One of the many areas the BBC excels in is the exceptionally nerdy quiz show. I can’t imagine anyone else coming up with museum based quiz or a show like Only Connect where questions are chosen via Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Connecting Only Connect to ukuleles is very easy. Season three winner Jenny Ryan (who went on to become The Vixen on The Chase) is a keen uker with the excellently named Nanukes of the North.
I’m a big fan of Sarah Vowell’s books. But I’m an even bigger fan of her audiobooks. The Partly Cloudy Patriot, an exploration of her uncomfortable obsession with American history, includes narration from Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert and David Cross. Even more importantly, it’s sprinkled with songs from They Might Be Giants. Including this catchy little song.
If you’re interested in Hawaiian history, I highly recommend her book Unfamiliar Fishes.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot on Amazon
Birdhouse in Your Soul tab
Matt Berry is best known for his roles in The IT Crowd and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace plus my favourite sketch of all time: Snuff Box‘s guitar instruction DVD. But he’s also a prolific musician releasing seven studio albums including an entire album of TV theme covers.
The theme tune to Toast of London is a shortened version of his 2011 tune Take My Hand.
Take My Hand on Amazon
Toast of London on Netflix
More theme tune tabs and chords
This song comes from episode 616 of Comedy Bang Bang. It’s the culmination of a trio of country parody songs from Brantley Aldean and Harland Haywood (a.k.a. Drew Tarver and Carl Tart) and it had me crying with laughter.
Here’s a uke version of the intro (which shares a few ideas with yesterday’s post: The Weight)
I’ve raved about Hitman before on here. But I haven’t given enough praise for how much the music adds to the experience. The music works to subtly differentiate different areas of the maps and set the mood for each one.
This excellent little guitar piece is used to evoke a small Columbian fishing village which is relaxed on the surface but houses a huge drug operation. Similarly, the tune is relaxed and easy-going with a few little hints of darkness peaking through.
I was inspired to write this one up by Playing for Change’s version featuring a vast array of musicians including Ringo, Robbie Robertson and a bit of uke from Taimane. The video shows off what a great ensemble piece this can be. Making it seem like a good idea for ukulele groups to me. Plus the chords are straightforward and there’s plenty of solo opportunities for the flash Harrys.
I’ve written up two versions of the chords. Up top are the chords in G with a capo on the second fret. And below are the chords in F with the capo on the fourth fret. The version in F might be a little easier. If you’re playing the version in G, I recommend barreing the C, E and A-strings at the second fret on the G chord. That makes for a much easier transition to Bm. You could even use the standard G at the end of the bar (to make an easy transition from C) and switch to the barred version at the start of the next line.
For a simple main strum you can use this:
d – d – d u d u
Intro: If you’re not playing the intro lick (below) you can play the main strum twice per chord.
Verses: One main strum per chord.
Chorus: On G-Bm play d – d u. Then the main strum on C. On the last line, do one, long down-strum on the first C then d – d u on each of the next four chords and three down-strums on the last C.
I love this little intro. I’ve had to move it up an octave to fit it on the uke. Which means you have to go up to the 14th fret.
Tracklist
Raelyn Nelson Band – Weed and Whiskey (Song starts at 45 seconds)
Sho Humphries – MEGALOVANIA
Kyle Carey – Devil at Your Back Via @ukeist
Le Temps d'une Etincelle – Rentrez dans la danse
uke mullum – Rumble
Karlie G – Doin’ Time
Choan Gálvez – Study No. 49 – Tío Vazilo
Herman Vandecauter – Menuet III, Gigue Cello suite J.S.Bach
Kuinka – Homesick
I’ve read some absolute drivel about ukuleles over the years. But there’s a new worst: Rolling Stone wrote an article about “best ukuleles” that “pros use” that’s so bad I’m not willing to link directly to it.
New Releases
– Craig Robertson’s Truth is a Runaway Horse.
– Big Werl’s Licensed to Swill. You can listen to it on Soundcloud.
– More flawless classical ukulele from Herman Vandecauter with four new tunes on his Bandcamp.
Window Shopping
– Limited edition Kiwaya 1978 concert.
– Lichty Walnut Archtop Ukulele U142.
– Pelem coconut uke.
– 8-string Ortega Eclipse.
Hi, How are you?
Yesterday brought the very sad news of the death of lo-fi legend Daniel Johnston. Johnston was the darling of indie musicians in the 90s. True Love Will Find You in the End alone has been covered by Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco, Spiritualized, Kula Shaker and Jeff Mangum. And now I’ve had a go at it.
I’ve kept my version very simple. I’m only using the top three strings picked thumb and two finger style. The most important thing is to give the melody notes a little extra umph so they stand out against the backing notes.
Gather around, kids, and let grandpa teach you how to play a few songs from the hit parade.
If you like these short tabs, you can find lots more on my Instagram.
On low-G ukulele.
Receive the latest Uke Hunt posts in your inbox.
