I’ve been getting a lot of comments from people complaining about the endless stream of songs I feature about Ukrainian constitutional reform. I don’t want this blog to become musically 1 dimensional so, with deep apologies to those of working on snappy rhymes for Leonid Kuchma and fitting Law No. 2222-IV into pleasant scansion, this week’s song from Eugen will be the last I feature.

Also this week krabbers is in a similarly East European protest mood, Mad Tea Party railing against name-thieves, Andrew Vincent covers Daughtry to great advantage, Herman and Paulien remind me of when the Super Furry Animals were fabulous and Misty Miller (who has been causing a bit of stir down London way but I haven’t been entirely convinced by).

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An interesting article about ukulele sales talking to a number of sellers (via Arch on the Cosmos). Despite a few clangers (Kamaka was established in nineteen-sixTEEN rather than nineteen-sixTY, and there’s still no ukulele in I’m Yours) it’s well worth a read through.

It’s a long article so here are a few quotes:

Sammy Ash from Sam Ash:

It’s an interesting business to watch, because it seems like whenever we add another line, it just adds more sales. One new line doesn’t seem to be taking sales away from another. That’s always a fear – if you have eight lines of guitars and you add one, you’re not selling more guitars you’re just selling less of one of the ones you already carry.

Peter Dods of Easy Music:

“They are an easy upsell. The cheaper ukes sound… well, cheap. Up from the $30 ones to over $100, the sound is noticeably different. Above $200, it’s dramatically different.

It seems like Kala are outstripping Lanikai these days. Myrna Sislen of Middle C music:

I’m excited about Kala because they make a perfectly fine uke at a reasonable price… I love dealing with Kala – they treat their dealers very well. In the rare instance there is a problem, they make it right.

Ash again:

“We’ll see two more years of growth, but now what we’re seeing is that so many manufacturers are jumping in… If you would have tried to tell me I’d be having this conversation five years ago… But there’s no store that is lacking in uke sales.

Sislen:

the uke market is growing rather than leveling – I’m selling more every month, so I would guess the market hasn’t peaked yet. I’m happy!

In other matters, this week’s ukulele photos: children’s ukulele band, goofy guy, ukulele girlfriends in a boat.

City traders are relieving all the stress of gorging on taxpayer handouts by taking up the ukulele. Although Lorraine and Suzie are denying their ‘quotes’ and would never say anything as toss-potty as, “This is definitely in vogue in the City world at the moment: It seems to be the team-building course du jour.” Plus, I think it’s been a few years since the UOGB did any teaching.

Meanwhile, Hull Ukulele Group are going in the opposite direction and getting a corporate rebranding.

Ralph Shaw is as thought-provoking as ever discussing whether to read or memorize.

Hula Dreams: Reinterpreted ukuleles.

The ukulele is topping the German charts at the moment. If any German readers can explain why IZ has hit the top now, please do leave a comment.

The UOGB are full of outdoorsy freshness after supplying a version of Reef’s Place Your Hands for this ad.

Ukuleles and guitarleles have started cropping up in Mystery Guitar Man‘s videos (visually if not always audibly) including this multi-armed version of Ode to Joy.

Guilt Free Pleasure has a couple of MP3s from I Hate You Just Kidding.

Photos: Lots of great shots in this set but this would have to be my favourite, Nicky Noble and Tobi Rix

I’ve included the video with this one because I assume most colonials are unfamiliar with the Happy Mondays and I can’t think of any way to explain what a Bez is. But you’ll need one to play this.

Lots of riffs to get a hold of in Step On – all of them presented here in the original key.

Piano Riff

In the mp3 (at the bottom) I’m fingerpicking this one – it sounds sharper. But it works well strumming out the chords as well (C, D and G) but make it easy on yourself and use C6 (all the strings open) instead of C.

Strummed Version

Guitar Riff 1

The first guitar riff is pretty straight forward.

Guitar Riff 2

The second one changes around much more. Use this as a basis and play around with it.

Riffs

Hard to believe a song this gimmicky can still sound so great after 20 years. No doubt it’s down to having one of the greatest bass riffs of all time – pilfered from Herbie Hancock’s Bring Down the Birds and very much improved upon.

Here’s the riff in C:

In C

And with a bit of prodding you can play it in the original key:

Original Key

Dillinger Escape Plan and the sort of band I’d usually be into but I caught them at Donington and they BLEW. MY. MIND. They tight, wild and batshit insane.

Milk Lizard is one of their more straightforward songs: mostly in 4/4 time, only occasional shifts in tempo and it has a singalong chorus. Obviously one for the laydees.

The riff moves to the uke pretty well – even keeping it in the same key. If you want to make it easier to play, you can drop the notes on the g-string without losing anything important. And you can drop the little run in bar 7 and keep playing the riff if you don’t feel like some pointless showing off.

Riff

This week more of the Riffs for Ukulele series – not all of them guitar riffs this time round.

The idea with these riffs isn’t to play the whole song, but to throw them in to your playing for a bit of light relief (like the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on Orange Blossom and ukejeff does here) or just to provide one of those’ “I didn’t know you could play that on a ukulele,” moments to the uninitiated. They’re not always arranged in the original key – although this time round I’m doing that more than usual.

First up is U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday. The easiest way I’ve found to play this is to keep your index finger barred across the C, E and A strings.

Riff

And here’s a version in a more uke-friendly key (suggested by Jimmy)

No sign of The Big C in the UK so I don’t know if it’s any good. But it does have Laura Linney, Oliver Platt, a uke theme tune from Leftover Cuties and a song from Tripping Lily. I’m willing to give it a go.

I should warn you, there are a lot of instrumentals this week by Ukuleles Tim, Zaza and Dav; Ryo Natoyama; Gerry O’Beirne and Todd B. But, panic not, doe-eyed whisper-voiced duties are taken care of by Ingrid Michaelson doing the song she wrote for Cheryl Cole.

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I don’t mind a bit of decorative filigree on a uke, but I’m not so keen on decorated fretboards. If I’m looking at the fretboard I’m down to my business socks because it’s business time. I even find the swirls a bit distracting. So I’ll be staying away from the kabuki craziness on this M’s Craft and the Ohana CK-65D Milka Triolade fretboard. And if you’re planning to resell your ukulele don’t write your name across the fretboard.

I love the look of the aNueNue 1879. They’ve taken a design from a 1879 ukulele and remade it.

At last, a girl who looks as angry as I do whilst holding a uke. We should get together and make furious babies.

Ukulele Ghetto has a very interesting post about the regrets over his custom made ukuleles (and, worryingly, how two of the ukes turned up different from his specifications). With 5 custom ukes in his collection, he’s speaking with some experience. I have held back from getting a custom made uke because of worries over the whole ordering process. Like anything, it’s takes a bit of practice to get it right but with the cost and hassles of a custom uke, I’d want to get it right first time.

In case you were wondering what had happened to the podcast, Bossarocker is taking some time out to deal with family business. But it will be back.

When cornered by an angry mob of Organisasi Papua Merdeka members, save yourself by playing your ukulele.

For those who thought Tiny McItchyFace was cute but wished he couldn’t play, your dreams have been answered. For everyone else it raises the prospect of another month being told about this adorable clip on YouTube you’re just going to love.

Daybreak (for non-Brits: it’s a faltering breakfast TV show) deputy editor tries to encourage creativity by playing the ukulele all day (scroll down past the grinning war-monger).

Even a monkey could do it.

Uke-spotting: Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine, Mae Whitman in Parenthood (spotted by Jenny), UKE JAM (spotted in Vancouver).

MP3s: Jennifer Teeter’s songs are now up on iTunes, One Track Mind has Pepper Rabbit’s Older Brother, interview and performance from Nellie McKay from the New York Times (thanks to Kate).

In the comments: The Wukulele Festival post turned into a bit of a shit-storm in the comments. I ditched my policy of replying nicely to people and lost my rag (but I’ve made up with Ian now and we’re agreed we’re equally twattish).

Photos: James Hill Plays the Ukulele, My Favourite song, Rock N Camilla, uncanny Jimmy McGee impression, awww, bless.