Amanda Palmer’s new one Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under is a very enjoyable listen. Particularly Map of Tasmania (C6 – D) and this simple little waltz. She’s really good when she manages to get her ukulele in tune.

Suggested Strumming

Almost all the way through it’s this four times for each chord:

d – d u d –

The exception is at the end of what I’ve called the chorus. There do this for the C:

d – d u d – d – d – d –

And just one down strum for the D.

Links

Buy it on Bandcamp
More Life is Strange tabs and chords

Requested by Amy.

Favourite video this month comes from Keston Cobblers’ Club. There seem to be more cobblers in the club with each new video. Not that I’m complaining. They make a lovely noise.

Also this week Lil’ Rev busting out some of his 101 licks with Dominator, Francesca Belcourt in the snow and Nicholas Abersold with my favourite line of the week.

Gleeks might want to watch this premiere of Matthew Morrison’s single. It’s written by the people who wrote Hey, Soul Sister with Train so take that as a warning before you click the link.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fretboard Journal heads to the movies.

Agathe’s self-titled EP is available on iTunes and on eMusic.

Successful February Album Writing Months for MJ Hibbett and Tally ‘live2tivo’ Deushane. And while we’re on the subject here’s Tally’s How I Met Your Mother song as it appeared on the HIMYM DVD.

Emergency ukulele: every jeweler should have one.

UKULELE: The Sound of Life. And if you’re into your animation you have to check out this channel (not uke-related).

Tróndur’s song.

Direct Current has a couple of tracks from the new Misty Miller record for download (and they’re sounding rather fine).

Playing ukulele backwards on a bike.

I am so excited that there’s a new Lefties Soul Connection album on the way. They’re easily the funkiest Dutchmen ever to strut the earth. So in anticipation I decided to tab up a few of the funkiest ever riffs.

I’ve tried to keep them in the original key. It’s not always the best key to play them in but it does mean you can funk along with the songs.

The Meters – Cissy Strut

Cissy

The Meters – Funky Miracle

Two riffs from The Meters because they were so badass. The only band badassier were The Bar-Kays and I might end up doing a full rundown of Soul Finger sometime.

Funky

Stevie Wonder – Superstition

Superstition

Funkadelic – Hit It and Quit It

HitIt

Rick James – Super Freak

SuperFreak

Download Podcast #5
Subscribe on iTunes

Time for the slightly belated (but only because it’s a stupid month) February edition of the Uke Hunt podcast. No feature segment this month but it’s packed with excellent tunes (including one from my current favourite uke album from Spring Breakup It’s Not You, It’s Me) and the usual quota of potty language. Thanks, as always to the artists for letting us use their tracks and to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review on iTunes.

You can find a full list of the podcasts here.

The full playlist:

1. Helen Arney featuring Professor Elemental – Animals

2. Spring Breakup – It’s Not Me, It’s You

3. Todd Baio – Old Time Blues, New Time Cheer

4. Craig Robertson – I Can Make Elephants Disappear

5. Doug Hoyer featuring Jessica Jalbert – Oh, The Wind Will Blow

6. Lloyd Gabriel – There’s Nothing Funny About A Ukulele

7. Howlin’ Hobbit – For An Old Man

8. Luke Fitzpatrick – Ocean Waves

9. Uke’s Not Dead – Uke! Authority

10. Ezza Rose – 2%

11. Ukulele Sunnyboy – On A Sunny Day

12. Jo Stephenson – PCS-O-S

13. Ukestar – Battle Song

14. Tricity Vogue – Big Band Blues

Time to bust out your disco pants for some Bee Gees action.
d0y0uwantt0‘s rather fine ukulele version. It’s in the same key so you’re safe playing along with the original version.

Suggested Strumming

This is the trickiest part of the song. It’s best to keep things varied with plenty of syncopated, muted strumming. But here are a couple of ideas.

You can use this for the intro but for the first down strum start with your index finger off the g-string them hammer it on. Remember to do muted strums for the Xs.

Then you can move into this for the verse:

Twiddly Bits

The riff in the original version has to be moved up high on the uke to play it in the original key.

Requested by Torr

Something a little different this week. Rather than ukes, I thought I’d post some videos from the uke’s ancestral home: Madeira. Most of the videos feature uke-related instruments (braguinha/machete/rajao) and two guys: Roberto Moritz and Roberto Moniz(you should subscribe to them). Both members of Madeira’s top traditional band Xarabanda.

It’s very interesting to see the similarities and differences in technique and tunes.

UPDATE: Check out this photo of the Orquestra Caracteristica Madeirense from 1890 via Roberto Moniz’s blog.
Read the rest of this entry »

As wonderful as they are, there’s no doubt that mahogany and koa are not environmentally concious choices. Bamboo on the other hand is “one of the most eco-friendly building materials there is”. So it’s heartening to see a trend for bamboo ukuleles. Cordoba have been on board for a while. Tall Grass have one. Kiwaya are putting their name to the Bamboo Paulele. And Pono unveiled one at NAMM.

But I’m afraid I’m not convinced. Ukeeku has a review of the Paulele (good to see smell catching on as a judging criteria). The sound seems very wimpy to me – here’s a quick demo. Plus it has to overcome the burden of being as barren and featureless as Jennifer Aniston’s film career.

Pete Howlett electric tenor.

How on earth is the asking price for the numberplate M9 UKE £1,350? Even if it is ‘FORMERLY CELEBRITY OWNED’. I suppose that’s reasonable given that bidding on the apparently meaningless YLP 729 has passed £600. Perhaps there are more American expats with the initials YLP born on the 29th July than I think.

Pictures: Ukes and harp guitar, I don’t usually care about signatures but I did squee a little over a signed photo of Roy Smeck.

Molly Lewis sings her Stephen Fry song to Stephen Fry and here she is as The Bride from Kill Bill.

MP3s: Download Jen Kwok’s EP Kwokulele free on her website. Hooves on the Turf has mp3s of a wonderful collab between Tune-Yards and Roomful of Teeth.

Lengthy video of Ooks of Hazzard performance.

Valentines Day with my cat (thanks to Jenny).

How to escape from ukulele rehab (might also be useful for the ukulele playing inmates of Roebourne prison).

Pictures: Ukulele Square, Hawaiian ukuleles, Rascals ukuleles, Why is Amelia such a dick?, Bosco and Honey rock out, Say Ahola to my little friend part 2.

My Way on Uker Tabs.

This year’s ukulele playing American Idol contestant, Deandre Kamele Brackensick, has already been eliminated. Not surprising since he can actually sing and didn’t cover Over the Rainbow.

Youkuhlayleez mayk kitteh sleepy.

UPDATE: Help Hal win a Gibson retreat by Facebook liking this page.

With it being everyone’s favourite video of last year, there were no shortage of requests for this one. And I was very happy to comply because I’d already half worked it out so I could purloin a few funky blues licks. I based this tab on the video version but it’s very similar to the album version.

The big hurdle for recreating the song is the technology. Hal uses one pedal to move the opening notes down two octaves and a looper to continue playing the riff under the rest of the song. There are full details in Hal’s interview.

Other than that there shouldn’t be too much to trip you up. Just remember to keep most of the notes short and funky.

Buy Poulet Shack on BandCamp and buy the Huckster ukulele songbook on ManitobaHal.com

Requested by Josh, cardboard frog and Ritchie.