I went into this one expecting it to be tricky. But it all fell quite nicely once I transposed it into C. The riff works very well and is an absolute classic (even if I can’t shake the feeling it’s a bit 90s daytime TV theme).
For my version, I worked from the ’79 version which I didn’t realise until after is subtly different from the 80s video version. The biggest difference is in the bridge section. The video version has harmonised vocals and ascends on the “more”s at the end. While the single version is a single vocal line and descends at the end.
The chord move F-Em-Dm at the end of the riff is very quick. You can make it easier by keeping your middle finger free on the F chord. Leaving open to play the Em. Here’s the fingering I use for that section:
I’m still to entirely sure this one works but it is fun to play. There’s very little melody in the song. So this arrangement is heavily chord-based. But you can style it out, especially if the listener knows the song and is singing along in their head.
The verses and choruses are talk-sung. So there I play the chords in the rhythm of the vocals. The bridge has just two notes: F (A-string, 8th fret) and E (A-string, 7th fret). They’re both in the chords they’re sung over, so there’s little to do here either. The outro has a long descending melody. All but one are the root notes of the chords they’re sung over. So the only addition to the chords is an A note (g-string, 2nd fret) over the B minor chord.
The only tricky bit is the solo. But if you hurl yourself into it and make sure the bends are out of tune it’ll work out fine.
By the way, the timing is this one incidental. I started working on it before the recent blow-up because every day is a good day to overthrow unelected leaders.
This video has been knocking around for a while but I thought I’d put up the tab to give you enough time to get it under your belt before April Fools Day. The viral nature of this song has ensured it’s become Stock Aitkin Waterman’s most enduring hit, you can’t throw a dart at their catalogue without hitting something equally cheesy, catchy and memorable.
I’ve had a few stabs at arranging this tune over the years (the last one was on Instagram) and I’ve tackled the chorus slightly differently each time. But the run on “Never gonna” (end of bar 16) has never changed. You could, if you were being boring, play it like this:
But playing across all four strings makes it easier to play at full speed, lets the notes bleed into each other and leaves you in the right position for the following bar.
The hullabaloo around the game has stopped me from playing Cyberpunk 2077, but when Kerry’s Song from the game was requested by a Patron I was really taken with the chill tune.
What isn’t so chill is trying to play it on the ukulele. There are a lot of big, quick leaps up and down the fretboard to contend with. A good tune to try if you’re practicing your fretting accuracy.
I started the Uke Hunt Patreon last February and have been blown away by the amount of support I’ve had. My goal was to get 50 patrons in the first year, so it’s amazing that it’s just past 180 Patreons. I’m massively grateful to all those people and everyone who has been a Patron along the way. It’s been a rough year for everyone, and having that support has made a huge difference.
It’s also let me focus on pumping out the tabs on the site with 59 full tabs in 2020 compared to 34 in 2019. I’m hoping to at least match this year.
In return for your support, all Patreons get tabs as soon as the video goes up. And there’s a monthly tab request thread with most tabs now being requests from Patreon. There are also more rewards for higher tiers.
Finally, Tenor level backers ($10 per month and up) get their names immortalised as Medician-level patrons of the arts along with these exceptional folks:
– Alina Morosanu.
– Arthur Foley.
– Colleen Petticrew.
– Craig Mills.
– Dan.
– Elizabeth Beardsley.
– Fiona Keane.
– Jeff K.
– Katherine Penney.
– Kie77.
– Leia-lee Doran.
– Lisa Johnson.
– Mr Daniel Barclay.
– Nick Parsons.
– Olga deSanctis.
– Pat Weikle.
– Pauline LeBlanc.
– Sandi Clement.
– Thorsten Neff.
– Trevor Mccravy.
This one is a lot of fun but a real finger-twister. I slowed it down a fair amount from the original and it’s still a challenge with quick runs, big leaps up the fretboard and a couple of triplet strums.
There are also some very strange musical choices in it. Most notable is the key change from E minor to F major (in my version) in bar 13. Up to that point, the only two notes that haven’t appeared are F and C (both of which show up in the F chord).
A little tribute I put together for Mary Wilson of The Supremes who died recently.
Where Did Our Love Go, written by the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland, was originally intended for Mary Wilson. But Berry Gordy decreed Diana Ross the leader. Which is a bit of a shame as this song would have suited her deeper, richer voice more than Ross’s higher, poppier sound.
The arrangement starts out with a Motown stomp before two rounds of the main melody. Next up, I throw the backing vocals into the arrangement.
The only tricky bit of the arrangement comes in the solo. I’ve already adapted it pretty heavily from the original, so feel free to adjust it to suit your playing.
