I’m taking a couple of weeks off the blog. I’ll be back on 5th August with plenty of new stuff.

So much good stuff this week. I had to cut out some stuff I really like. Including the new Amanda Palmer video. Those that did make it include some summery, laid-back tunes from Leftover Cuties, Lemoskine and Nicholas Abersold along with Pops Bayless, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer and plenty more.

The ukulele often gets lumbered with the ‘novelty instrument’ tag. Obviously unfair. But there are some ukuleles that are asking for it. There have been quite a few trends in ukuleles of dubious usefulness (cutaways, slotted headstocks, oddly-placed soundholes), but these five stick in my mind. Feel free to leave your nominations in the comments. [...]

If anyone suggests to you that ukuleles aren’t sexy, send them Ramon Novarro’s ukulele seduction (via Ukulele Porn) from the equally steamy film The Pagan. Pictures: Uke, I am your father (via @mytvisevil), Chameleon Ukulele (via ukuleles.tumblr.com. Two ukulele playing ducks: this one who is adorable. And this one who is a badass mother funker. [...]

Little Black Rain Cloud (Tab) With the new Winnie the Pooh film coming out featuring some Zooey Deschanel uke-work, I thought I’d tab up my favourite Winnie the Pooh song: Little Black Rain Cloud by Robert & Richard Sherman. The biggest challenge in this one is all the moving up and down the neck. It [...]

It’s been an age since I last updated my About page – I even have hair in that photo. Step 1 in the process: updating the FAQs. If you’ve got any other questions (or questions about my answers) leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer those too. General Uke [...]

Another medley from Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer in the vein of Chap-Hop History. This time taking on the early 90s rave music. Two things to bear in mind: – It’s in D tuning. The chords are all referred to with their D tuning name. – The strumming, as always, is just suggested. He varies [...]

A track this week from Watercolor Paintings’s new album These Arms (which you can buy on Bandcamp) along with a cavalcade of stars including Dave Matthews, Zooey Deschanel, Ben Schwartz, (Carolina Chocolate Drop) Dom Flemons and Robert Crumb.

Social Links If you’re looking for me online you can find me on Twitter and on Tumblr. And I’ve started a Google+ where you can find an exclusive tab. I’m also experimenting with Twitter/Facebook/Google +1 buttons at the bottom of posts. I’ll give it a while and see if anyone is clicking on them and, [...]

Klaus Badelt – Pirates of the Caribbean Theme (Tab) If I had any musical ability or get-up-and-go, you’d be looking at a blank screen right now. I’d be off writing theme tunes, scoring movies or just writing ad jingles. And I’d want to write them like this. Klaus Badelt’s theme tune to Pirates of the [...]