Guess Who is Coming to the West Coast ‘Ukulele Retreat?
The lovely Miss Shipley and all the bass you could ever want!
Lynn Shipley-Sokolow began her long musical career playing electric bass in a number of rock and R&B bands before moving on to bluegrass music and the upright bass. (She also plays the banjo!) When husband Fred Sokolow carried her over the ukulele threshold, Lynn took up with. . . . . ukulele players, playing stand-up bass with the ukulele community. She has since added ukulele bass to her repertoire, as well!
Few people infuse their playing and teaching with as much fun, talent, and compassion as Lynn and we are delighted to have her join us at the West Coast ‘Ukulele Retreat. In addition to being available for any and all attendees needing bass accompaniment, Lynn will be our resident bass instructor, teaching simple fret board patterns that can be played all over the neck, in any key. She will also be covering the basic concepts of rhythm variations and teaching how to build a bass line using chords and scales. Her students will play through songs at a basic level before stepping it up, gradually, to allow for more improvisation.
Lynn’s students will learn how and what a bass player needs to know to jump in to group jams and performances . . . . .and how to handle being worshiped by the group for doing so!
We’ll have a couple of bass ukuleles on hand for those who may simply want to give the bass a try in a separate session. And, with a little encouragement, I’m sure we could convince Lynn to bring her upright bass, as well, for those who want to go the extra mile.
But Lynn’s talent doesn’t end with the bass. She is also a poet, professional songwriter, and witty lyricist, as anyone who has seen her perform with husband Fred can attest. Who among us doesn’t appreciate her lyrics to “I’d rather be over than under the hill?” Lucky for us, Lynn, along with Fred, will be sharing songwriting tips with retreat participants, as well.
Lynn joins a stellar cast of ukulele talent at this year’s retreat that includes Fred Sokolow, Kevin Carroll, Phil Doleman, Jim D’Ville, Dave Egan, Rhan Wilson, and Rick Zeek. As always, our small class size and high instructor-to-student ratio ensures a high quality learning experience with a lots of opportunity for individual attention. And attendees will have ample opportunity to practice all that they have learned in afternoon and evening musical activities that focus on student participation and fun. (And the non-playing companions seem to have a ball, as well!)
Mail-in registration is open and Asilomar still has rooms available. So don’t wait a minute more! Register now to join Lynn and the gang and have the most fun you can have with your ‘ukulele on!
West Coast 'Ukulele Retreat 