It means you’re free to share the stuff in any way you like. For example, you can:
– Print off sections and use them in a ukulele lesson.
– Print off tab of a tune and share it with your uke group.
– Record audio and video performances of the arrangements.
– Use them to make a video tutorial.
– Translate them.
What you have to do
All you have to do is tell them you got it from Uke Hunt (because I have a ravenous ego and must be adored). It would also be cool if you let me know how you’re using it because I’d be really interested to know.
You also have to use the same (or similar) license on anything you use it to make. For example, if you use it to make a YouTube video select the Creative Commons license option when you upload it. Or if you translate it give the translation the same CC-BY-SA license.
What it Doesn’t Apply to
These DON’T have a CC license because I don’t have the power to give them one:
– The stuff that isn’t mine in the Ukuleles for Peace ebook.
– Ukulele for Dummies.
This ode to Iron & Wine is the single from it and is dead easy to play. They’re all variations on a G chord. Although they do have different roles in the song depending on what the other instruments are doing. For example, in the middle section the first G is playing the role of an Em7. But I’ve kept the same chord names throughout to keep things simple.
Suggested Strumming
For a simple main strum you can use:
d – d u – u d u
Intro: A bit complicated. Two down-strums on the G. Back to the main strum until the last three chords. Do d – d u for the Gsus4 and G. Then back to the main pattern for the last chord.
Verse and Outro: Main strum once for each chord.
Chorus: Main strum once for each chord except the Gsus2s. Main pattern twice for the first Gsus2. And four times for the last one.
Shouty Bit If you’re feeling ambitious on the A-meh-ri-ca bit you can do three triplet strums followed by a down strum on each syllable. Or you can just do four down-strums.
Middle: Main strum once for every chord. Except twice on the final chord.
Whether you’re spending your summer lounging on the beach or – like me – curled up in a darkened room praying for it to end, you’ll need a good book to read. If you’re looking for suggestions here are six great books by ukulele players. Some are ukulele related, some music related, some just excellent reads.
If you’re looking to improve your ukeing rather than your mind this summer I can highly (and self-interestedly) recommend Ukulele for Dummies and – for more advanced players – Ukulele Exercises for Dummies.
If you can recommend any other ukulelist authors or any good reads leave a comment.
Jim Tranquada and John King – The ‘Ukulele: A History
You can read my review of this book here. But the tl;dr version is: “It’s the best ukulele I’ve read. Buy it if you care at all about the history of the instrument.”
If you’ve heeded my previous calls to read this book you’ve got two follow ups:
– If you’re looking to fill in on wider Hawaiian history Sarah “off of This American Life” Vowell’s Unfamiliar Fishes. It’s informative, humorous and occasionally snarky. And it finishes up with a thought provoking comparison of IZ’s take on Over the Rainbow with his Hawai’i ’78.
Charlie Connelly – Our Man in Hibernia: Ireland, the Irish and Me
As well as being a ukulelist and a top bloke Charlie Connelly is one of my favourite authors. If you’re into Bill Bryson’s understated humour and sharp observations you have to check out his books. They’re all great but the account of the move to his ancestral homeland of Ireland Our Man in Hibernia is my fave.
If you’re more into audiobooks then Charlie’s are a no brainer. Most of his books have been adapted for BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week and Attention All Shipping was voted second best audiobook of all time after Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Her latest book is a biography of Leonard Cohen. She’s been promoting it with performances of Leonard Cohen songs on her uke. Thus becoming the first person in history to do a ukulele cover of Cohen song that isn’t Hallelujah.
After his blues band couldn’t get a gig Mark Wallington took refuge in the one place where musical ability is never a bar to performance: ukulele open mics. The Uke of Wallington tells of his trip around the country playing his uke at every open mic he could find.
This one was also a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. They clearly hold ukulelists in high regard.
Official Wizard of the Strings Roy Smeck was a master of the ukulele and an unsung hero of music. Vincent Cortese sets the record straight with a biography of the great man. Cortese was a student of Smeck so he can offer personal reminiscences as well as a thorough history.
I’m slightly dismayed I managed to miss this when it was released last year. Perhaps I had to wait for the hot weather before I could take the song in. But I’m very glad I did. You should certainly check out their music if you’re digging their modern-day Dexy’s Midnight Runners/Mumfords without rods jammed up their arses thing.
Colours is a lot of fun to play and a very good piece for beginners to play.
Suggested Strumming
The actual strumming pattern on the ukulele is dead simple. It’s just all downstrums:
