Lunch & Learn “at” Menucha

 with Mary Flower

Mondays, January 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22  (we added 2 weeks!)  at 12:00 Noon Pacific Time 

Guitarists will come away from this class with a wider understanding of what makes the blues authentic and playable.

Mary will demonstrate 8 and 12 bar forms and players will learn tunes in the Delta and Piedmont styles. Delta uses a monotonic bass (also called “dead thumb”) and Piedmont styles uses alternating bass. Mary will touch on turn arounds, shuffle patterns and discuss how to get around in different keys and open tunings.

This is an ambitious class description! We shall attempt to cover all the bases and give players a wide understanding of what’s under the blues umbrella--all in four weeks!

with Pat Donohue

Wednesdays, January 27, February 3, 10 at 11:00am Pacific Time 

In this course we will study the many useful and fun things to know about the different keys we play in when we play the blues, and guitar in general.

As guitarists we tend to play the keys of E, A, G, D, and C and each of these keys has a particular sound and “personality” of its own. Learn to see, hear and play these types of easy, great-sounding blues guitar riffs that will make your playing sound professional and natural. 

with Pat Donohue

Wednesdays, 11am Pacific Time, March 24, 31 & April 7

A twelve bar blues is more than just 1, 4 and 5 chords!

All the songs we play have some sort of chord progression. In fact, most songs are made up of combinations of very common mini-progressions which, when identified, can make our playing, arranging and composing much more unified and professional sounding.

In this course we will study several of the most common mini-progressions and how to use them to add a whole new dimension to the songs we play on guitar, blues and otherwise. While all are welcome, this course will be geared toward the intermediate player.

with Kristina Olsen

Fridays, February 5, 12, 19, 26 at 11:00am Pacific Time

Back by popular demand - a continuation of the December & January series! (Don't worry if you weren't there - this is something you can jump into) Do you freeze up when someone says 'take it!'  Do you have no clue how to go from playing chords to playing single note leads?  Do you worry that your guitar playing friends will start to talk behind your back?  Come to this class and learn how to dazzle those same nay-sayers with your new skills.  We'll start with building a solo out of just a few notes in a safe and un-terrifying way with just enough theory to have some comprehension but not too much to confuse.  And there will be downloadable tracks to practice over since we can’t really jam in real life right now.

with Kate Power

Also called the "Ukalaliens" (like ukulele + alien) class

Select one: February 2, 9, 16, 23 or March 2 at 12 Noon Pacific Time

Play uke and sing songs from first strum. All you need is a ukulele and the will. This one-session, one-hour class is designed to get adults off to a great start with a fun, accessible instrument. Longtime Portland favorites Kate Power and Steve Einhorn have taught thousands of people to play with this lighthearted method. Give it a try! (If you like it, you'll have the option of taking more lessons with Kate through Lunch & Learn in March.) Unlike other Lunch & Learn courses, this class has a separate registration page.

For more info and to register, go to

menucha.org/programs/ukalaliens

with Orville Johnson

Thursdays, February 25 and March 4 at 12:00 Noon Pacific Time