EatMyUke’s cover of all the songs on OK Computer inspired me to write up the chords for Paranoid Android. The versions of the chords around the net I’ve seen are very simplified. So I’ve gone in the other direction and made them as true to the original as I could manage. Which means there are lots of unfamiliar chord shapes all over the neck.
The song is split into three main sections so I’ve also split up the chords into three sections.
Opening Section
This section has the biggest leaps up and down the neck. So pay close attention to the fret numbers at the right of the chord diagrams.
If you have trouble playing Gm6 (like I did) you can play it as 0767 and that’ll work just fine. And you can also play E7 as 4445. The only downside of those changes is you don’t get the constant drone on the g- and A-strings.
Riff Section
The least uke friendly section. For the riff I’m using mostly power chords. That means each chord only has two notes so I’m blocking the E- and A-strings from ringing with the underside of my index finger.
It gets much easier when it switches to straight chords for C – G# – Bb. Except the time signature becomes and off-kilter 7/8. The strumming I use goes:
C: d – d – d u d
G#: u – u d u
Bb: d
Rain Down Section
The third section is mercifully straightforward on uke. It’s all standard chord shapes and you can use this strum all the way through:
d – d – d u d u
Then it’s a return to the riff section for the extended outro.
When I got my first ukulele, I was completely clueless. This was in those dark, long forgotten days before the internet had been discovered. I didn’t even realise that the strings weren’t supposed to go thickest to thinnest and restrung it.
But you can save yourself from the social disgrace I experienced. I’ve put together a free mini-ebook covering the basics that every first time uke owner needs to know. Here’s what it contains:
Five Things to Know
Five Chords to Learn
Five Patterns to Strum
Five Songs to Play
Five Websites to Visit
Five Things to Get Free
Five Things to Buy
Five Videos to Watch
Five YouTube Channels to Subscribe to
It’s been another golden year for the ukulele. Time to wrap it up with some of my favourites. Let me know yours in the comments. Particularly if it’s something I’ve missed.
Bud Sugar’s “Cod Head Skank” mix of ska, beats, ukulele shenanigans and infectious pop melodies on their debut EP has managed to buck up my mood many times this year. Also essential is Stan’s (the band’s uker) own YouTube channel EatMyUke.
I don’t hear much from the Argentine ukulele scene. But what they lack in quantity they certainly make up with in quality with fiery swing of La Familia de Ukelele.
Ben’s an incredible player. So much so he’s now regularly appearing with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Somehow this video only has 14 views as I’m writing this. I blame myself for not finding it earlier.
Raiatea Helm must have the world’s purest voice. It’s like washing your hair in a mountain stream (or like washing your beard in a mountain stream in my case). Her previous albums have been a bit over-produced for my taste but her latest, He Leo Huali, retains the crystal clarity without losing any warmth.
This is the perfect game for me. I love puzzles. I love sneaking around undetected. I love hanging around in fancy locations. I love murdering people in bloody, convoluted ways.
Runners Up Firewatch: The best soundtrack for a game this year. Looks amazing and the storyline has stuck with me more than any other game. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture: I can understand people who hate this game (I wasn’t a fan of Dear Esther at all). But I love wandering around this valley and there were moments in the game that were so beautiful they blew me away.
A new tab from David Beckingham and a change from his usual jazzy tunes. This time it’s Johann Strauss II’s Blue Danube. Famous for being performed at Vienna’s New Year’s Eve concert. Which gives you about a week to master the tune, get to Austria and join the Vienna Philharmonic.
Wilfried Welti has a new ebook of classical ukulele tabs. It contains 15 pieces from Tielman Susato’s Danserye. Wilfried’s tabs are always great and at €5 you can’t go wrong.
The trailer itself provides another musically treat in the form of Ellie covering Through the Valley by Shawn James. The song is so perfect I assumed it had been written for the trailer.
I cobbled my version together quickly. I started as soon as I saw the trailer and recorded the video the next day. So it is a bit all over the place. The plan was to put the melody firmly up front and put the picking in softly between melody notes. And it mostly works that way. The notes on the g- and C-strings are played with the thumb, the index finger handles the E-string and the middle finger the A. The only exception is when all the strings are plucked at once.
Backing Picking Pattern
Through the Valley (Backing Tab)
If you want to sing the song, here’s a simple version of the picking and strumming you can use as backing. To play along put a capo on the first fret. It sounds like this:
Time for the annual Uke Hunt Christmas time-waster.
– Grab a pen and paper
– Display knowledge.
– There might be spoilers in the comments.
– Check the answers here (no peeking).
– Return in triumph or despair and share you score in the comments.
