What can I say....?

Words fail me...

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Heart Of Gold - Ukulele chords - Neil Young

This is a tune I do like playing on the uke - a slow steady strum just suits it perfectly. You will find other versions in A but I think this key suits the original (and my voice) better!

HEART OF GOLD - NEIL YOUNG

Em        C     D         G
I want to live, I want to give
Em          C           D        G
I've been a miner for a heart of gold
Em           C         D       G
It's these expressions I never give
Em                           G        D
That keep me searching for a heart of gold
C                    G
And I'm getting old
Em                      G        D
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
C                  Em/G
And I'm getting old

Em           C          D            G
I've been to Hollywood, I've been to Redwood
Em               C           D        G
I've crossed the ocean for a heart of gold
Em           C        D           G
I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line
Em                            G        D
That keeps me searching for a heart of gold
C                  Em/ G
And I'm getting old

                      D        Em
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
    Em                        D       Em
You keep me searching and I'm getting old
Em                      D        Em
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
Em                      G        D
I've been a miner for a heart of gold

C     Em/G

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Less common ukulele building techniques

I thought I would give my readers an insight into the less common techniques that are used in building some ukuleles. In the main, most ukes follow a fairly standard pattern in their build, that make them look like miniature spanish guitars. Many brands to try to play around with the shape, and of course there are pineapples and boat paddles and many others. But what about looking beyond the shape of the instrument at some of the details that go to make up the uke.

THE ZERO FRET


On the majority of ukuleles, the strings run between two key points, the bridge and the nut, at tension. The distance between the two of these is called the scale length and that distance needs to be exactly right in relation to the fret spacing to allow the ukulele to play in tune all over the fingerboard.

Some players have problems with this tuning (called Intonation) and it often stems from this distance being inaccurate. When you look at a ukulele nut, they are usually quite a lot wider than a fret, and the string sits in a slot cut in that nut. A well cut nut will have a "break" point within that slot which represents the point at which the string is held in tension down the neck to the bridge. If that point is cut badly, tuning may be an issue.

The zero fret was originally introduced in guitar making as a cost saving exercise. All it is, is another fret wire placed immediately next to the nut, set at a position where this fret represents the correct distance from the bridge for the scale length. Therefore, the nut itself is purely for holding the strings in the right spacings, but the zero fret holds the string at the correct length. As such it actually creates a way of eliminating accuracy issues at the nut end of the instrument.

Some claim that the downside is that you lose a bit of the ring and sustain from playing open strings, as each string now will naturally sound like it is being fretted even when open.

If you have seen a Flea or Fluke ukulele up close, you will see that they employ the zero fret.



SHAPED SOUND HOLES


Not all sound holes need to be round!  Round is certainly the most common but we are increasingly seeing variations on this, some very imaginatively!

Koaloha ukuleles use a patented shape on their sound holes as you can see on my model below.

Other brands use the sound hole shape to reflect their names - take a look at the Eddie Finn ukes below

You may also have seen the Ovation Applause model ukes that take their design from their guitar big brothers

Finally, a big shout out to UK uke builder Darryl Cursley who came up with this beautiful sound hole idea for his wires uke.

PERSONAL SOUND HOLES

This is an intriguing idea, though not something I have played myself. A personal sound hole is a further hole (or holes) cut in the side of the instrument on the side that faces the ceiling. The idea is that the hole helps project the sound of the uke to the actual player as well as the audience.

Riptide ukuleles employ this design as do some of the Moore Bettah ukes

FLUSH FINGERBOARDS

On the majority of ukuleles you see, the fingerboard is usually another thin piece of wood that is glued on to the wood of the neck and as such it sits a little higher than the top of the instrument itself.

Many old ukulele builders would avoid this and actually set the frets directly into the top of the neck wood itself, meaning that the end of the fingerboard ran flush with the top of the instrument.

My Bruko black slimline uke employed this feature. It brings about two key changes over a normal fingerboard. Firstly the strings are a lot closer to the body of the instrument which I found made strumming easier (though less so, picking). It also allowed for some clever use of the top of the instrument for "fretting" notes beyond the end of the fingerboard into really high territory!

Well, they are the more common, uncommon features I have come across (if you know what I mean!) but there are probably countless other techniques and ideas that people are trying out. There are carbon fibre ukes, uke / banjo / zither hybrids, extra strings....

What unusual designs and features have you come across?

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Ukulele News - 29 October 2011

Here we go with this weeks ukulele news round up.

Comedian, Frank Skinner hosts excellent tribute to the late George Formby and the ukulele. I think its fair to say that Frank and George both polarise opinions, but I thought this show was handled brilliantly and was a joy for uke players. Includes contributions from Steven Sproat and the Uke Wednesdays group in London.  If you missed it its available on iPlayer HERE

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The Canadians have long been big fans of the ukulele, and this piece in the Calgary Herald gives a nice thumbs up to the uke

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I find fewer things more uplifting that stories about kids getting involved with a musical instrument - take this example, of St Saviours Infant School in Bath, UK. If you have kids of your own, think about putting a ukulele on their Christmas list!

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Fancy some Ukulele Bluegrass? Course you do!


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More news updates next week!

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On holiday!

Hello readers.

Just remembered I didn't alert you that I'm on a short holiday, and as such that explains why Got A Ukulele isn't being updated as much!

I'm still around and normal service will be resumed shortly.

Keep strumming!

Baz


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Ukulele Competition reminder!

Hi folks, just one week to go now to get your free entry in to my competition to win a copy of my paperback, What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know, plus a Got A Ukulele button badge!

The competition page is Here, but I can remind you of the rules here. In fact, to enter, all you have to do is email me at bazmazwave@gmail.com and answer this ukulele related question.

What year was Jake Shimabukuro born?

Mark your entries "book competition" in the subject line!

Best of luck everyone!  The competition closes on 31 October 2011!


Baz

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Ukulele News - Oct 21st

Starting a new regular feature on Got A Ukulele, a regular weekly roundup of ukulele news from around the world..

So, what do we have this week?

Well I am always taken by news stories that report how schools are introducing the ukulele, and even better, the kids are loving it. Say hello to the kids of Shipston High School in the Cotswolds, UK. Even better, their Music Teacher, David Hunt is planning on taking them to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain! Lucky kids eh? Read more HERE.

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Moving on, my readers will know I am something of a fan of Amanda Palmer. I was a fan before she turned to the ukulele, so you can imagine how pleased I was when she started to uke. Nice to see her checked in relation to her school in Lexington. The uke has wide appeal, and Amanda is doing great things to promote the instrument.

--------------------------

Obviously, I may be preaching to the converted now, but Jake Shimabukuro is something of a modern day ukulele legend. Scratch that. Jake Shimabukuro IS a modern day ukulele legend. As such, the Epoch Times seem to have recognised that he gets the odd hit on YouTube now and again.....

---------------------------

Another shout for Jake now, and I admit I may be jumping the gun here. Oh well, the major new networks jump the gun all the time and get away with it.... Anyway, a little while ago in August, a new bunch of strummers broke the World Record for the most ukulele players playing together in one place. The London Uke Jam had previously set this record, but a bunch of players in Helsingborg, Sweden took the crown with 1547 players.

Hawaii felt the need to stand up and be counted.... They have been advertising a rival bid that takes place THIS VERY EVENING at the Waikiki Shell Amphitheatre in Oahau, aiming for more than 2000 players on the roster.  Jake is billed as leading the way, so we can only wait for the news...  Read more  HERE

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Back to the UK, and our favourite UK ensemble, the UOGB are playing at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool on Sunday 23rd. I've seen them play live a couple of times and it is a show not to be missed - if you are in Lancashire, I urge you to make the trip! MORE

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More Ukulele News next week!

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These Boots Are Made For Walking - for ukulele

This is a great chugging song for ukulele that we have played a couple of times at recent jam sessions. These Boots Are Made For Walking, as made famous by Nancy Sinatra. The uke chords are really simple, but if you want to be authentic, you need that descending note sequence that appears in the original. It works by plucking the C string at the following frets in time with the song

99 88 77 66 55 44 33 20 then back to the A chord. That run of notes is played at the very beginning and at the end of each chorus.

 [A] You keep saying you've got something for me
[A] Something you call love but confess [A7] [D]
You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a mess in'
And now [A] someone else is gettin' all your best

 Chorus:
These [C] boots are made for [Am] walking
And [C] that's just what they'll [Am] do [C]
One of these days these [Am] boots are gonna
Walk all over you [A]

You keep lying when you oughta be truthin' [A]
And you keep losin' when you oughta not bet [A7] [D]
You keep samin' when you oughta be changing'
Now what's [A] right is right but you ain't been right yet

 Chorus

 [A] You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin [A]
And you keep thinkin' that you'll never get burnt [A7] Ha! [D]
I just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah
And [A] what he knows you ain't had time to learn

 Chorus

 Are ya ready boots? Start walking!

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Dear Prudence for Ukulele - The Beatles

I'm a fan of songs with simple repeating chords for ukulele beginners to practice with. Dear Prudence, by The Beatles is such a song that works well on the uke.

Some chords may look a bit wacky, but they are simple really. The Cmaj7 is just 0002, and that G+ is a 0332 The whole song is on a chugging repeat, so fairly easy to play.

 DEAR PRUDENCE - THE BEATLES for UKULELE

 Intro: [G] [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] [G] [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Won't you come out to [G] play [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Greet the brand new [G] day
[G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 The [G] sun is up the [G7] sky is blue it's [Cmaj7] beautiful and [G+] so are you
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [F]
Won't you [C] come out to [G] play [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] open up your [G] eyes [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] see the sunny [G] skies [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
 The [G] wind is low the [G7] birds will sing
That [Cmaj7] you are part of [G+] everything

Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [F]
Won't you [C] open up your [G] eyes [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] let me see you [G] smile [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] like a little [G] child [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
 The [G] clouds will be a [G7] daisy chain
So [Cmaj7] let me see you [G+] smile again

Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [F]
Won't you [C] let me see you [G] smile [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Won't you come out to [G] play [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] Greet the brand new [G] day [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+]

 The [G] sun is up the [G7] sky is blue it's [Cmaj7] beautiful and [G+] so are you
Dear [G] Prudence [G7] [F]
Won't you [C] come out to [G] play [G7] [Cmaj7] [G+] [G]

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Ukulele workflow

My apologies in advance for using the word 'workflow'. It's clumsy, but bear with me. I wanted to write a piece about getting into your stride when it comes to ukulele practice in a more ordered and efficient way.

Workflow is a term common in the IT world, often relating (for example) to a structured approach to working through tasks to get the job done. I suppose that too can apply to ukulele practice.

So I'm writing this for those of you who have mastered the key chords, and can strum fairly comfortably. Perhaps you've mastered a song or two, but want to push on. I've blogged about practicing before Here, and I'd suggest you read that first for tips, dos and dont's. This is just a general guide to structuring your practice, not telling you WHAT to practice. You can fill your time with what feels comfortable to you, just technique, song learning, theory, whatever. If you want to practice all three, all I'd say is keep it balanced. Too much of anything may well frustrate you!


HOME PRACTICE

Most of your ukulele practice when you start may well be at home, and perhaps alone. It may well follow on from playing with others the night or day before, but more on that later.

Think about setting yourself some goals and sticking to them. The key is to not set challenges too high. It's always tempting to want to immediately play a favourite but very complicated song on day one, but that may be too much of a challenge. Get yourself some song sheets that you feel are just a little bit ahead of your ability, but not too far and try to stick with those until you have them nailed.

There are no hard and fast rules on how much to practice the uke, when, or what you do in it. In the article linked above, obviously too little practice will slow progress. Too much could actually start to work counter productively so be careful.

Try to set your challenges to be interesting and achievable. By way of an example, let's say you want to learn two new uke songs in your week ahead. You could make a practice plan as follows

Day 1 - warm up, strum practice, practice song 1, general strum practice.
Day 2 - warm up, fingerpicking practice, practice song 2, finger stretching exercise, practice song 2, theory.
Day 3 - warm up, strum practice, finger stretching, practice song 1, practice song 2

And so on, filling the days and keeping variety.

Now that may come across all a bit rigid, and I'm not a big fan of rigid. I don't expect you to need to write a plan and stick it on your fridge door, that would be weird... What I am saying is to keep a check on what you are doing on a daily basis, what you are missing out on and try to keep an efficient balance going forward. You may find that some things come to you naturally and therefore you can practice those a little less. Some things may be a struggle and you may need to devote more time to those. Keep it fun, but keep an eye on what you are doing. I've seen many beginners practicing week by week not keeping a watch, and getting a little entrenched in, say, just one song, that they are missing out on some basic skills that they need to move on to other styles. By keeping it more balanced, your progress should be more efficient.



PLAYING WITH OTHERS

As I've said many times, I highly, highly recommend new players try to play with others as much as possible, either with friends, or better still, a uke club. This way of practicing really does help players improve ukulele skills at a fast rate. It's down to the mix of being able to see and others play, with a bit of competition thrown in!

But of course, you can't be playing uke with friends all the time, every day. Many ukulele clubs only meet once a week or less, so you need to find a way of extending and working on your experiences with your club fit in to your general home practice.

Most good uke clubs offer song sheets for the club to play along to, distributed either hard copy, or by email or via download. Make sure you keep these and concentrate on the songs the club is working on at that time. You may feel restricted if the songs in one week are not your cup of tea, but stick with it.

One 'Got A Ukulele' reader emailed me recently asking about getting audio files on the site as he struggled to remember how some songs went after returning from a club session. I've avoided doing that for copyright reasons, but he raised a good point. There are answers to that. In the simplest sense many modern mobiles offer voice recording so you could always record some songs the group play to help remind you during home practice. There are also some excellent audio recorders on the market that record to SD cards, such as the Zoom H2 which I use. These pick up recordings in high quality in 360 degrees so you really can get that club sound when you get home - just ask permission! Your other alternative is to buy the music of course. Either way, that is a really good part of your ukulele practice workflow - learning to listen. If you are practicing a new song, do make sure you have access to the song you are playing in audio. There is nothing tougher than a beginner trying to learn a song they only half know from a set of words and chords on a sheet of paper!

So fit your club songs into your home practice and again, keep it balanced.

Always remember, listen to your head and your fingers. If you are getting frustrated or sore, take a break and don't fight it.

Most of all, keep your practicing plans fresh and interesting and don't get bogged down.


What are your practicing tips and routines? I'd love to hear them!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Reviews welcomed!

I do like it when I get comments, Tweets and emails about my ebook, What Ukulele PlayersReally Want To Know. In this brave new world it's wonderful for an author to be able to interact with the readers.




Some folks have been so kind as to leave reviews on Amazon or Smashwords and I am really grateful for that. That's what this post is about - a thanks to those who have and a polite request to those who haven't that a review (good or bad, so long as its constructive) is always most welcomed.

I'm glad people have taken to the book, it was written in a no nonsense style to help beginners with the uke. It's not a tutor guide, more of a manual or handbook for ownership!

I dont type a lot of reviews myself, and it is a hassle I suppose, but they do help other readers out. As I say, a polite request, not essential!

You can reach my book on Amazon UK, on Amazon.com, and for non Kindlers, in a variety of other formats on Smashwords.


Thanks all!

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Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) for Ukulele - Steve Harley

What a cracking tune this is. We tried noodling this at our last ukulele jam session and think we should work on it a bit more

Make Me Smile by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel


[G] You've done it [F] all you've [C] broken every [G] code
[F] And pulled the [C] rebel to the [G] floor
[G] You've spoilt the [F] game no [C] matter what you [G] say [F] For only [C] metal what a [G] bore

[F] Blue eyes [C] blue eyes [F] how can you [C] tell so many [G] lies?
[Dm] Come up and [F] see me make me [C] smile [G]
[Dm] Or do what you [F] want running [C] wild [G]

[NC] There's nothing [F] left all [C] gone and run a[G]way [F] Maybe you'll [C] tarry for a [G] while
[G] It's just a [F] test a [C] game for us to [G] play
[F] Win or [C] lose it's hard to [G] smile

[F] Resist [C] resist [F] it's from your[C]self you have to [G] hide
[Dm] Come up and [F] see me to make me [C] smile [G]
[Dm] Or do what you [F] want running [C] wild [G]

[NC] There ain't no [F] more you've [C] taken every[G]thing [F] From my be[C]lief in mother [G] earth
[G] Can you ig[F]nore my [C] faith in every[G]thing
[F] Cos I know what [C] faith is and what it's [G] worth

[F] Away [C] away [F] and don't say [C] maybe you'll [G] try
[Dm] Come up and [F] see me to make me [C] smile [G]
[Dm] Or do what you [F] want just running [C] wild [G]

[F]Oooooh[C]oohlalala[F]oooh[C]oohlalala[G]oohoohlalala

[Dm] Come up and [F] see me to make me [C] smile [G]
[Dm] Or do what you [F] want running [C] wild [G]

[F]Oooooh[C]oohlalala[F]oooh[C]oohlalala[G]oohlalala[C]ooooh


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Me And Julio Ukulele Chords - Paul Simon

This is a song I really like to play, and is pretty simple. I think it suits the voice of the ukulele perfectly.

(Lyrics provided for educational purposes only)


Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard - Paul Simon


Intro: [G] [C][G] [D7] x 4

[G] The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police [C] station

When the [D7] papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investi[G]gation

It's against the [D7] law it was against the [G] law
What the mama [D7] saw it was against the [G] law

[G] Now mama looked down and spit on the ground
Every time my name gets [C] mentioned

And [D7] papa say Oy if I get that boy
I'm gonna stick him in the house of de[G]tention


CHORUS
I'm on my [C] way I don't know [G] where I'm goin'
I'm on my [C] way I'm takin' my [G] time but I [A] don't know [D7] where
Goodbye to [C] Rosie the Queen of Co[G]rona
See me and [F] Julio [C] down by the [D] school[G]yard [C] [G] [D7]
See [G] me and [F] Julio [C] down by the [D] school[G]yard

[Whistle solo to chords In chorus]

[G] In a couple of days they come and take me away
But the press let the story [C] leak

And when the [D7] radical priest come to get me released
It was all on the cover of [G] Newsweek

REPEAT CHORUS
See [G] me and [F] Julio [C] down by the [D] school[G]yard [C] [G] [D7] [G]


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One week only! Get 40% off my uke ebook!

About time I ran a coupon promotion again, so for the next seven days you can get 40% off the price of my ukulele book, What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know, when bought through Smashwords.

All you need to do is go to the book page HERE and enter the code HA26J at the checkout! The coupon expires on 18 October 2011.

Sorry, wish I could offer a kindle voucher but Amazon don't allow that. Luckily you can download from Smashwords in Kindle Format though.

Spread the word!


Baz

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Ukulele Ramblings - the uke upswing

It's now absolutely clear to anyone but those with their heads inn the sand that the ukulele is now right in the thick of a huge upswing in popularity around the globe. It's quite difficult to actually go through a day watching or listening to popular culture without hearing a ukulele at some point. An increasing number of pop artists, tv advertisements and trailers are choosing the uke. How long will it last and will the bubble burst?

The very short answer is, yes, probably, like everything, it will wane at some point, but there is no need to worry, it won't go away!

All sorts of music tastes and interests come and go in popularity, but they never die, and sure enough they will come back again at some point in the future. To understand where we are today with the ukulele, we need to go back in time to the last big upswing.

Rolling back the clock to the 1930's and 40's and the ukulele was BIG!.. HUGE!.. These were the days before tv networks and pop charts, but the ukulele was THE staple instrument for many many music hall entertainers. Cliff Edwards, Roy Smeck, George Formby are names you may have heard of, but there were countless others who, at some point in their act they would grab a Uke to sing and play. Music stores on both sides of the Atlantic were full of ukes, not guitars. A child's first instrument most likely was a cheap uke, perhaps made of Bakelite or later, plastic. Then, like today, the public were exposed to an awful lot of ukulele music on the radio, in the movies and on stage. Also like today, when a member of the public picked up an instrument they realised that it was a fairly simple instrument to get to grips with, benefited from being cheap and portable and was fun to play. Those attributes haven't changed a bit, only the style and the fashion.

You may look back on those early artists and cringe. Whilst many people still enjoy that music, the younger players today may find it old fashioned compared to the artists today who are bringing the uke into their work, like Beirut, Noah And The Whale and Eddie Vedder. You may find, when playing a uke around the older generation, that you get ribbed by them asking to 'play us some George Formby' or similar. I have a healthy respect for George, sure, but I have to admit that I don't sit listening to his music on a daily basis.






But the thing is, those guys were no different to the artists today. Those guys WERE the hit artists. Formby and Edwards were, literally, megastars and as such what they sang and played was a huge influence on the general public. It may sound old fashioned now, but then it was absolutely bang on the moment. Were you alive in those years with an interest in music, if you play the uke today I'd wager you'd have played it then and talked about it the way you do now. In fact, so big were those artists, that the uke upswing of that period was much much bigger than the one we have now.

So, what happened? Several things. TV, Rock & Roll and a significant widening in media outlets and music tastes. The old time artists became marginalised and the new younger record buying public wanted rock and roll (note, Elvis played a uke, but for the kids of the 50's, a skiffle guitar was where it was at!). We then went though a period of pop, rock, metal, dance and a million other music styles and the uke got lost in the noise. In the background though there remained a faithful contingent who continued to play.

Fast toward to recent years and the ukulele started to pop up on certain tracks. This certainly wasn't a case, like the last upswing, of the uke dominating the charts and the music shops, but it was quietly growing, being picked up by artists of high standing. Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Amanda Palmer, Stephin Merritt and others started appearing in gigs with a uke, or including the instrument on record. Music generally also seems to have taken a turn, in recent years, to a folkier style which the ukulele naturally fits. Whilst many of the nu folk artists may not (yet!) have included ukes in their work, artists like Fleet Foxes, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons have achieved huge success with a folky, acoustic sound. The musical landscape has shifted a little. People started talking about ukes, looking for ukes and searching out anything they can on the Internet to learn more. Forums, clubs and blogs started appearing at an incredible rate, and judging by the membership numbers on the main uke forums, a massive number of people out there were wanting to play. The upswing was in full 'swing'.





In a single hour long programme on TV recently I watched selected highlights of the Cambridge Folk Festival. I saw about 6 or 7 acts and counted 5 ukuleles. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, a nu punk outfit with which you would never associate the ukulele, released an EP of uke songs and now regularly gigs with one. Eddie Vedder, lead singer with the rock band Pearl Jam released a whole album of uke tracks. These two releases are not examples of what started the upswing but are examples of artists taking advantage of it. Would Eddie Vedder have had success releasing a ukulele album in 1995? I think not.

So behind the world of celebrity it started to grow. For the general public the same attributes that got people hooked in the 1930's held true. Cheap to buy, easy to get started with, portable and fun. What wasn't to like?

This current upswing is different though, as we live in different times. I can't see the ukulele ever reaching the heady heights it achieved in the 30's and 40's, there is too much competition, too many music styles out there. It's likely to be an instrument you just continue to see regularly, that new bands try out and include once in a while. But that's fine by me, and it may actually serve to keeping the interest going longer or even indefinitely.

As a humble non-celeb though, does any of it matter to me? Perhaps not. At the end of the day I play because I enjoy it. If the world turned off the uke tomorrow, this player wouldn't. Once you are a player, it's not about the fashion of the day. Some established players choose to poo-poo the new "fad" they see with younger players, but that doesn't bother me either. Whatever it takes in getting people playing music (on any instrument) is ok in my book and not to be sniffed at. We should remember that those young players who start today may turn out to be the grandparent who passes on a uke to a grandchild some 50 years hence and, in turn, starts another generation on the road with the Uke!


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Ukulele book competition - reminder!

In case you missed it, I'm running a free and easy competition in which you can win a paperback copy of my book, What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know.

Full details are on the competition page Here. Email me your answer to be in with a chance of winning!

Best of luck!




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Somewhere Over The Rainbow - ukulele chords

It's about time I put the chords up to this song, made famous on ukulele by the late great Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (Iz). His version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow is one of the prettiest songs I've heard on uke.

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Way up [C]high
[F]There's a [C]land that I heard of
[G7]Once in a lulla[C]by

Verse 2:

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Skies are [C]blue
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dare to
[G7]Dream really do come [C]true

Chorus:

Some [C]day I'll wish upon a star
And [G7]wake up where the clouds are far be[F]hind me
Where [C]troubles melt like lemondrops
A[G7]way above the chimney tops
That's [Am]where you'll [F]find me

Verse 3:

[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Bluebirds [C]fly
[F]Birds fly [C]over the rainbow
[G7]Why then, oh why can't [C]I?

Ending:

[C]If happy little bluebirds fly

Be[G7]yond the rainbow
Why, oh [F]why [G7]can't [C]I?


You can read more about Iz Here




WHY NOT DONATE TO HELP KEEP GOT A UKULELE GOING?
THANKS! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Ukulele Ramblings - On starting your own ukulele club

You will have seen in many posts on Got A Ukulele that I do sing the praises of ukulele clubs and societies as being great places for the beginner to learn and build confidence. I keep a growing List of clubson this very site and you may have seen my earlier post about jamming and performing which recommended the same. But what if there is no club near you? Could you start one up? Why not!

Starting a uke club isn't actually as tough as you may think it would be. When you break it down it comes to venue, promotion and organisation. Read on for some tips.

1. The venue and times

Now unless you are expecting an enormous growth in membership, you are not going to need the Royal Albert Hall, but bear in mind, as a club grows you may also regret choosing the six foot square back room with four chairs.

The most obvious venues are pubs, clubs and village halls. Whichever you choose, think of somewhere easily accessible and you must of course get permission. You may find some venues want to charge, but conversely you may find that many, pubs in particular may welcome the trade and offer you a room or a corner for nothing on the basis it brings more punters in. Explain that you are not intending to make huge amounts of noise (ukes are acoustic!). In terms of what the room needs to provide, unless you are going to provide lots of sheet music stands at your own expense, you need a room with enough seats, but more importantly large tables for people to lay out song sheets, tuners etc, without anyone feeling out on a limb. This may require some table re-arranging before the club meets, but it will be far better for everyone to see mostly everyone else. Beginner ukulele players benefit massively from being able to watch the finger positions of other players.

Also think about the appropriate day to suggest to the venue owner (and time). Inn the case of a pub you would be silly to expect to get the front room reserved at 8pm on a Friday. For this reason, most clubs seem to meet midweek in the evening. Frequency is one to discuss with future members. Some clubs are weekly, but more frequently people seem to meet every other week or once a month allowing members time to practice between sessions.


2. Promoting your club

I write this section on the basis that you are not looking to pay for advertising. If you've just landed a fortune from the will of your great great uncle Eric, then be my guest, but most will want to promote for no money. (nb some clubs do charge membership subs but that is something you need to work out with members to ensure monies are transparent and nobody brings your treasury into question!)

The most obvious place to advertise is the venue itself. Ask if you can put up some flyers with details of the event in the pub or club, particularly in the windows. You could go further and put some flyers up on lampposts in your town (but remember, Bill Stickers will be prosecuted....) or hand them out around town. Keep them fresh and replace any tatty ones and get your friends to spread the word too.

Scout the local papers, particularly free ones as some do offer free listings in their entertainment sections on occasion. If you can get a free listing, use it!

Beyond that, the Internet is your friend. There are a multitude of ways you can spread the word, but the three I'd recommend are Facebook, Twitter and a blog. On Facebook as well as announcing the club on your page, announce it in the various ukulele groups that exist. Check out groups that are for your town and do the same. At the same time set up both a Facebook page for your club, and a group to add members too and promote both in the same way (but don't spam!). Then more links you have flying around, the better. On twitter, make your announcement using the hashtag #ukulele and also a hashtag for your town such as #Warwick or #Idaho. People search those tags and you may get a bite. A blog is more hard work, but it would be good for your club to at least have a homepage with club contact details, address etc. If your club grows successful you can then use your blog to add song sheets and news to.

Promotion is hard work, and having like minded friends to help will be a real boost. In fact having a friend who plays uke joining you will ensure you are not sat on your own on the first night!


3. Organisation

How you run your club, it's structure, its style is entirely up to you and the members. What I would suggest though is on your first night you don't dictate or get hung up on structure to early. Speak to your members, find out what they want, what they like to play, how frequently they want to meet and so on. Get those issues ironed out early and you will have happy members, but remember toehold regular review and feedback sessions with them!

Members are going to need music to play and as the organiser you need to make the first efforts in getting some chords and lyrics to simple songs with a broad appeal printed off. Please don't just steal someone elses hard work, try to create your own, with a bit of work on Word you will soon have something that looks presentable. The easiest way to get these out to your gang is to email them well in advance or you could be kind and print off a set of song sheets for everyone. I highly recommend an A4 four ring binder containing plastic clear wallets to hold sheets. These allow songs to be moved about easily and the plastic stops them getting dog eared.

Most importantly with organisation though, you started the club, so you need to commit to it. You need to be the inspiration to ensure people come back. Don't look bored (or worse not turn up) on the second meeting. As a club grows in size, others will offer to help and your admin burden will drop!



But those are just my thoughts. A successful club needs to be democratic and flexible. What suits one player doesn't necessarily suit another so listen to each other. Most of all, just get out there and play with others - it's hugely rewarding!


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How is a Ukulele made? Kanile'a factory tour

Ever wondered how a good quality ukulele gets made?

Well now you can find out. The wonderful Lorraine Bow from Learn To Uke recently visited Hawaii and shared with me this detailed video she shot of her tour around the Kanile'a factory in Kaneohe, featuring Joe and Kristen from Kanile'a themselves. As a Kanile'a player i found this fascinating, and anyone with a love for the instrument will too. Thanks Lorraine!







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UKULELE BEGINNERS - On Jamming, Busking and Performing

So you have bought your first ukulele, and you are (but of course) having lots of fun with it. Then this post pops up on Got A Ukulele and you are horrified.  Playing in public? To an audience? I couldn't possibly!

The fact is though, that once you are over the initial hump of getting used to some basic chords and strums, the singular best way to improve your playing an confidence is to play with or for other people. A reception to the music you make really is the best way you can judge your abilities and improve on them.  Now, before you continue in a total panic, I'm not suggesting you should be booking yourself in for a residency at Caesars Palace, but there are many options available to you that I would urge you to try.

1. MAKE A VIDEO


Not everybody lives in an area with easy access to lots of other people who play the ukulele, and it may be that you are just not able to get out and about to perform in public, but the video, and by that I mean uploading a recording of yourself to something like YouTube is a superb and easy way of getting feedback on your performances. Not only can others look at your work, but the very act of watching and listening to yourself back in a recording is a sure fire way to improving your skills. The first time you do it you may find it impossible and unbearable to listen to yourself - that's normal. Have faith in yourself though and give it a try.  Then give some serious thought to putting a video or two up on the internet for others to see. You may get some nasty words, but ignore them, as on the whole you find real constructive criticism.  The Ukulele Underground Forum is a great place to alert people to your videos and seek feedback. Listen to your reviewers and take on board the tips they give you to improve your work.   Perhaps the most famous  success story of performing in this way is the wonderful Julia Nunes who started out performing on YouTube and is now a gigging and recording musician who has played with the likes of Ben Folds. My good pal Rae Carter may well be heading in the same direction. He's had tens of thousands of video views now, is regularly gigging and just got a recording contract!

2. TRY JAMMING


Playing with other like minded players is a brilliant way to improve your playing and confidence, and being a group activity you are sure to help each other out, or give each other ideas as to new songs to practice. You can do this as informally as you like, perhaps just with friends in your living room or garden, or perhaps ask at your local pub or club if they would mind you playing in their premises, thus potentially enticing others to join in. I play this way with friends all the time and its huge fun. We play in a local pub an on occasion have ended up with quite an audience singing along with us.

If you want to do it more formally there are a huge range of clubs and societies out there who will welcome you with open arms and you will find quite a listing HERE. Who knows, playing with a club informally this way could get you noticed, as has happened with the great guys at UkeJam, in Godalming in the UK. They havent been playing as a club for all that long, but in the last few months have played both the Guildford Festival, and supported Hayseed Dixie at a recent show!

3. BE A BUSKER


Perhaps this is one for when you are little more seasoned with your playing and have a few good songs under your belt, but this form of playing, in the town centre or park near to you is both a daunting and extremely rewarding experience. You can do this with friends or solo, but having done this myself can vouch for the fact that the more "unusual" aspect that the ukulele carries (than say, the guitar) will likely draw some people to watch you. The plus side, of course, is that if you are any good you could go home at the end of the day with a bit of money in your pocket!  Please, please though, check first with your local bye-laws as to whether you need a licence to busk in your area!


4. OPEN MICS


Open Mics are events, usually put on at local pubs, bars or clubs, where anyone can turn up and book a slot to take to the stage and perform a song or two in front of an audience. You are unlikely to get paid, and you may not even get listened to, but this is a real step into proper performing where you have to stand on your own two feet and get your style and sound out there to the general public. Bear in mind, with a small instrument like a ukulele that you almost certainly will need to consider some form of amplification both for your instrument and your voice if you dont want to get lost in the hubbub of the audience.


Beyond that, the sky is the limit  really. If you really dont like the idea of playing in public, I'd still urge you to try to play with good friends or at least record yourself and listen to it back. It's without a doubt one of the best ways to progress your playing.  Whatever you choose, you are going to be nervous and unsure when you first give it a try, but that will pass with more experience, and with more experience comes better playing and more fun. It's all good!

Best of luck!

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COMPETITION TIME - Win a copy of my ukulele book

I haven't run a competition on Got A Ukulele for a little while, so it's about time I changed all that. In this competition you have the chance to win a copy of my ukulele handbook, "What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know"  in paperback! I will also throw in a Got A Ukulele Button badge!

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question, and email your answer with your name to

bazmazwave@gmail.com

,marking your subject line BOOK COMPETITION.

QUESTION - WHAT YEAR WAS THE UKULELE VIRTUOSO JAKE SHIMABUKURO BORN?

All the correct answers will be thrown in a hat shaped receptacle and a winner drawn at random.  What could be simpler?  Answers need to be with my 31 October to count in the draw!

Good luck!

RULES (IMPORTANT)!

1. Competition  ends at midnight GMT  on 31 October 2011

2. To be eligible for the prize draw, you must enter by email, and provide me with a working email address by which I can contact you for address details if you win

3. I reserve the right to reject entries that are duplicates, offensive or anything else unsavoury!  My decision on this is final.

4. On draw day, I will put all eligible entries in a hat and draw a winner.    My decision on the winner is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

5. The winner will be announced within 7 days of the draw day, and will be announced on this site.  

6.  Winner will need to provide valid postal address for the item to be posted

7. In the event the winner does not respond to the request for address within 14 days, I will pick another name from the hat.

8. No responsibility is held for failure with the postal service, and no replacement will be offered.  This prize has no alternative cash value.

9. Item will be posted standard post within 14 days of confirmation of winners address, depending on where you are you may need to sign for it.

10. No purchase necessary

11. Emailing your answer not proof that I have received your entry. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost or delayed, or which are not received for any reason

12. The prize in not transferable to another person

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