The Institute of Hawaiian Music is looking for aspiring musicians to take part in its mentorship programme with some of the top Hawaiian players.

The original ukulele-sized bass, the Ashbory Bass disappeared for a while. But it’s now back in business and with a much-reduced price tag.

The story of the women who made Gibson’s best guitars during WWII.

Latest attempt to solve the ukulele strap problem: the Mobius strap.

Pictures
– The original cast of No, No, Nanette bust out the ukuleles (via @ShelleyRickey).
– Cool hand uke.
– Tall, Short, Uke, Bass.
– Cthulu Ukulele Hero.

New Releases
– A bear-pun based album from Tyrone and Lesley.
– Buy Kyle Frazer’s debut album on his website or just the originals on CDBaby
– Outside Myself by Maria Brosgol

Video
– Oh Little Town of Pokemon, they call the Rising Sun – lots of songs to the tune of lots of other songs.

Some hilarious trolling from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: “No matter what twee folk musicians and advertisers of online greeting cards will tell you, it sounds like a child’s instrument. It has all the resonance of an asthmatic flea blowing into a pillow and the clarity of a secret service document with all the verbs redacted. The ukulele is very much the poor relation of the guitar, banjo and mandolin.”

Pi for Ukulele (Tab)

Happy Pi Day!

The idea behind this tune is that you assign each number to a note in the C major scale (1=C, 2=D, 3=E etc.). Then convert the digits of pie into music. There was a legal bust up over the idea but I first heard it in this uke featuring version by Michael Blake.

I’ve been a bit more loose with my interpretation of it. The melody is pi but I’ve added in any notes I felt like around it.

I should point out that the numbers under the tab are the digits of pi. Lest you were wondering how to grow nine fingers on your fretting hand.

And if you can’t get it together start working on tau and you’ve got until June.

For the Purists

Pi Melody (Tab)

If you prefer the pure version, here’s just notes of pi by themselves.

Pi Melody (MP3)

This work by Ukulele Hunt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

A whole lot has changed since the last time I reviewed ukulele apps in 2009. For one thing, the first iPad hadn’t even been released.

Since Uke Hunt has recently been given a mobile-friendly layout and it’s been I thought it was about time I did an update on how I use mobile devices in my playing.

If you’ve got any tips or great apps you use leave them in the comments.

Apps I Actually Use

Of all the apps I reviewed last time exactly none proved useful enough to survive on my phone. Of the apps I do use, none of them are ukulele-specific. It’s mostly iOS but I do have a Nexus 7 so there’s a bit of Android too.

Dropbox

Dropbox is handy doodad that means you can save a file to your computer and then it’ll be available on all your computers and mobile devices. It works across pretty much any computer/phone/tablet and it’s free.

I have every tab and chord PDF saved to Dropbox. Then if I ever want one I can just download it to my phone/iPad. And if you’re browsing a particularly great ukulele site on your phone and see a tab you want to keep you can send it directly to Dropbox from the browser. It’s incredibly useful.

Plus it allows shenanigans I wish were available when I was at school.

Sign up for a Dropbox account here.
Info on the various apps here.

Visual Metronome

There’s no shortage of free metronomes but Visual Metronome is well worth buying for. It’s flexible, easy to use and it looks great.

Visual Metronome on iTunes

On Android: My favourite Android metronome is Mobile Metronome which comes in free and paid flavours.

Jam Player

Let’s you slow down mp3s so you can hear what they’re doing more clearly or practice at a slower tempo. Very useful for practice.

It also lets you adjust the pitch. So you can play along with a song in D-tuning or tuned down a fret without having to retune your ukulele.

It’s good enough that I got over my hate of twisty-knobs on screens.

On Android: I haven’t tried this one out, but the same guy who makes Mobile Metronome also made Audio Speed Changer.

forScore

For the most part, Dropbox’s built in PDF viewer works perfectly well for tab and chord viewing. But forScore (iPad only) has a few extra features specifically for musicians. It makes page turning really easy (just one tap or you can even buy a foot-pedal to turn the page), you can scribble on pages, you can duplicate and rearrange pages to help with repeats and such.

It hooks up with Dropbox so you can pull tabs and chords directly into it.

Visit their website
forScore for iOS

On Android: The only thing I could find was MobileSheets but I haven’t tried it.

What do you do?

Let me know in the comments how you use your phone/tablet in your playing. And tell me about any apps I should check out.

Kelli Rae Powell – Some Bridges are Good to Burn (Chords)

This is one of my all-time favourite ukulele songs (and something of a personal manifesto). And now there’s an officially released ukulele version on her new album Live at Jalopy.

It’s dead simple too. Just four beginner-level chords all the way through.

Suggested Strumming

The strum is simple too. You only need one strumming pattern to get you trough the whole song:

d – d u d u

Use that once for every chord in the intro, verse and chorus. Except the last chord in each section. For the last chord in the intro and chorus play it twice. And play it four times for the last chord in the verses.

In the middle, play it twice for each chord. In the last line you can slow down for some vocal trilling like she does.

Links

KelliRaePowell.com
Buy it on iTunes

Full Playlist

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve started the Ukulele 2013 Spotify playlist. Kicking off with Kelli Rae Powell, Brendan Maclean, We Were Evergreen and a song about waffles. You can find more ukulele Spotify playlists here.

New Red Series Aquila strings. The same idea as the low-G red strings they brought out but a full set of re-entrant strings. The news being that all the strings are the same size and the pitch is changed by the density of the strings. According to Aquila that makes them, “brighter, more powerful and more responsive.” The low-G Red Series has had a few snapping problems but also sounds good. So we’ll see how these stack up.

Ukulele players’s oath.

Sheet Music Plus has got a uke book sale on.

New live EP from The Love Leighs Lootbeg.

Pictures: Here’s Johnny, Not a great start for the chord determining software, moon banjolele (via @ShelleyRickey), Pimp my M.U.F. ukulele decorating contest.

Video: Ukulele Cat (via thingsisawthatilove).

Jim Henson and Sam Pottle – The Muppet Show Theme

Like the Dad’s Army Theme, the Muppet Show Theme was co-written by one of the show’s creators. But unlike the Dad’s Army Theme it wasn’t so well served by a modern cover.

This arrangement includes one of my favourite tricks: playing the bassline. The notes on the C-string in bars 9-16 are the bass notes. Then the melody notes are played on the E and A strings. It takes a bit of work to get the two going together but it’s really effective.

Links

Buy The Muppets (and Joanna Newsom) version
Buy the OK Go version
Manha Manha tab

Here’s a preliminary list of the ukulele festivals scheduled for 2013. If you have details on any others leave a comment or send me a message and I’ll get it added to the list.

USA and Canada

New York Uke Fest 2013

Location: NY Society of Ethical Culture Concert Hall, 2 West 64th St (overlooking Central Park)
Date: May 30 to June 2, 2013
Performers: Raiatea Helm, Victoria Vox, The Paul Hemmings Uketet.
Website: http://www.nyukefest.com
Local Amenities: Map

5th Annual Ukulele World Congress 2013

Location: Needmore, Indiana
Date: May 31 & June 1, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/360887260644329/
Local Amenities: Map

4th Annual Vancouver Ukulele Festival

Location: 525 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 3K4, Canada
Date: February 23, 2013
Performers: Mathias Kom, Aaron Keim, Daphne Roubini, Guido Heistek, The Ukesters, and Ralph Shaw
Website: http://vancouverukulelefestival2013.eventbrite.com
Local Amenities: Map

Lone Star Uke Fest 2013

Location: Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas, 1840 Hutton Dr #100, Carrollton, TX 75006
Date: March 8 & 9, 2013
Performers: Mark “Spanky” Guiterrez, Heather & JD Hooten, Zoe Lewis, Steve & Amanda Boisen, Kate McLennan
Website: http://www.lonestarukefest.com
Local Amenities: Map

5th Annual Reno Ukulele

Location: John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks,NV 89431, USA
Date: April 11 to 14, 2013
Performers: Victoria Vox, Leo Kottke, Liv Rev, Paul Luongo, Fred Sokolow, Craig Brandau, Cali Rose, Dominator, Peter Luongo
Website: http://playuke.net
Local Amenities: Map

We Heart Ukulele Festival

Location: Chico, California, USA
Date: February 15 & 16, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.mandalynmay.com/fest/We_Heart_Ukulele.html
Local Amenities: Map

Menucha Ukulele Band Camp

Location: Corbett, Oregon
Date: March 25 to 29, 2013
Performers: James Hill, Paul Hemmings, Mandalyn May, Jere & Greg Canote
Website: http://menucha.org/programs/uke-band-camp or https://www.facebook.com/Menucha.Ukulele.Band.Camp
Local Amenities: Map

19th ‘Ukulele Festival of Northern California

Location: Chabot College Campus, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Date: April 7, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukulelefestivalnorcal.org
Local Amenities: Map

May Day Play Day 2013

Location: Modesto, California
Date: May 4, 2013
Performers: The Funstrummers, The Delta Strummers, Michelle Kiba Band, The Chico Ukulele Club, and other bands
Website: http://funstrummers.com/4.html
Local Amenities: Map

West Coast Ukulele Retreat

Location: Asilomar, Monterey Peninsula
Date: May 8 to 12, 2013
Performers: Andy Andrews, Sarah Maisel, Joel Eckhaus, Dave Egan, Jason Arimoto, Gerald Ross, Rick Turner, Kumu Pomaika’i
Website: http://ukuleleretreat.com
Local Amenities: Map

Mighty Uke Day III

Location: Old Town Lansing, MI
Date: May 10 & 11, 2013
Performers: James Hill, Danielle Ate the Sandwich
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/180847702019438/
Local Amenities: Map

California Ukulele Academy

Location: Alpine Meadows, near Big Bear Lake, CA
Date: May 17 to 19, 2013
Performers: Ralph Shaw, Jason Arimoto, Sarah Maisel, and Jim D’Ville
Website: http://caukeacademy.com/
Local Amenities: Map

Macomb Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: Macomb, IL 61455
Date: June 7 to 8, 2013
Performers: Lil’ Rev.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/518804581466197/ or http://festival.ukulelemacomb.com
Local Amenities: Map

Ukulele Play! Utah’s Uke Fest

Location: American Fork, Utah
Date: June 14 & 15, 2013
Performers: Craig Chee, Circuits & Strings, Ukupelli
Website: http://UkulelePlay.com
Local Amenities: Map

2013 Mighty MO Ukulele Festival

Location: Cedar Creek Conference Center
Date: July 11 to 14, 2013
Performers: Gerald Ross, Flea Bitten Dawgs
Website: http://www.mightymoukefest.com
Local Amenities: Map

Lake Anne Plaza – 4th Annual Ukulele Festival

Location: Lake Anne Plaza (Waterfront) – 1609 Washington Plaza, Reston, VA 20190
Date: July 13, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: www.lakeanneplaza.com
Local Amenities: Map

Ukulele University 2013

Location: Runway Ranch, Bend, OR
Date: July 19 to 21, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukeu.info
Local Amenities: Map

Leamington Spa’s First Ukulele Festival

Location: Newbold Comyn, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
Date: July 20, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://spa-strummers.co.uk/page12.html
Local Amenities: Map

Oakridge Ukulele Festival

Location: Oakridge Lodge, 48175 East 1st Street. Oakridge, OR 97463
Date: August 2 to 4, 2013
Performers: James Clem, Ronnie Ontiveros, Buck Mueller, Richard Colombo
Website: http://www.oakridge-lodge.com/events/ukulele-festival/
Local Amenities: Map

Midwest Uke Fest 2013

Location: Woodburn, Indiana
Date: August 3 & 4, 2013
Performers: Peter “Madcat” Ruth, Ehukai Teves, Butch Ross, Richard Ash, Bing Futch
Website: http://www.midwestukefest.com/
Local Amenities: Map

Strathmore UkeFest 2013

Location: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852-3385, USA
Date: August 10 to 14, 2013
Performers: Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Lil Rev, Gerald Ross
Website: http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar/view.asp?id=9052
Local Amenities: Map

Camp Oo-Koo-Lay-Lay

Location: Lair of the Golden Bear, Pinecrest, California
Date: August 17 to 23, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://campookoolaylay.com
Local Amenities: Map

2013 Silver Creek Ukulele Carnival

Location: Two Harbors, Minnesota, US
Date: August 24, 2013
Performers: Lee “Colorblind” Johnson, Ukester Brown, Hanna Cesario
Website: http://www.twoharborsukulelegroup.com/
Local Amenities: Map

The Port Townsend Ukulele Festival

Location: Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, Washington, USA
Date: September 11 – 15, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://centrum.org/the-port-townsend-ukulele-festival/
Local Amenities: Map

Montreal Uke Fest 2013

Location: La Sala Rossa, 4848 Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Date: September 14, 2013
Performers: Victoria Vox, Michael Wagner, Ukulélé Club de Montréal
Website: http://montrealukefest.com//
Local Amenities: Map

Tunes in the Dunes, Oregon Coast Ukulele Camp

Location: Westwind, Oregon
Date: September 20 to 22, 2013
Performers: Aaron & Nicole Keim, Guido Heistek, Gerald Ross, Jim D’Ville
Website: http://tunesinthedunes.com
Local Amenities: Map

The Blackwater Ukulele Festival

Location: Cypress Gardens, South Carolina, USA
Date: September 28, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://festival.charlestonhotshots.com
Local Amenities: Map

Milwaukee Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: Sunset Playhouse Elm Grove
Date: October 19, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://mufest.com
Local Amenities: Map

5th International Ukulele Ceilidh

Location: White Point Beach Resort and The Astor Theatre
Date: October 24, 2013 to October 27, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: www.ukuleleceilidh.ca
Local Amenities: Map

UkeFest VA

Location: The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060
Date: November 1 to 2, 2013
Performers: The Aloha Boys, Jim & Liz Beloff, Ken Middleton
Website: http://www.ukefestva.com
Local Amenities: Map

The Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway

Location: TBA
Date: November 1 to 3, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.tampabayukulele.com
Local Amenities: Map

Hawaii

Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii

Location: Kaka’ako Waterfront Park, Honolulu, Hawaii
Date: February 10, 2013
Performers: IWAO, Herb Ohta, John Cruz, Aldrine Guerrero, Bruce Shimabukuro
Website: http://www.ukulelepicnicinhawaii.org/en/index.html
Local Amenities: Map

13th Annual Waikoloa Ukulele Festival

Location: Kings’ Shops and Queens’ MarketPlace in Waikoloa Beach Resort
Date: March 2, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/waikoloa.htm
Local Amenities: Map

Uke Ohana Molokai

Location: Pu’u O Hoku Ranch & Halawa Valley, Molokai, Hawaii
Date: May 24 to 28, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://ukeohana.com
Local Amenities: Map

Oahu – 43rd Annual Ukulele Festival

Location: Kapiolani Park, Waikiki, Oahu
Date: July 21, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/oahu/index.htm
Local Amenities: Map

8th Annual Maui Ukulele Festival

Location: Maui Arts & Cultural Center – Kahului, Maui
Date: October 13, 2013
Performers: Herb Ohta Sr. (Ohta-San), Jake Shimabukuro, Holunape, Raiatea Helm, Manoa DNA, Paula Fuga, Richard Ho’opi’i, Brittni Paiva, Kelly Boy Delima, Derek Sebastian and more, including local kupuna and keiki players
Website: http://www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/maui.htm
Local Amenities: Map

United Kingdom and Ireland

Ukulele Festival of Great Britain

Location: Cheltenham Town Hall
Date: June 21 to 23, 2013
Performers: James Hill, Andy Eastwood, Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson, Sam Brown’s International Ukulele Club of Sonning Common, Ukulele UFF & Lonesome Dave, Elof & Wamberg, Mahoney and the Moment, Dead Mans Ule, and more
Website: http://www.ukulelefestival.co.uk/
Local Amenities: Map

Ukulele Hooley by the Sea 2013

Location: Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Date: 24th/35th August, 2013
Performers: Hot Potato Syncopators, Andy Eastwood, Ukulelezaza, The Uke Box.
Website: http://www.ukulelehooley.com
Local Amenities: Map

Pompulele Festival

Location: Trinity Church, Albert Road, Southsea, PO4 0LX
Date: 28th September 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.pompeypluckers.org
Local Amenities: Map

Grand Northern Ukulele Festival

Location: Pontefract, UK
Date: October 12 to 13, 2013
Performers: Manitoba Hal, Phil Doleman & Ian Emmerson, The Uke Box, The Anything Goes Orchestra, Chonkinfeckle and more
Website: http://www.northernuke.com/index.html
Local Amenities: Map

Ukes for UNICEF 2013 – Ukulele Festival

Location: Berkhamsted Civic Centre
Date: March 2, 2013
Performers: Ken Middleton, Krabbers, Keef Jackman, Hamish Currie, BURP!, The Fog, BSUS, David Powell, Swing Gate School
Website: http://www.ukesforunicef.com
Local Amenities: Map

Colliers Wood 4th Uke Festival

Location: TBA
Date: April 20, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.collywoodukes.com/index.html
Local Amenities: Map

D’Ukulele

Location: Cramphorn Theatre, Chelmsford, UK
Date: April 27, 2013
Performers: D’Ukes
Website: contact: d-ukes.co.uk
Local Amenities: Map

South West Uke Jam

Location: Bath, Frome, Cheltenham
Date: April 27 & 28, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.facebook.com/SwUkeJam
Local Amenities: Map

North Wales Ukulele Gathering 2013

Location: Y Fricsan, Llanberis Rd Cwm-y-glo, Gwynedd LL55 4EE
Date: May 10 to 12, 2013
Performers: Phil Doleman & Ian Emmerson
Website: http://northwalesukulelegathering2013.wordpress.com/
Local Amenities: Map

York Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: St Sampsons Square, York, UK
Date: June 15, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/410530502362982/
Local Amenities: Map

Europe

Ukulele Boudoir 2013

Location: La Bellevilloise, Paris
Date: May 11, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukuleleboudoir.com/festival/
Local Amenities: Map

Festival International de Ukulele de Lerrain

Location: Vosges, France
Date: June 28 to 30, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://fiul.weebly.com
Local Amenities: Map

First Czech Ukulele Festival

Location: Unticky Pivovar, Prague West, Czech Republic
Date: August 30 to September 1, 2013
Performers: D’ Ukes, Paul Moore, Ukulelezaza, Ukulollo, Spirit Runners
Website: http://www.ukulelefestival.cz
Local Amenities: Map

Australia and New Zealand

Blue Mountains Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: Grand Dining Room, The Carrington Hotel
Date: February 8 to 9, 2013
Performers: Bigger than Benhur, Dave Favours, Kook On A Uke The Uking Orchestra, James Newbold, Sam&Bryan, Dennis Aubrey, Ukeastle Ukestra, Uke-Easy, Baghdad Betties, and more
Website: http://www.bluemugs.com.au
Local Amenities: Map

The 4th Annual Melbourne Ukulele Festival

Location: The Regal Ballroom, 216 High Street, Northcote and Northcote Town Hall, 189 High Street, Northcote
Date: March 1 to 3, 2013
Performers: James Hill and Anne Janelle, Benny Chong, Janet Seidel Trio – featuring Chuck Morgan, Azo Bell, A.J. Leonard and Jenny Rowlands, Bosko and Honey, Rose Turtle Ertler, Tyrone and Lesley, Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, Big Muffin Serious Band, Renee Searles, Lauren LaRouge, and more
Website: http://www.muf.org.au/site/
Local Amenities: Map

Katikati Ukulele Festival

Location: Katikati Memorial Hall, Katikati, New Zealand
Date: April 5 to 7, 2013
Performers: Ukes-A-Plenty, The Nukes and Ukulele All Star Band, Mr. Ukulele Kevin Fogarty
Website: http://katikati.org.nz/Events+Calendar/April+2013/5th++6th++7th+Katikati+Ukulele+Festival+2013.html
Local Amenities: Map

Cairns Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: TBA
Date: July 4 to 7, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://cairnsukulelefestival.net/
Local Amenities: Map

Central Coast Ukulele Festival

Location: The Entrance, New South Wales, Australia
Date: August 24 to 25, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.visitnsw.com/events/central-coast-ukulele-festival
Local Amenities: Map

SPRUKE – Brisbane’s Ukulele Festival

Location: Brisbane , Australia
Date: September 20 to 22, 2013
Performers: Manitoba Hal Brolund, Leah Flannagan, The Pockets, Mic Conway
Website: http://spruke.net.au
Local Amenities: Map

Canberra Ukulele Festival of Fun 2013

Location: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Reed Street North, Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date: October 25 to 27, 2013
Performers:
Website: http://www.canberra100.com.au/calendar/view/1006/canberra-ukulele-festival-of-fun-2013/
Local Amenities: Map

Ukulele JAMboree

Location: Riverwood Downs
Date: November 8 to 10, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.bluemugs.com.au/p/ukulele-jamboree.html
Local Amenities: Map

7th New Zealand Ukulele Festival

Location: The Trusts Arena, Waitakere, Auckland
Date: November 30, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.nzukulelefestival.org.nz
Local Amenities: Map

2013 Ukulele Heaven

Location: TBA
Date: TBA
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.ukuleleheaven.co.nz
Local Amenities: Map

Asia

Thailand Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: Siam Paragon, Bangkok
Date: October 26 & 27, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.thailandukulelefestival.com
Local Amenities: Map

2nd Mactan Island Ukulele Festival 2013

Location: Mactan Island, Philippines
Date: February 17, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://www.istorya.net/forums/hobbies-and-crafts/577202-mactan-island-ukulele-festival-2013-a.html
Local Amenities: Map

Oyama Ukulele Festival

Location: Oyama, Tochigi, Japan
Date: September 1, 2013
Performers: TBA
Website: http://oyama-ukulelefestival.com
Local Amenities: Map

Philippine Ukulele Festival

Location: SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Date: October 25, 2013
Performers: Kalei Gamiao, Kyas Ryo and Derick Sebastian
Website: http://www.philippineukulelefestival.com
Local Amenities: Map

John Bianchi – The Dumber They Come (Chords)

The sentiments expressed in this song are those of the songwriters and do not necessarily reflect those of Uke Hunt. Necessarily.

But the Ukulele Video of the Year voters certainly do reflect my opinion that this was one of the best ukulele videos of last year. It’s a tour de force of banjolele playing. Even if Steve Buscemi seems underwhelmed by the song. (watch the non-fictional Eddie Cantor singing it here).

John plays it in D-tuning. You can find the chords for that tuning on his blog (in the comments). So I’ve written them up for us C-tuners. To play it in the same key use a capo on the second fret.

Links

Buy the Eddie Cantor version.
Subscribe to John Bianchi on YouTube

I’ve spent the last few hours in darkened room with only a rubber thimble for company counting votes for Ukulele Video of the Year and can announce the official winner: Sophie Madeleine, Jocelyn Mackenzie & Emily Hope Price’s cover of Bei Mir Bist Du Schön.

And the chords are here if you want to play along at home.

Sophie was kind enough to join me and chat about Will Smith, the awesomeness of Pearl and the Beard and where the hell she’s been.

Congratulations on winning! Compared to videos like Rhythm You Started and Oil and Gold, this one is really simple. What do you think it is about it that connected with people?

Thank you! It’s so wonderful to have won, I can’t believe it! The PatB girls and I feel very honoured!

I think the fact that it was a live performance made all the difference compared with the other videos you’ve mentioned. Especially because it was a tight three-part harmony involving two incredibly talented and beautiful ladies – Emily Hope Price and Jocelyn Mackenzie. It’s so much fun singing with them, we’re all great friends, and I think that really came through in our performance.

How did you meet up with Pearl and the Beard?

I discovered them through their Will Smith Medley a few years ago. It was whilst I was making plans for a trip to New York to do some shows, and it just so happened that I was looking for people to play in my band so I emailed Emily (cellist) to see if she would be interested. To my surprise she agreed! Since then we’ve become close friends — I spent thanksgiving at Jocelyn’s house this year, and I now live in Brooklyn not far from Emily’s house.

We’ve also done a few other collaborations since I’ve been living in Brooklyn. This video was something we did just for fun. For the longest time Jocelyn kept saying she wanted to start an all-girl group called “Hello Heartbreak”, (that is what our unofficial name is in this video — and by the way I think she’s probably registered, trademarked, and patented that name already – so no stealing!) so we got together and picked a song. We all love The Andrews Sisters, so Emily suggested her favourite of theirs Bei Mir Bist Du Shein. They are exactly as sweet and warm and fun as they seem, by the way.

What’s your favourite musical moment of 2012? Do you have a favourite ukulele video of last year?

I hate to seem as though I am making this into one giant advert for Pearl and the Beard, but really and truly my most special ukulele moments for 2012 included them. I guested on a release of their extended single Prodigal Daughter — more specifically one of the B sides entitled Yawning. It’s Jocelyn’s song, we part recorded it in my house and I play ukulele and sing backing vocals on it. It’s such a sweet song and I felt incredibly honoured to be involved in one of their projects.

Secondly, there’s a song they play called Apple. Emily plays it on baritone ukulele and it’s a song she co-wrote with Lady Lamb The Beekeeper (whose album was just released by the way, and it is phenomenal). They play it every show and often go out into the audience to sing it acoustically, involving the whole crowd in singing the rousing chorus. It’s one of those crazy and uplifting moments. But last year they had a show in Brooklyn where Lady Lamb was actually there and joined them on stage, and it was ridiculously magical.

As for videos, I don’t think I have a favourite. I admit I have neglected YouTube a little this year, and I am thoroughly ashamed of myself. Plus, all of the other nominees this year were so brilliant. It’s so hard to choose!

It seems like we haven’t heard much from you the last few months. What have you been up to?

I know, I’ve become a bit of a recluse! Like I said, I moved to Brooklyn last year. Whilst I’ve been here I’ve been touring, and I also had to promote the US release of my album The Rhythm You Started. I’ve also been writing the new album which is now ready to be recorded. We’re just trying to find the right producer, and the right label. It’s going to be quite a big departure from my previous albums. That’s all I’m going to say about it!

What can we expect from you this year?

The new album! We’re hoping it will be out in June/July. There is also a release happening of one of my side projects — “The Runaway Orchestra”. It’s a covers album I made many moons ago with some friends, and it’s now finally being released. I think that’s out in April.

Links

SophieMadeleine.com
PearlAndTheBeard.com
Learn to play the song
See the previous winners and runners up.