik of Araby, Everybody Loves Saturday Night, and his Blues number"

I spoke with the guys in THailand and they were trying to see if they can have him swing by THailand when he next heads to Singapore.

I wanted to send a note to Mr. Dahlberg to see if he might be interested too because I read he executed a workshop down under around the same time frame.