I did the chords for this Bernard and Smith tune way back in 2008 so it’s long overdue a run through a tabbed version.
I’ve gone with a chord arrangement for most of the tune. That means I’m just holding down chords and strumming. Then emphasising the melody while letting the other strums hang back.
The other main technique is picking the C-string with my thumb and flicking my index finger up across the E- and A-strings. I do that right at the start of the verse (second half of bar 4) and in the, “In the meadow…” section (bars 14-19).
The only bit of pure fingerpicking comes in the descending line in bar 20.
For this tab of the intro I’m picking all the strings at the same time. That way all the notes are played simultaneously just like a piano (as opposed to strumming where they sound at very slightly different times). It seems like a subtle difference but it really helps match the sound of the original.
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.
I’ve written up the live version of this one because it’s lovely (as is Mark Kozelek’s version). The only difference in the arrangement is the long, faded in intro is cut down.
It’s dead easy to play. Just three chords and you can use one strum all the way through. The only weirdness is the lyrics fit around the chords a little strangely.
Suggested Strumming
You can use this strum all the way through:
d – d u d –
In the verses play that twice for G then once each for C and D. In the bridges do it twice for each chord.
Twiddly Bits
There are a couple of ways you can play the riff. This version sticks closely to the original:
Playing the chords with a capo at the 7th fret also sounds great. You just need to change the chords you use. With the capo instead of C – D – G it’s F – G – C.
Here’s a version with one uke playing the low chords, one playing the high chords and one playing the capoed intro:
I’m taking my How to Play Ukulele Chord Progressions ebook off sale at the end of the year. It was the first one I wrote and it’s a bit long in the tooth compared to my others. If you want to get it before it departs I’ve dropped the price from $17 to $7 until it leaves. You can pick up a copy here.
I’ve been doing a few quick tabs and videos as inspiration hits. I’ll be posting collections of them on here. Or you can keep up with them on my social media: Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.
It’s been another golden year for the ukulele. Time to wrap it up with some of my favourites to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Feel free to share yours in the comments. Particularly if it’s something I’ve missed.
I’ve featured a few songs by, Nashville folkies, The Vespers in the past but they’ve been a bit cutesy for my taste. With their latest album Sisters and Brothers they’ve really hit their stride. There are half a dozen tracks on the album that rank amongst my favourites of this year including this ukulele song .(I feel the need to point out that the album version doesn’t include the questionable bass solo that’s in the live version.)
And prize for Most Predictable Choice of 2015 goes to… me for picking this. I’m a huge fan of everything the Cobblers have put out and this year’s Wildfire is no exception.
It’s totally cheating for Hawaii Music Supply to have Corey Fujimoto demonstrate their ukuleles. He makes everything sound incredible. But it does mean we’ve been spoilt for blazing ukulele tunes from him this year.
Thailand isn’t a place you usually think of when it comes to high end ukulele making. But Rebel have changed that this year. The team grew out of makers trained by KoAloha to make their lower end ukes (KoAlana and Opio). And they certainly picked up KoAloha’s flair for making gorgeous instruments.
This one wins just for making me feel like a cool 50s jazz guy when I played it. It took me years to get it to a point where I was happy with my version of it. I love the tune and I really wanted to do it justice.
Runners Up
Back to the Future Medley – Only Back to the Future could make me think Huey Lewis was the epitome of cool. Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Paul’s Dance – Really shows what you do can when you concentrate on playing well rather than playing fancy. Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk – Really shows what I do when I concentrate on playing fancy rather than playing well.
Conflict of interest warning: If you buy it through this site I get a kick back (and I am purely interested in money – you can tell by the way I ditched working as an accountant for the lucrative world of ukulele blogging).
Runner Up Sam Muir – The Little Book of Giuliani – You can buy this one safe in the knowledge I don’t get a penny. And I recommend you do if you’re up for some challenging classical guitar tunes rearranged for ukulele.
When I first stumbled across Owl & Mouse I had deep suspicions they were a fake band in a Belle and Sebastian movie. Turns out they’re a Brisbane band formed around sisters Hannah and Jen Botting (sisters to Bill Botting of Australia’s other indie ukulelists Allo Darlin). Their debut album Departures is packed with great melancholy indie pop in the vein of B&S and Camera Obscura.
Runners Up Nakisha Esnard – Anyone for ukulele reggae opera? The Prettiots – Too cool for school New Yorkers.
I like my music moody and depressing. And I don’t the ukulele is really suited to cheerful music. So I thought I should give cheerful music its own category to offset my bias. And the music of the Jive Aces is always fun enough to put a smile even on my grumpy, curmudgeonly maw.
As you might have guessed from my Steven Universe post, I’m a big fan of Rebecca Sugar’s songs. And this is a new gem from the Adventure Time miniseries Stakes.
You might be unfamiliar with some of the chords in it. But don’t be intimidated. There’s nothing too difficult to play.
Suggested Strumming
You can use this as the main strum:
d – d u d –
Mix that up with a few chords where you just play one down strum per chord.
The tune uses the same basic chords as the final version except she’s tuned down half a step. But I prefer to keep it in standard tuning and play in the same key as the final version.
