7 day sale!

We all like a sale! So for the next seven days you can get a whopping 50% off my ebook What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know, on Smashwords!




All you need do is enter the code KP65U when at the checkout on Smashwords

Also on Kindle store, sadly without a voucher as Amazon don't allow it. Sorry!

Enjoy!



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Bird On A Wire - Ukulele Chords - Leonard Cohen

Time for something that deserves to be strummed (or picked) slowly and minimally. A glorious tune by a glorious songwriter.  Bird On A Wire for ukulele, by Leonard Cohen.

Some odd looking chords in here, but worry not, they are not too complicated. The ASus4 is just played 2200  (second fret on G and C strings, the other two open). The E7+5 is easy too. Just play the normal E7 elsewhere in the song (1202) but move your pinky on the A string up one fret to the third so its 1203. A good trick here to make it sound better is to Hammer On from the 2nd fret on the A string to the 3rd. To do this, play the E7 using your ring finger on the 2nd fret and when you need to change to the E7+5, leave that finger in place and add the third fret with your pinky. You can find that doing this you can hammer the pinky finger on and off and switch between E7 and E7+5 quickly.




Enjoy

Verse 

Like a [A]bird on a [E7]wire, like a [A]drunk in a midnight [D]choir
I have [A]tried in my [E7]way to be [A]free [Asus4] [A]
Like a [A]worm on a [E7]hook, like a [A]knight from some old fashioned [D]book
I have [A]saved all my [E7]ribbons for [A]thee. [Asus4] [A]

Chorus a)

If [D]I, if I have been un[A]kind
I [B7]hope that you can just let it go [E7]by
If [D]I, if I have been un[A]true, 

I [B7]hope you know it was never to [E7]you [E7+5]

Verse

Like a [A]baby still[E7]born, like a [A]beast with his [D]horn
I have [A]torn every[E7]one who reached out for [A]me.
But I [A]swear by this [E7]song and by [A]all that I have done [D]wrong
I will [A]make it [E7]all up to [A]thee. [Asus4] [A]

Chorus b)

I [D]saw a beggar leaning on his wooden [A]crutch
He [B7]said to me, You must not ask for so [E7]much.
And [D]a pretty woman leaning in her darkened [A]door,
She [B7]cried to me, Hey, why not ask for [E7]more? [E7+5]

End

Like a [A]bird on a [E7]wire, like a [A]drunk in a midnight [D]choir
I have [A]tried in my [E7]way to be [D]free [A]

Creep - Ukulele Chords - Radiohead

Following my recent posts about Amanda Palmer and, most recently, the chords to No Surprises by Radiohead, I have had a few messages suggesting I put the ukulele chords up to Creep.

This is a song I do like to play, and has become something of a fingerpicked ukulele staple at our local uke jams with friends.

The chords below are in line with the recording, but personally I prefer to play in a different key as on the ukulele I think the transitions sound more resonant and "sadder".  If you want to play my way, just replace the repeating chord progression with C, E7, F, Fm.

CREEP - Radiohead

When you were here [G] before

Couldn't look you in the [B] eye

You look like an [C] angel

Your skin makes me [Cm] cry

You float like a [G] feather

In the beautiful [B] world

I wish I was [C] special

You're so very [Cm] special

CHORUS

But I'm a creep [G]

I'm a wierdo [B]

What the hell am I doing here [C]

I don't belong here [Cm]

I don't care if it [G] hurts

I wanna have control [B]

I wanna perfect [C] body

I want a perfect [Cm] soul

I want you to [G] notice

When I'm not [B] around

You're so very [C] special

I wish I was [Cm] special

CHORUS

She's running [G]out the

door [B]

She's [C] running out, she

Run [Cm] run, run, run

Run[G]

Run [B]

Run [C]

[Cm]

Whatever makes you [G] happy

Whatever you [B] want

You're so very [C] special

Wish I was [Cm] special

CHORUS

then end with

I don't bel [G] ong here 

Enjoy!

No Surprises - Ukulele Chords - Radiohead

Following my post yesterday of the wonderful Amanda Palmer performing Radioheads No Surprises on ukulele, I thought I would follow up with the chords.

Its a supremely easy song to play, though you will need to do some practice on the picked intro - that famous intro that everybody knows.  I am sure you will figure it out as it is just simple slow picking over the chord shapes of G and Em.



NO SURPRISES

Intro: [G] [Em] x4 (picked)

A [G] heart that's full up like a [Em] landfill,
A [Em] job that slowly [C] kills you,
[D] Bruises that won't [G] heal [Em] (repeat fingerpicked intro)

[G] You were so tired, happy,
[Em] Bring down the government,
[C] They don't, they [D] don't speak for [G] us [Em] 

[G] I'll take the quiet life, a [Em] handshake of carbon monoxide

[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises, [Am] no alarms and [D] no surprises
[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises
[G] Silent, [Em] silent [G] [Em]

[G] This is my final [Bm] fit, my final [Em] bellyache with
[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises, [Am] no alarms and [D] no surprises
[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises [G] please [Em]

Middle instrumental: [D] [Cm] [D] [Cm] [Am]

[G] Such a pretty house, [Em] such a pretty garden
[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises, [Am] no alarms and [D] no surprises
[Am] No alarms and [D] no surprises [G] please [Em] [G] [Em] [G]

Its been an Amanda Palmer couple of days..

Well, I suppose I had to go with one more - another Amanda Palmer ukulele video.

This one is quite haunting and taken from her Ukulele EP.

Im just a big fan of people doing things slightly different with the uke, and Amanda is certainly a different than normal face on the little axe.  Just love this.

Amanda Palmer and Stephin Merritt on Ukulele

Many thanks to Shelley Rickey for alerting me to this ukulele video via Twitter.

Amanda Palmer and Stephin Merritt play ukuleles on the Late Show performing Science Fiction / Double Feature from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ably supported by Moby on guitar and Neil Gaiman on toy piano.  Whats not to like?




Oh, and if you want the chords -

	G	F
	Michael Rennie was ill the day the	Earth stood still

	Eb	D
But he	told us where we	stand

(same chords)

And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear

Claude Reines was the invisible man

Then something went wrong for Fay Wray and King Kong

They got caught in a celluloid jam

Then at a deadly pace it came from outer space

And this is how the message ran

	C	D	G	Em
	Science	fiction	double	feature

(same chords)

Doctor X will build a creature

See androids fighting Brad and Janet

Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet

	C	D	G	Em	G	Em
	Oh, at the late night double	feature picture	show.

I knew Leo G. Carrol was over a bareel

When Tarantula took to the hills

And I really got hot when I saw Jeanet Scott

Fight a triffid that spits poison and kills

Dana Andrews said prunes, gave him the runes

And passing them used lots of skill

But when worlds collide, said George Powell to his bride

I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills, like a

Science fiction double feature

Doctor X will build a creature

See androids fighting Brad and Janet

Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet

Oh, at the late night double feature picture show

I wanna go

Oh, to the late night double feature picture show

By RKO

Oh, at the late night double feature picture show

In the back row

Oh, at the late night double feature picture show.

Science Fiction double feature

Frank has built and lost his creature

Darkness has conquered Brad and Janet

The servants gone to a distant planet

Oh, at the late night double feature picture show

I wanna go

Oh, to the late night double feature picture show.

Amanda Palmers Ukulele Anthem

As you may know, I am a bit of a huge fan of Amanda Palmer / Dresden Dolls, but she's pulled out all the stops now with her Ukulele Anthem.

 
Make sure you visit her site for the words Here

"ukulele thing of wonder, ukulele wand of thunder"....!

Book Competition - The Winner!

Well, after a mammoth amount of entries, the competition to win a copy of my ukulele book closed on Monday evening. Drumroll please!

The draw has taken place, under the guidance of an independent adjudicator (my 11 year old daughter!) and I can announce that the winner is Peter Kimbley!

The correct answer to the question "What year was Jake Shimabukuro born?" was 1976.


Well done Peter - check your email and let me know your mailing address, and a copy of the book and a Got A Ukulele badge will be winging its way to you very soon!

Thanks everyone for the entries. For the unlucky ones, the book is available on Amazon

Paperback now available in UK

I've had several UK ukulele players ask me about sourcing the paperback version of my book, What Ukulele Player Really Want To Know, in the UK via Amazon. Previously, Amazon, in their wisdom, allowed you to get the paperback through the UK site, but the book was actually coming from the US, and the postage cost was a bit silly. Well, I'm pleased to say that's changed!





You can now buy direct in the UK, with the benefits of cheaper postage and MUCH quicker delivery. The book page is Here

Worldwide readers of the blog can still purchase the paperback from Amazon.com

keep strumming!


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