It’s Uke Hunt’s ninth birthday tomorrow. According to WebMD 9 year olds, “recognize basic social norms and appropriate behavior”. So this might be your last chance to read puerile, offensive posts like these (although I wouldn’t bet on it):
May 2015
– Easy alternatives to chnking.
In tabs: Celebrating Eurovision with France Gall’s Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son.
In chords: Percy Sledge’s When a Man Love a Woman and, continuing the Eurovision theme, ABBA’s Waterloo.
June 2015
– The best ways to use a pick on a ukulele.
– Ukulele flamethrower.
In tabs: If I Had You and David Beckingham’s takes on Leo Kottke and Bent Fabric.
In chords: Elliott Smith’s Waltz #2 (XO) and ukulele scremo phenomenon twenty one pilots’ We Don’t Believe What’s on TV.
July 2015
– Best theme tune tabs.
– A video history of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
In tabs: A whole bunch of theme tunes and I ventured into tabbing for multiple ukuleles with a UOGBesque version of Miserlou.
In chords: UOGB’s take on Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights and songs from Steven Universe.
September 2015
– Happy Birthday to You finally got released from the fraudulent clutches of Warner/Chappell and I celebrated with chords and two tabs of the tune.
– I set up a new system for rating ukuleles in the ukulele review section which produced a list of the top 10 rated ukuleles. Kamaka and KoAloha have, not altogether surprisingly, been fighting it out at the top. At the time of writing Kamaka are ahead by 0.02 of a point of KoAloha and Mya-Moe in second place. If you want to have your say, find your uke in this list of ukulele makes and rate away.
– I started doing short video tabs on Instagram.
– The big ukulele chord quiz.
In tabs: An instrumental version of Tiptoe Through the Tulips and Gwent Flute Song from The Witcher 3.
In chords: I was surprised by how successful The Libertines’ reformation was and did Don’t Look Back into the Sun.
October 2015
– For Halloween some spooky ukulele sounds and a roundup of spine-chilling songs.
– The most iconic strumming patterns.
In tabs: After years of trying to get a version I liked, I finally finished an arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. Plus a group arrangement of the Ghostbusters theme ,a medley of songs from the Back to the Future trilogy and Schubert’s Die Furelle.
In chords: Adele’s stunning comeback Hello and Hall & Oates’ Rich Girl.
November 2015
– The easiest ways to improve your playing.
– UkeTube Paris special.
In tabs: Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s ukulele-cuatro duet Paul’s Dance and the theme to 90s British sitcom Men Behaving Badly.
In chords: Eagles of Death Metal’s I Want You So Hard and The Smiths’ Unhappy Birthday.
December 2015
– The best (and worst) of ukuleles in 2015.
– 2015 ukulele quiz.
In tabs: Winter Wonderland and Seven rock riffs including White Stripes, Weezer and CCR.
In chords: Everything Stays from Adventure Time and The Pretenders’ 2000 Miles.
February 2016
– The second edition of my book Ukulele for Dummies was released with new chapters and digital downloads.
– Ukulele festivals 2016.
In tabs: Best Bowie intros. Jonathan Lewis shared a tab of Loftus Jones from his Irish Tunes for Campanella Ukulele ebook.
In chords: Bowie’s Life on Mars and Hoagy Carmichael’s I Get Along Without You Very Well.
March 2016
– How to make ukulele tabs with Guitar Pro.
In tabs: Damien Rice’s 9 Crimes, Sufjan Stevens’s Death with Dignity and Langtree’s Lament from Over the Garden Wall.
In chords: The Pogues’ If I Should Fall from Grace with God and Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey.
April 2016
– Prince’s favourite chord trick
– A look at ukulele capos.
– New Zealand ukulele legend Bill Sevesi passed away.
In tabs: Top five Prince riffs and the Neko Atsume theme.
In chords: Prince’s How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore and The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil.
