This song comes from episode 616 of Comedy Bang Bang. It’s the culmination of a trio of country parody songs from Brantley Aldean and Harland Haywood (a.k.a. Drew Tarver and Carl Tart) and it had me crying with laughter.
Here’s a uke version of the intro (which shares a few ideas with yesterday’s post: The Weight)
I’ve raved about Hitman before on here. But I haven’t given enough praise for how much the music adds to the experience. The music works to subtly differentiate different areas of the maps and set the mood for each one.
This excellent little guitar piece is used to evoke a small Columbian fishing village which is relaxed on the surface but houses a huge drug operation. Similarly, the tune is relaxed and easy-going with a few little hints of darkness peaking through.
I was inspired to write this one up by Playing for Change’s version featuring a vast array of musicians including Ringo, Robbie Robertson and a bit of uke from Taimane. The video shows off what a great ensemble piece this can be. Making it seem like a good idea for ukulele groups to me. Plus the chords are straightforward and there’s plenty of solo opportunities for the flash Harrys.
I’ve written up two versions of the chords. Up top are the chords in G with a capo on the second fret. And below are the chords in F with the capo on the fourth fret. The version in F might be a little easier. If you’re playing the version in G, I recommend barreing the C, E and A-strings at the second fret on the G chord. That makes for a much easier transition to Bm. You could even use the standard G at the end of the bar (to make an easy transition from C) and switch to the barred version at the start of the next line.
For a simple main strum you can use this:
d – d – d u d u
Intro: If you’re not playing the intro lick (below) you can play the main strum twice per chord.
Verses: One main strum per chord.
Chorus: On G-Bm play d – d u. Then the main strum on C. On the last line, do one, long down-strum on the first C then d – d u on each of the next four chords and three down-strums on the last C.
I love this little intro. I’ve had to move it up an octave to fit it on the uke. Which means you have to go up to the 14th fret.
Tracklist
Raelyn Nelson Band – Weed and Whiskey (Song starts at 45 seconds)
Sho Humphries – MEGALOVANIA
Kyle Carey – Devil at Your Back Via @ukeist
Le Temps d'une Etincelle – Rentrez dans la danse
uke mullum – Rumble
Karlie G – Doin’ Time
Choan Gálvez – Study No. 49 – Tío Vazilo
Herman Vandecauter – Menuet III, Gigue Cello suite J.S.Bach
Kuinka – Homesick
I’ve read some absolute drivel about ukuleles over the years. But there’s a new worst: Rolling Stone wrote an article about “best ukuleles” that “pros use” that’s so bad I’m not willing to link directly to it.
New Releases
– Craig Robertson’s Truth is a Runaway Horse.
– Big Werl’s Licensed to Swill. You can listen to it on Soundcloud.
– More flawless classical ukulele from Herman Vandecauter with four new tunes on his Bandcamp.
Window Shopping
– Limited edition Kiwaya 1978 concert.
– Lichty Walnut Archtop Ukulele U142.
– Pelem coconut uke.
– 8-string Ortega Eclipse.
Hi, How are you?
Yesterday brought the very sad news of the death of lo-fi legend Daniel Johnston. Johnston was the darling of indie musicians in the 90s. True Love Will Find You in the End alone has been covered by Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco, Spiritualized, Kula Shaker and Jeff Mangum. And now I’ve had a go at it.
I’ve kept my version very simple. I’m only using the top three strings picked thumb and two finger style. The most important thing is to give the melody notes a little extra umph so they stand out against the backing notes.
Gather around, kids, and let grandpa teach you how to play a few songs from the hit parade.
If you like these short tabs, you can find lots more on my Instagram.
On low-G ukulele.
Following on from Lewis Capaldi, I wanted to do another recent song with an interesting picking pattern. And Señorita shares elements of that picking pattern but is more challenging and uses some interesting chords.
If you’d rather strum than pick, you can use this pattern all the way through:
d – d u d u d u
Use that twice per chord until Em7. On Em7, play it once but switch to G on the last up strum. Then continue playing the pattern again on G.
The only exception is at the end of the second verse. On that G you just play two down-strums.
Like the Lewis Capaldi song, the picking is done with the thumb on the C-string, index finger on the E-string and middle finger on the A-string. The complicating factor is the percussive clicks the pattern contains. I produce these two different ways. The first two in each chord (show with just two xs in the PDF tab) are made by bringing my thumb down on the g- and C-strings so hit the fretboard and make a light click. The final one (shown by four xs) is a traditional chnk where I strum the strings but deaden them with the underside of my picking hand.
Here’s a version of the solo that plays in the intro and outro. For this, I’m using a lot of palm muting i.e. resting the underside of my picking hand on the strings as I pick them. Light enough that the notes still sound but heavy enough that they don’t ring out.
I Remember You is heartbreaking beautiful song from 1941 by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer. My favourite versions of this are by Ella Fitzgerald and Bjork. But, bafflingly, Frank Ifield’s bizarre yodelling cowboy version is the most well known. You won’t be surprised to learn my arrangement is based on the former two.
This song is part of my
jazz odyssey series where I’m trying to increase my understand of jazz theory and putting it into practice. Instead of focussing on jazz licks like I did in Ja-Da and Summertime, this time I’m focussing on chords. So there are many 7, maj7, 6, and b5 notes thrown in. Hopefully, in a way that they flow together and don’t sound contrived.
If you are interested in the theory of it, here’s a version of the tab with the underlying chords behind it.
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