Talk about a Renaissance Man. When Aaron Keim is not on tour playing guitar/banjo/uke with the Boulder Acoustic Society, teaching and performing at ukulele festivals across the nation and in Europe, writing books or original songs and music, or creating instructional YouTube videos, he is at home in Broomfield, Colorado, building highly regarded Mya-Moe and Beansprout Banjo ukuleles! (Which is all somewhat ironic since he played the French horn in college.) After a stint teaching orchestra in the public school system, Aaron found his true calling….make that callings….and embarked on what must be a dizzying career. He is now one of the rising stars in the ukulele’s third revival, inspired by depression-era string band music, old-timey gospel, lo-fi garage rock, and the modern indie-folk scene–all of which he will share with us at his first appearance at the Wine Country ‘Ukulele Festival. With a busy schedule like his, we’re darn lucky to have him.
Workshops
Finger-Style Ukulele with Aaron Keim
“Finger-style” techniques are just as applicable to the ukulele, as they are to the banjo and guitar they were stolen from. And they can help make the ukulele sound like the whole, darn orchestra, with melody and accompaniment played at the same time! In this workshop Aaron will teach you some finger-style techniques and show you how to apply them to two of his favorite tunes, “Railroad Bill” and “East Virginia Blues.” You will not only learn a picking pattern and how to incorporate the melody into it, you will also learn how to adjust the picking pattern to suit other songs. The ability to read music or tablature will be a big help for this workshop, but is not a requirement. (Levels 3 – 4+)
Two-Chord Songs
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a simple two-chord song. . . . .that is, unless it’s a simple two-chord song with a few extra little riffs, an alternate arrangement, a fancy intro, and a memorable “outro.” Now you’re going somewhere. This workshop is geared for the beginning player who wants to ratchet it up a notch or two and come away sounding like Chuck Berry. (Levels 1 – 2)
Breaking Out of the Strumming Rut FULL
Are you tired of the same old strum. . . . .or strums? In this workshop Aaron will teach you a few ways to enhance your standard strumming with some unique patterns, a couple of single-note riffs, and a couple of new ways to arrange your songs. This workshop will also be helpful to anyone who leads an ukulele group or orchestra and is looking for some fresh ideas about how to spice things up! (Levels 1 – 2)
Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele
Here’s a first for the Wine Country ‘Ukulele Festival: tunes from American folk, bluegrass, and string band music! In this workshop, you will learn some fingerpicking, claw-hammer, and Carter-style techniques and some single-note playing that will bring these old tunes back to life. Specifically, Aaron will take you step-by-step through two, catchy, old-timey tunes: “Cripple Creek” and “Turkey in the Straw.” Knowledge of music reading or tablature will be a big help, but is not required. Levels (3 – 4+).
