The Big Muffin Serious Band marches in

The Big Muffin Serious Band. Picture supplied

It comes as no surprise ukulele-based music performance group, the Big Muffin Serious Band (BMSB) is connected with the McGillicuddy Serious Party. Muffin member Graeme Cairns was a founding member of the political party with silliness high on its agenda.

The BMSB specialise in ukuleles and are soon to bring their off-the-wall humour and musicianship to Gisborne. On April 27 the Gisborne Ukulele Underground will host BMSB at the ensemble’s regular get-together at the Gisborne Bowling Club, 7.30pm. On the following day, Saturday, April 28, BMSB will run a teaching programme for all ukulele players.

A programme with a difference, the Dancing Chords morning workshop will teach basic and slightly more complex chords, strumming techniques, rhythms and melody picking. The BMSB use a Dancing Chords technique in which band members wear huge chord charts that reveal or conceal each chord in a series of dance moves.

The programme begins at a novice level for all ages but caters mostly for players who have hit a developmental plateau and want to progress beyond three-chord, sing-along songs.

In the afternoon, the BMSB will run an advanced workshop that will first experiment with playing ukulele with a slide.

“We will provide all participants with a homemade, temporary slide, made out of finest quality black alkathene pipe found lying around in a natural state in our part of rural Waikato,” promise the BMSB men.

“Our intention is to try some basic single note picking, culminating in a very cheesy Hawaiian riff that will impress all of your friends.”

The second activity is a foray into songs where the chords and melody intersect. As a solo player, a ukulele player can create a fuller sound by picking or strumming chords while providing the melody.

“We will attempt snippets of several songs each with a different approach to achieving this very worthwhile, challenging and rewarding end. This is also almost guaranteed to impress the most musically resistant of your friends. Almost.”

The BMSB ask that every participant has a reasonable knowledge of how tablature works, “even if you are not particularly fluent at reading and playing from music written in tab.”

Dancing Chords workshop, Gisborne Bowling Club, April 28, 10:30am — 11:45am. Cost: $10.

Big Muffin Serious Band advanced workshop, Gisborne Bowling Club, April 28, 1:30pm — 2:30pm Cost: $10.

For more information please contact Sheridan Gundry via email at write@gems.co.nz

Muffin Advanced Workshop, Gisborne Bowling Club, April 28, 1:30pm - 2:30pm. $10.

For more information contact Sheridan Gundry at write@gems.co.nz.