UKC Academy | Daniel Ward

In this workshop you will get a real right hands on look at what a little Spanish spice can do for your playing. Almost any song you know can be infused with some passionate strums, and it’s not as hard as you would think. Daniel Ward has worked for years to create a simple step by step approach to learning these rhythms and strums. Clear hand outs and vocal “phrases” that outline the patterns you are learning make it easy to add the latin charm to the songs you already love to play. The workshop will concentrate on the flamenco rhumba strum, and other variations of latin music. Participants will come away with a brand new bag of skills. Daniel Ward is a gifted musician who has taken his 30 years experience performing world music, jazz, rock and most notably flamenco and focused it on an unlikely instrument: the ukulele. Born in Los Alamos NM, he holds degrees in classical guitar and composition. As a guitarist, he toured with flamenco dance troupes Yjastros, Dance España, and Maria Benitez, the heavy metal vaudeville band Skümbaag, and went around the world with nouveau flamenco sensation Ottmar Liebert. Focusing on four strings has allowed Daniel to share his advanced techniques with all levels of player, and he considers his life enriched by the social element of ukulele. In the past five years he has enjoyed performing and teaching at ukulele festivals in England, Canada, Mexico, China and all across the United States. He is a contributing editor at Ukulele Magazine, where his instructional videos and lessons are a perennial favorite. His best-selling book of studies for the ukulele, Arpeggio Meditations for Ukulele has become standard repertoire in the ukulele world. His recording “EL UKULELE” is a lively adventure in what the instrument can do. http://www.danielward.net/