A-Chording to Cynthia | November 2021 Patron Newsletter (Patreon)

{Patron-only post: please click through and heart this post so I know you've seen it, thank you!}

New Patrons, please see the resources later in this post for help getting started in our community.  We're so happy to have you here!

Aloha, Patrons!

Welcome to November!  Sending you sunshine and sea breezes from Hawai'i. 🏄🏻‍♀️🌴

First piece of news: last month's Patron Live Lesson of "Tennessee Whiskey" is now available for all Patrons.  If you haven't had a chance to watch this lesson yet, check it out.  It's a lot of fun, 2 chords, hammer and slide riffs.  We'll review it this Thursday before our new Live Lesson, which will be (drumroll)... Adele's "Someone Like You."  I'm excited to teach this arrangement, which has taken me a while to craft  - like "Tennessee Whiskey," I needed to learn "Someone Like You" on the guitar first before I could adapt it for the uke with an accurate, uke-optimized arrangement.  This also means I could teach both of these songs on the guitar as well... in due time!  (Guitar fans, keep voicing your interest!)  Tune in to my weekly live show 5@5 this Wednesday (5 songs at 5pm Pacific time) for a preview of the "Someone Like You" arrangement.

5@5 has a new YT channel!  Subscribe to Cynthia Lin LIVE 

If you haven't watched 5@5 yet, it's now easier than ever to tune in.  After 3 years of livestreaming 5@5 on Instagram, I have decided to give 5@5 a home of its own on a brand new YouTube channel called Cynthia Lin LIVE.  This new LIVE channel provides a dedicated platform for experimenting with livestream offerings, and can also serve as the gathering place specifically for my livestream viewing community.  The regulars of 5@5 have become a tight-knit group whose support week after week keep me inspired and accountable in my commitment to "show up" for myself as a performer and artist.  I look forward to seeing how this community and channel will grow.

Folks have mentioned that it's easier to access 5@5 on YT and cast it to their TVs.  You might enjoy watching that way.  Please subscribe if you're interested - and note that you need to subscribe in order to chat (a helpful new feature to keep trolls out).  Head over to the channel now to watch last week's 5@5.  Thanks to the many Patrons who have supported 5@5 over the last 3 years.  Hope to see you there!

Finally wrapping up "Stairway to Heaven"!  Should we put it all together?

A huge thank you to my Beginner Live Jam tier, who have steadily worked through Parts 1, 2, & 3 of "Stairway to Heaven" over the last few months.  Here's a link to all "Stairway to Heaven" Patreon posts.  A tutorial for Part 3 is in the works (yes, finally!), as well as a complete play-through.

I'm thinking the song deserves a lesson where we put all the parts together.  Should we do this for the Intermediate Jam this month?  Or would all levels be interested in this? (ie save it for next month's Live Lesson)  Let me know in the comments below.  Beginners, we will go back to more beginner-friendly material!  

Holiday Jam Songbook (attached) and December Uke Socials

I'm already seeing lots of activity on my holiday videos, so I wanted to share our Holiday Jam Songbook from last year for those who are ready to play some holiday jams.  You'll find the songbook attached at the bottom of this post.

I'd like to incorporate some vocal work and Zoom social time into our live events next month for some end of year seasonal cheer.  Perhaps a holiday choir of sorts?  Maybe some of you would like to step up and lead songs during our live holiday jams?  Still ruminating on these ideas, feel free to share your thoughts below. 

And here's a few of my recent non-ukulele joys:

• baking bread (following this easy recipe)
• making fresh pasta (i filmed a how-to video but we'll see if the results are worthy of sharing)
• upgrading to the new (magnificent) Macbook Pro
• reading this eloquent surf memoir 

Hope to see many of you Wednesday for 5@5 and Thursday for our Live Lesson!

xo cynthia 🌺

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Special note for new Patrons

If you are a new Patron, welcome!  Please introduce yourself in the comments below. I'd love to hear how long you've been playing, what kind of uke you play, if you have a group to play with, what songs you've been working on, or anything else you'd like to share.

I recommend all new Patrons check out our community WelcomeGuide/FAQ post.  Please be patient as you get familiar with the Patreon platform. I promise it will get easier to use if you take time to look around. If you have a question that the WelcomeGuide/FAQ post doesn't answer, please comment there to help us continue to update the FAQ.

To find a specific song or lesson, learn to use the updated Cynthia Lin Song Index.  Thank you to the Community Managers for creating and maintaining this helpful resource.

If you have more questions about Patreon, I encourage you to post your questions to one of our Community groups. Our community has tons of friendly folks who love sharing their uke experience. Our private Facebook group is particularly active, and we've streamlined the steps to join. Request to join right on the Facebook group page, and be sure to answer BOTH membership questions so Community Managers can verify your Patron status. Scroll to the Community Notes section at bottom of this post for more ways to join and post to our Community.

Seasoned Patrons, I always appreciate it when you help me answer any newbie questions in the comments of this or any post.  Thank you! Feel free to post your questions in the comments as well.

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NOVEMBER 2021 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

See all Patron events on our Patron Google calendar. Access this calendar and get notifications for events on the Cynthia Lin Patron App, created by our Patron Community Manager, Rich!  Download: Android app | iOS app

Take note of Daylight Savings time changes:  In October and November, Daylight Saving Time ends in some time zones, but it does not happen on the same date in all locations, so please double-check the jam times carefully when converting from Pacific Time to your time zone.  Remember that the YouTube video page for each of our livestreams will convert times for you, and give you a countdown.

• Thurs 11/4 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - reviewing "Stairway to Heaven" Part 3 
• Thurs 11/11 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons) - Adele's "Someone Like You"
• Thurs 11/18 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - topic TBD

Details for all Patrons events will be posted separately.  To edit your pledge level, visit https://www.patreon.com/join/cynthialin and select your desired reward tier.  (Patreon will only charge you for the difference in the upgrade).

For UK/Europe Patrons who are looking for live jam opportunities, NYC Squad leader Jenny is hosting monthly Zoom play-alongs at UK-friendly times via her Patreon.  Support her and find more information here.

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October 2021 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• In October, I uploaded a new cover of "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper on YouTube.
• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we reviewed Part Two of "Stairway to Heaven." 
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), we worked on an arrangement of "Tennessee Whiskey" based on the popular cover by Chris Stapleton. 
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I shared a new arrangement for the acoustic version of Eric Clapton's classic "Layla." 
• I also shared a new YouTube video of Ben Ahn and I covering "Layla" together. 

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COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group: In the Facebook group, Patrons can share videos, advice, support, and encouragement!  Be sure to answer both membership questions so that Community Managers can verify your Patron status. If you wish to connect and are not on Facebook, you can share a post on the Community tab here on Patreon. If you have questions about Patreon or ukulele or otherwise, posting the question to our very helpful and active Community will generate the fastest answer.

2. More Facebook public groups - we're using Facebook as our community gathering place because it has the best community features. Find all the CL groups here, including the CL Uke Newbies group, an all-levels group, and several active regional groups (NYC / LA / the Pacific Northwest / Hawaii and more).  https://www.facebook.com/cynthialinmusic/groups

3. Learn to use the Cynthia Lin Song Index, created and maintained (and updated recently!) by the amazing CL Community Managers! The super helpful CL Song Index organizes all CL songs, Patreon posts, YouTube videos, and tutorials.

4. Download the Cynthia Lin Patron App, created by our Patron Community Manager, Rich! Android app | iOS app

5. Find all Patron events on our Patron Google Calendar

6. Find answers to many Frequently Asked Questions in our New Patron Guide/FAQ post.

7. To edit your pledge, visit https://www.patreon.com/join/cynthialin