The 2026 Carnival features workshops by some very talented people. It is a great chance to increase your ukulele skills.
See the Ukulele Carnival Schedule page for workshop times.

• Lisa Webb will present two workshops: 
  • Introduction to Tablature (beginner)
    Furthering your musicianship to be able to read ukulele notation is a wondrous thing! Just as in Do-Re-Mi, this workshop starts at the very beginning!
    Tablature opens a door to so many arrangements, classical, pop, folk, whatever you can read you can work on and play! We’ll look at why the music is notated the way it is, what it means and we will even play a couple easy chord melody songs by the end of the workshop!
  • Ukulele Jazz (advanced beginner/intermediate)
    Oh those great songs of the 20’s, 30’s & 40’s! What made them so fabulous and enduring? What made them so jazzy? Let’s have some fun, all you Cool Cats – through some chord extensions, intros & outros and strumming techniques to put a little Jazz in your style!
• Bob Tigert will present two workshops:
  • Bass Players Rule (beginner/intermediate)
    Ukulele bass players are ALWAYS in demand… well, at least the good ones. So, what makes a good bassist? How do I get better, in playing (the frustrations of bass practice are addressed directly); and (more importantly), we demonstrate by playing with trax and metronomes, how to understand what to play… and what NOT to! Please note: a bass ukulele will be required for this workshop.
  • Performance Etiquette and Professionalism (with Lisa Webb) (beginner)
    The goal of every performance, simply stated, is to be asked back, to play again, and there is SO MUCH more involved with that than simply playing your songs well. Exhibiting the right attitude and experience assures your hosts, your fellow performers and your audience, that you are the kind of collaborator they want to work with and listen to, but that idea can be relegated to “lesser importance” in the hurly-burley of climbing onto the stage. Your performance starts when you pull into in the parking lot, and continues until you close your car door to drive home. Knowing what is expected, and preparing to live up to that expectation, builds bridges that lead to trusted relationships and musical success.
    
• Lil Rev will present two workshops:
  • The 1-6-2-5 (I-VI-II-V) Progression for Uke (intermediate/advanced)
    Study a great collection of blues, jazz, ragtime and jug band era tunes, learn moveable major, minor and 7th chords up the neck, chord slides and slurs, how to transpose this exciting progression, how to do chromatic walkdown’s (move between chords), learn the vaudeville flip trick, and much more! All in all, a super fun, informative class that’ll really get you thinking about chords, chord theory, and how to pass between chords in style!
  • Flat-Picking The Ukulele (intermediate/advanced)
    When is it a wise choice to use a flat-pick with the ukulele? How do you develop the skills to play fast, do tremolo, swing, and play fiddle tunes like the bluegrass folks do? Find you in this fun exploration of flatpicking on the ukulele. Lil Rev will provide you with warm up drills, tips, and exercises to refine your picking hand and help you become a red-hot picker! We’ll also learn wipeout, old joe clark and how to do a boogie woogie on the ukulele with a flat-pick. Must know how to read tab.
• Ukester Brown will present two workshops:
  • UB’s Intro to Barre Chording (beginner)
    We’ll use one chord shape and a fun song to get you started off with barre chords.
  • UB’s Barre Chording 2 (beginner/advanced beginner)
    You’ll get more confident with barre chords while using 4 easy chord shapes to make a fun blues riff.
• Chris Russell will present four workshops:
  • Four Progressive Beginner Ukulele Classes (beginner)
    A general intro to the ukulele, building chords and muscle memory gradually over 4 classes. A wonderful introduction to the ukulele, with a comprehensive Beginner book, and links to YouTube videos so you can continue your journey at home.
  • An Intermediate Ukulele class – Q & A Style (advanced beginner/intermediate)
    This will be a Q & A style workshop where you can get answers on how to take your ukulele playing to the intermediate level.
  • Beginner Baritone (beginner)
    A general introduction to the baritone ukulele, the largest size of the ukuleles. If you have been interested in the baritone ukulele, with its deeper sounds, this workshop is for you.
  • Tablet Madness (beginner)
    Chris is co-teaching this workshop with Charles Finch (from Two Harbors Ukulele Group). You will learn how to use a tablet to store your music electronically and the basics of using the apps on your tablet to organize and display your music. They will go over the most common functions that you will most likely use on your tablet. Chris and Charles will once again be available throughout the Carnival to assist you with your tablet questions.
    
    We highly recommend downloading and installing either forScore (iPads) or MobileSheets (Windows, Android, & iPads) on your tablet before coming to the Carnival. Chris and Charles can help you get it set up.

Workshop handouts, along with all of the other Carnival materials, will be made available about 7-10 days before the Carnival. Folks who register will receive and email and a link will be posted to the top of this page.