It seems like every week there are more and more great ukulele videos being uploaded. Check out this week’s after the fold.
A new site full of classic songs tabbed for the uke.
Ukulele Hot has uke feeds galore include the blog aggregator I set up, videos and photos.
Uke player comes third in the beard and moustache championships (there’s not one word in that sentence that doesn’t please me immensely).
The giant uke of Liverpool made the list of the seven wonders of the South Shore.
KT Tunstall‘s new album Drastic Fantastic features a uke solo. From Paste Magazine: “The disc promises other surprises, too. ‘One shocker is that I’ve become a monster of the ukulele,’ she chuckles, noting that its popularity amongst schoolkids in Bath prompted her to put together a four-stringed workout for the youngsters on the track Funny Man.” You can hear a snippet of the song (including a smidge of the uke solo) on her website.
Bass ukuleles. Whatever will they think of next?
The real dark side of the uke.
Even the fishies can’t resist an ukulele. (Thanks to Heather).
Ain’t That Too Bad (Chords)
And so we reach the end of the Jack Pepper trilogy with part 1.
The song is written out in C tuning but the Jack Pepper version is two frets higher – in D tuning.
Thanks to Arch for working out the chords to this and I’ve Got A Mama…
Cansei De Ser Sexy – Off The Hook (Chords)
Well done to The Klaxons and their Mercury Prize. I was cheering for Bat For Lashes but they were so happy/high when they win. Bless ’em.
I’m apparently trying to start a Uke Rave movement, so here’s a song by Brazilian New Ravers CSS for you.
The opening riff fits nicely on the uke:
The chords are fairly simple (all open chords apart from a B). The only thing to watch out for is the Am in the middle 8. You can replicate the little guitar riff in this part by switching between the two inversions of Am in the chord sheet. Or you could just chose one version and stick with it – it sounds fine.
Buy Cansei De Ser Sexy US
Girl of My Dreams (Chords)
No uke on this song – other than it being wafted around in the air. But it does work very well on the uke. The chords are in D-tuning to match the uke in the other songs in this set.
The chord progression at the start of the tune reminds me of The Beatles. The chord change from major to minor on the G chord (IV – IVm) has a particularly Beatles-y sound to it. They used it many times; most effectively on Blackbird (All your life…). It’s such a Beatles-y move that Oasis ripped it off for Don’t Look Back In Anger. It goes to show what a debt The Beatles owe to the classic songwriters and aren’t the beginning of songwriting that they’re often made out to be.
I Got A Mama In New Orleans Another Mama Up In Maine (Chords C Tuning)
I Got A Mama In New Orleans Another Mama Up In Maine (Chords D Tuning)
Yes, I’m starting a series of posts with part 3. Anyone who has a problem with that is stuck in the Web 1.0 world. Start thinking outside the box or get left behind, people.
The reason I’m starting with part 3 is that Heather requested the chords for the third song in the Jack Pepper medley which I posted a while ago. Luckily for me and my lazy attitude, the chords have already been sussed out by chord connoisseur Arch Larizza.
I’ve put up the chords in both C and D tuning. Pepper plays the song in D tuning but the chords work just as well, if not better, in C tuning. There’s a great change from G to Eb7 made by sliding your index and ring fingers down a fret. It sounds very different from the same change in D tuning.
As well as the chords, Pepper plays a little riff after, “Most all the time.” He plays the D string at the second fret and bends it (pulls it downwards) until it is the same pitch as the third fret. Do that twice then play the string open and then at the second fret (without the bend).
The other two songs will be coming up soon so subscribe if you don’t want to miss them or enter your email in the box at the top left.
I couldn’t find any of Jack Pepper’s music to buy on the interweb. If anyone has any ideas please let me know in the comments.
Jens Lekman – La Strada Nel Bosco (mp3)
Jens Lekman – Tammy (mp3)
Jens Lekman – Run Away With Me (mp3) via jenslekman.com
The other day Jeff asked me about the Swedish uke scene and, after a brief period wondering if IKEA made ukuleles, I decided I had to feature Jens Lekman today.
The ukulele is big enough in Sweden to have a it’s own festival – which saw appearances by Lekman and James Hill – but 
Jens Lekman is Sweden’s biggest uke star by some distance. He has released two albums (When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog and Oh You’re So Silent Jens) which have launched him to indie darlingness. But it’s his E.P.s that are the real treat for uke fans. They are far more uke heavy than the albums and, better still, you can download a number of tracks for free from his website.
His latest album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, has already been released in Sweden. But those of us elsewhere on the globe will have to content ourselves with the jaunty lead-off single Friday Night at the Drive In Bingo (possibly inspired by his two day spell as a bingo caller after he ‘retired’ from making music) until the album gets a global release in early October.
I’m working on a couple of Swedish folk tunes for the uke so stay tuned if that’s your bag.
Download even more tracks from Secretly Canadian
Every month on Ukulele Cosmos, a song is selected for all comers to interpret and post their version. This month it’s Daydream Believer. The chords on Alligator Boogaloo are, as always, passable rather than definitive. So I’ve taken it on myself to add a few bits and pieces.
Daydream Believer was written by John Stewart who was a member of the folk band The Kingston Trio (one of the inspirations behind the film A Mighty Wind). The song is a shameless Beatles rip-off; it has the same chord sequence in the verse as Here, There and Everywhere (released a year earlier).
The piano intro fits surprisingly well on the uke (thanks to the G note pivot).
You could even play the whole verse in a similar fashion. If you’re just sticking to the chords, using an Am9 chord in place of the Am7 in the Boogaloo version is very effective.
Another couple of bits you might want to include are the little guitar lick after “…never rings” (with a little added harmony):
And the trumpets before the chorus:
First off, be sure to check out the videos from the ukulele festival in Helsinki. Loads of excellent stuff. Second off, head over the fold for more. Read the rest of this entry »
The blog of Durham Ukulele Club has chords and mp3s for some classic tunes.
A Noob and his Uke: The ukulele world seen through the eyes of a newbie.
Lars Larsson’s themed guide to the best uke videos on YouTube. (The forum was having some decidedly NSFW spam problems earlier in the week so tread carefully).
Vote for the Giant Uke of Liverpool (not that Liverpool) as one of the 7 Wonders of Nova Scotia.
The Night of 100 Ukes performance of Ring of Fire at Bestival is available on Rob Da Bank’s album of the event.
The mp3 blogs are awash with tracks from the new Beirut album, The Flying Club Cup.
Transpose a chord progression a chord progression into the most suitable key for the ukulele using the Uke-ifier.
Listen to tunes from Bob Brozman’s lastest album on NPR. Each song was built up from an initial improvisation on a small instrument such as the ukulele or the charango.
Follow the Adventures of Bad Jenny the uke-playing pipe-cleaner doll as she drinks, poops and plays uke in the fridge. Update: Learn Bad Jenny’s fellatio tips.
What he has to put up with at the office.
Kick out the jams Mother Hubbard: The class of Room 4 have some sound advice on dealing with teachers.
