This week’s videos include animated cryogenics from Helen Arney, Brazilian uker Lemoskine, an original Celtic-styled tune from Ken Middleton and plenty more besides.
Don’t forget, I’m posting new videos as I find them on UkeToob where you can have your say on what makes it to the final list.
Ukulele documentary, The Mighty Uke is going to be touring Europe with James Hill appearing at the UK dates.
New releases: Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra have a new EP out, Givers’ In Light is finally out in the UK, Shelley O’Brien’s Vivarium.
Videos: Is this a solid electric ukulele in the 50s? (Via Alex), Lorraine Bow tours the Kainle’a factory, Amanda Palmer occupies Boston with a new ukulele song, Gerald Ross has a lesson on how to make your ukulele swing.
Learning to fly is easier than learning to play the ukulele?
Frank Skinner’s Formby documentary is going to be on BBC4 on October 27th.
Kickstarting: Michelle Blades.
Pictures: Wonder Woman at the festival, Quo ukulele, do not click this link unless you are ready to be grossed out (via Shelley), Cosby, Matsuda ukulele deconstructed, all new ukes are machine guns.
No uke action but the Watkins Family Hour Podcast is delightful and features Kate Micucci and Sara Watkins.
It’s a shame to see REM splitting up. But looking at the age of most of these songs suggests it’s a good move on their part.
All these riffs are in the original key. If you’re looking for the chords for these I suggest looking on Ultimate Guitar.
It makes a nice change to be reworking a mandolin riff.
The g-string, 7th fret can be replaced with A-string 5th fret if that’s more your taste.
I’m playing this one with a capo at the 7th fret. You can play it without one if you don’t mind being in a different key to the original.
Some tunes you may wish to bone up on before the big night.
Addams Family Theme Tune
Chopin – Funeral March
Dance Macabre
Ghostbusters (Duet)
The Gothic Archies – Freakshow
Halloween Theme
Harry Potter – Hedwig’s Theme
London Bridge Is Falling Down (From Halloween)
The Misfits – Dig Up Her Bones
The Misfits – Halloween
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (from The Exorcist)
This is Halloween (From Nightmare Before Christmas)
Tom Waits – Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard
Twilight Zone Theme
Warren Zevon – Werewolves of London
Yiruma – River Flows In You (Edward/Bella’s Lullaby)
After a couple of his cover medleys it’s about time I did one of Mr B’s own tunes. And, I have to say, it makes a pleasant change to write out the lyrics of someone with good diction.
I did the chord sheet based on the version on O.G. Original Gentleman. Which has a few differences from the video version. It’s much longer. The banjolele is in D-tuning for the video and slightly sharp of that on the record. Here’s the version of the chords if you’re playing in standard tuning with a capo at the second (and a half) fret.
For the opening part, it’s just down strums.
When it picks up you can use this as the main pattern:
d – d – d u d u
For the quick chord changes at the end of the line you can do:
d – d –
For each. There are some really quick chord changes in the last verse that just need one down strum.
I included Emily Scott in my post about ukuleles at the Edinburgh Fringe mostly because I was intrigued by the idea of combining ukulele with a string quartet. After that, she got in touch and was kind enough to send a copy of her album, i write letters i never send, and I was blown away by it. The strings aren’t just ballooning away in the background, they’re beautifully arranged. I highly recommend getting your hands on it.
Here’s my favourite track from the album.
And here’s an interview I did with her.
How was your Edinburgh Fringe? What did you get up to?
It was great! Unusually busy for us; often I panic at the amount of stuff on then miss it all. We put in a couple of appearances at Lach’s Antihoot, did an in-store at Avalanche Records, and sold out our full band show, which is cool to be able to say. They give you a wee logo and everything, but we kind of owe our friends and family now.
How did you first pick up the ukulele? And what keeps you playing it?
My brother was learning, and got one for me as a surprise gift from my local music shop, called me and told me to go pick it up. It came at the perfect time, as I had reached a slight stumbling block playing double bass, which is my first instrument, in terms of hoofing it around and the sheer physicality of playing it. What keeps me playing the uke is the desire to really explore it; I like the upside-down feeling of my quite low voice and a relatively high instrument, and a band who believe in me, who do silly things like come on tour when there’s little prospect of fame and fortune, and I need not go on about how great it is to skip to gigs with the smallest instrument in the band for a change.
How do you go about combining ukulele with a string quartet?
It’s amazing. I finally feel like I’m doing something that I can do like no-one else can, that’s really and truly me. I’m using what I learned at college, which I never thought I would; it’s like when you actually use the maths you hated at school in real life, and have a total a-ha moment. The band is great, I feel lucky to have found them; they play through stuff like a marvellous string machine, and it’s easy for me to hear how to progress. It’s been a major learning curve but I want to just keep doing it. I tell them I want them to live in my living room and they think I’m joking.
You’ve obviously got big ambitions for your sound. Where do you see your music going in the future?
Hmm, so hard to say. I can’t believe that the kind of job that I want, where I gig all the time, and record forever, really exists any more, we’re just going to see how it goes. Booking this tour has been an eye-opener for me, but luckily we’ve managed to find a handful of intimate and unusual venues that really suit our music, and the kind of DIY promoters that are into it for the music not the money. You can’t ask for more than that.
Where can people pick up your music?
From my blog, at EmilyScottMusic.com.
Listen to and buy the album on BandCamp And she’s currently touring the UK.
Videos this week include: a duet between Cliff ‘Ukulele Ike’ Edwards and Buster Keaton (which I think I’ve posted before but is well worth another spin), two from Liverpudlian swingers The Flamin’ Mamies, Mr B and plenty more.
If you’ve got the patience for it and tolerance for lofi recording there’s a new, 8 minute Tune-Yards song here.
And, remember, if you can’t wait two weeks between UkeTubes you can follow my video findings on UkeToob.
Germans in Grass Skirts?: A history of Martin ukuleles (Via @UkeTeeCee).
David’s official uke rules. Including:
– Don’t say you play the ukulele if you just own one and don’t touch it.
– Don’t be an overly happy asshole
– Don’t constantly flit around reminding everyone you play the ukulele…
– …Unless you’re James Hill. Then you fucking rock.
I was interviewed by Ukulele and Languages.
Jake interviewed by Fretboard Journal. One revelation:
FJ: Do you prefer slotted headstocks?
JS: You know, it really doesn’t matter to me. However Kamaka prefers to build them, that’s how I take ‘em.
Frank Skinner Plays the banjolele on QI.
Buy the Bigfoot and Tiki collection.
Kickstarting: The Love Leighs.
MP3s: Bosco and Honey on ABC Sydney, Songs Illinois has Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapels, Fluxblog has Tune-Yards.
Middle lead of The Beatles’ Something on Uker Tabs.
Pictures: The situation was deteriorating rapidly, The Magic Ukulele, vintage ukers, O.M.G. A U.K.E. : Ukuleles in Pop Culture.
If I give my ukulele a girl’s name will people think I’m a lesbian?
Is this the first time I’ve done a Burt Bacharach song? I think so. And it’s a huge omission. One that Shireen of Mighty Ukulele suggested I fix.
I’m playing this mostly fingerstyle. The only strumming is done where you see the arrows in the tab. Most of these are finger-strums. But there are thumbs in the, “In silence…” section and the final chord.
I got asked why I use my thumb to strum when I’m so against it usually. There is a difference between general strumming and strumming in a tune. In solo playing using your thumb will give you a softer sound. It’s also more practical sometimes. When you need to strum up to a specific string it’s a whole lot easier to do with your thumb.
When I announced I was switching to posting one-week-on, one-week-off the main reaction was, “yeah, but you’re still going to do the UkeTube every week, right?” No, I’m not.
But I am going to do something better.
When Donnie announced that he was going to bring UkeToob.com to an end I immediately begged him to let me take it on. And he was kind enough to let me.
So from now on I’ll be posting videos I like on there. There’s a rating underneath each video so if you see one you like rate it and that’ll improve its chances of making the Uke Hunt round-up.
I’ve also got a few ideas for other types of posts. So far there’s a videography of James Hill and a top 5 ukulele videos uploaded to YouTube this month.
It’s going to be a while before it settles in so let me know what you like, what you dislike, and what you’d like to see.
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