A-Chording to Cynthia | December 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 bottom of this post for resources to get started in our community.  Introduce yourself, take time to look around.  We're so happy to have you here!

Aloha, Patrons!

We've got some exciting developments as we close out the year.  This community is always evolving, and I thank you for being here, and for sharing your journey!

Year in Review - Live Lesson Songbook 2021 (attached!)

While reflecting on the past year's lessons and jams, I thought it might be a fun new December tradition to review all the songs we've learned together during the year.  Attached to this post, you'll find a songbook of this year's Live Lessons.  We'll play through these songs together for this month's Live Lesson on 12/16.  Revisiting these songs is a great way to see how far you've come, and a reminder of where you could still use practice.  Each chord chart has links to the corresponding Patreon lesson.

Below you'll find links to all the lessons we covered for each of our three monthly live events this year. You can use it for review and practice or to catch up on lessons you might have missed. What were your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

2021 LIVE LESSONS (All Patrons have access)

• January - Fingerpicking Bootcamp on Zoom
• February - "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
• March - Disney's "I See the Light" + "You're Welcome"
• April - "Say You Love Me" Fleetwood Mac
• May - "New Day" (original song)
• June - "Linger" by The Cranberries
• July - "Just the Two of Us"
• August - "Take On Me" by a-ha
• September - "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
• October - "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton
• November - "Someone Like You" by Adele

2021 BEGINNER JAMS ($10+)

• January - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Chucking Strum (Zoom)
• February - "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles
• March - Intro to Transposing 
• April - Updated Songbook jam
• May - "Yellow" by Coldplay
• June - "Linger" by The Cranberries and bonus UK/EU Friendly Time - Zoom Jam
• July - “Save Your Tears” remix by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande and bonus UK/Euro Zoom Jam
• August - Songbook Jam and bonus UK/Euro Zoom Jam
• September - "Stairway to Heaven" Part 1 review
• October - "Stairway to Heaven" Part 2 review
• November - Part Three of "Stairway to Heaven."

2021 INTERMEDIATE JAMS ($20+)

• January - Int. Fingerpicking Bootcamp (Zoom)
• February - Bossa Nova Uke Workshop with Abe Lagrimas, Jr.
• March - "You've Got A Friend in Me" by Randy Newman
• April - "Stop This Train" by John Mayer
• May - "Let it Be" Chord Melody w guest teacher Brian Liu
• June - "I'm Shy" (original song)
• July - "Fly Me to the Moon" chord melody with Brian Liu
• August - "Just the Two of Us" bridge
• September - "Hallelujah" Chord Melody with Brian Liu
• October - "Layla (Acoustic)" by Eric Clapton
• November - "Christmas Time is Here" Chord Melody with Brian Liu

Thank you for supporting these lessons!  If you find this list helpful, let me know below. :)

December Vocal Workshop sign-ups close 12/6

This month, we're also kicking off a new Vocal Workshop series!  Sign-ups will close on 12/6, the day before the first session, so please visit the linked post to sign up now if you'd like to participate.  I am planning on more Vocal Workshops in January, in preparation for our 100 Days of Ukulele project, which will begin on Feb 13 in alignment with the global 100 Days project.  More awareness and confidence in singing will lead to more musicality and rhythm in ukulele playing, and vice versa.  Growth begets growth.  🌱

See you in San Francisco 12/11 - Holiday Ukesplosion!

This week I'll be traveling to San Francisco for the Holiday Ukesplosion, my first public show since the pandemic shutdowns.  I'll be there with my fellow U3 members, Ukulenny (who has a new Patreon!) and Abe Lagrimas, Jr., to share some holiday ukulele cheer.  I'm thrilled that several Patrons are coming to this show, and hope you will get a chance to connect with each other.  Would someone like to be the go-to Patron and help connect folks?

Holiday Ukesplosion livestream on the new CL Live channel

Thanks to your requests, we will also livestream the San Francisco show on my new LIVE channel.  Please subscribe and click the bell for notifications when we go live.  I'll share a Patreon post with the songbook link and details on how to watch the livestream the day before the event.  I will also be live on the channel for 5@5 from San Francisco this Wednesday with special guests, so tune in (check my Instagram stories for reminders and updates).

Thank you for a year of ukulele joys, and I look forward to the new year and new evolution.

xo cynthia 🌺

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December 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

• Tues 12/7 @ 10AM and 4PM Hawaii Time - new Vocal Workshop series - sign up closes 12/6
• Thurs 12/9 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - Beginner Holiday Jam Songbook
• Tues 12/14 @ 10AM and 4PM Hawaii Time - Vocal Workshop 2nd session
• Thurs 12/16 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons) - Live Lesson "Year in Review"
• Tues 12/21 @ 10AM and 4PM Hawaii Time - Vocal Workshop 3rd and final session
• Thurs 12/23 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - Uke Social on Zoom, playing songs in my Intermediate Holiday Jam Songbook.  I'd love for Patrons to do all the song-leading!
• See this post for details on my 3-week Vocal Workshop for Beginners on Zoom ($30+ level), December 7th, 14th, and 21st.

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

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

• In November, aNueNue USA released a video of an improvisational jam on "Just The Two of Us" that I recorded with Kalei Gamiao and Corey Fujimoto. 
• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), I taught a lesson on Part Three of "Stairway to Heaven." 
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), we worked on an arrangement of "Someone Like You" by Adele. 
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), Brian Liu returned to teach us his chord melody arrangement of "Christmas Time is Here." 

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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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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