Step 1: Wake up in the morning and feel around for your shoes.
Step 2: Learn the chords C, F and G7. Play four bars of C, two bars of F, two bars of C, a bar of G7, a bar of F and two bars of C. Repeat.
Step 3: Noodle around with the blues scale.
Step 4: Learn the BB King blues faces.
Step 5: Read How to Play Blues Ukulele.
OK, you knew that was coming. If you haven’t got your hands on a copy yet, you can buy it here.
“noodle around”…I’ll have to use that more often.
I also learned to use the word “biscuit” in place of bottom or butt around storytime kids. My “magical ukulele” and I made an appearance at another library today. I’m turning into quite a rock star in the early literacy arena.
“..woke up about 11,
with hair like Brian May…”
Buy “How to Play Blues Ukulele”! It’s so great and packed with cool riffs and all the info you need to play the blues, except the faces.
Nelson: Then you’re 3/4 of the way towards blues legendariness.
Emily: Biscuit/butt. That’s just asking for confusion.
zym: I’m supposed to be the hardest man on the estate (or something like that).
ukegorilla: Thanks very much!
[…] If you’re still uninspired, then check out Ukulelehunt.com; there’s a great new post about the five steps to becoming a legendary blues uke player. […]
If you find it limiting to only play blues in C, try this:
http://ukulazy.tumblr.com/post/54669196/the-12-bar-blues-progression-is-used-in-countless
Thanks for the link, David.
I did step two, and it actually made me smile it sounded so snazzy!
Alice: You’re a fully qualified blues player now!
You forgot to tell us how to write a blues song.
1. Find something sad.
2. Write a line about this bad situation.
3. Add another line that rhymes with the first line (if you can’t think of one, just sing the first line again)
4. Add another two lines that don’t need to rhyme with anything, but tell people what you’re going to do about it.
5. Add in the chord changes.
Play it.
Example:
1. [C]I feel so bad, my woman’s gone
2. She run and [F] left me on my [C] own
3. But I’m gonna [G7] call up her best [F] friend
4. And get her [C] round
Then add some words like “dogone” and “well y’know” around the place, keep adding verses that tell the story, and you have a blues song.
David: Haha! Foolproof system.
what is a bar?
If you’ve never been to a bar you’re never going to understand the blues.
(A “bar” in this case just means going “1-2-3-4”. So 4 bars means count to 4, 4 times. Try listening to a blues song and counting “1-2-3-4” to it and you’ll get the gist.)
for me i live the blues and been in quite a few bars =D but thanks! i thought it was 2×4
i’m gonna listen to some muddy waters right now :)
also i have another question;
2244224422445544
is a cool blues solo but don’t know what to do with it does it go well with step 2?
David: Thanks (but curse you for stealing the joke I was going to do!).
Joshua: Try switching C to D, F to G and G7 to A7.
The variations are endless but I am still blue!
I need tabs for Steam roller blues, I mean Elvis covered this song!
Can you recermend ukulele for playing the blues around the £200.00 -£350.00 please
Mal: Ponos are good at that price.
I think your BB link is broken. I keep getting the strangest re-directs. The other faces are great though :}
BB King’s face is the hardest step, no doubt.
I have played blues on my guitar since ages. Why not on the uke? I’ll have a try.
Thanks Woodshed
Albert: Thanks. Hope you enjoy it.
I have been wondering what makes a song a blues song? is it the sad words or the scale used. Often in the 12 bar blues there are no sharps and flats. Is it based on strumming, picking styles or ? How do I know a song is a blues song. What is it’s unusual aspect? I’m lost.
thanks
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Mmmm….blue-sy.
Got the faces down!