Ukulele Hunt

Category: Chords

  • Monty Python – Brave Sir Robin (Tabs and Chords)

    Neil Innes – Brave Sir Robin (Chords)

    This post is a little tribute to two sad deaths over the New Year period: official Python Terry Jones and honorary Python Neil Innes.

    As well as writing a wealth of music for the Pythons, Neil Innes worked on the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, invented the mock-rockumentary with The Rutles, had massive hits with I’m the Urban Spaceman and How Sweet to be an Idiot, and was a keen uker.

    Many of his parodies were understated (Let’s be Natural could have passed for a Beatles outtake). But “understated” is not a word I’d use for Brave Sir Robin which Innes performed in The Holy Grail and wrote with Eric Idle.

    I’m using the chords from the source himself and tidying them up a bit and adding the intro from the Spamalot version. I’d suggest playing the B7 the no hassle way (i.e. 4320) which makes a much easier transition from and to Em.

    Suggested Strumming Pattern

    Really simple strumming. You can play just one strum per chord. Although you want might to do two when a chord lasts a whole bar.

    Twiddly Bits

    Brave Sir Robin Accompaniment Tab

    The accompaniment for the song fits very nicely onto uke. My version (at the top of the video) starts with the intro to the Spamalot version, it then moves into very sparse accompaniment before sticking very closely to the melody.

    Brave Sir Robin Melody Tab

    Here’s a tab of the melody. Which did need a bit of adjustment for ukulele. I’d recommend using alternate picking or using a pick as the notes are speedy.

    Links

    Buy the Spamalot version
    NeilInnes.media
    More UK tabs and chords

  • Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel (Tab and Chords)

    Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel (Chords)Download

    What a brilliant song. And one that’s very popular with uke groups. It started life as a half-written Bob Dylan song called Rock Me, Mama before OCMS finished it up and launched their career with it. It’s been covered many times since with Darius Rucker‘s being the most popular.

    Like the original, I’m using a capo on the second fret. It’s not essential but it does make the chords much easier and avoids the dreaded E chord.

    Suggested Strumming

    You can use this simple pattern all the way through:

    d – d – d u d u

    Use that once for every chord until the last C in the progression where you play it twice.

    Here’s how it sounds:

    Twiddley Bits

    Wagon Wheel Intro TabDownload

    Here’s an arrangement of the violin part in the intro (which starts four bars into the song). Again, there’s a capo on the second fret.

    The example finishes up with the violin lick in the outro.

    Links

    More 90s tabs
    Uke Hunt Patreon

  • Radiohead – Paranoid Android (Chords)

    Radiohead – Paranoid Android (Chords)Download

    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.

    Links

    Buy it on iTunes
    More Radiohead tabs

  • Prince – Purple Rain (Chords)

    Prince – Purple Rain (Chords)Download

    A few weeks ago I wrote about Prince’s favourite chord trick and it lead to an inevitable cavalcade of requests for Purple Rain. And why not? It has to be one of the best chord progressions ever written.

    Suggested Strumming

    Here’s the slightly sparse strumming pattern I like to play:

    d – – – d – d u
    – u – – d u d u


    You can use that everywhere except the few chords he strums once then brings a halt to the backing.

    Twiddly Bits

    I’m not going to write up the whole solo but here’s the little repeating motif:


    Towards the end of the song this little run is introduced at the end of the chord progression:

    If you’re really adventurous you can play it with full chords. Here’s how it sounds (easy version then hard):


    Links

    Buy it on iTunes
    More Prince

  • Karen O – The Moon Song (from Her) (Chords and Tab)

    The Moon Song (Chords)Download

    By my reckoning the last ukulele song to win the Best Song Oscar was Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head in 1969.

    But that could change this year with the nomination of Karen O’s The Moon Song this year. The song was written for the Spike Jonze film Her where it’s performed by Joaquin Phoenix playing ukulele and Scarlett Johansson playing a Siri. Here’s a ukulele-based précis if you need to catch up.

    I’ve written up two versions of the song. Above is the plain chords based on the Karen O guitar version. And below the ukulele picking version from the movie.

    Suggested Strumming

    For the main pattern you can use:

    d – d u – u d u

    Do that once each for Dm and G. You can do it twice for the C chord. Or you can do this:

    d – d u – u d u
    – u d u d u d –

    Just do one down strum each for the F and Fm.

    Picking Version

    The Moon Song TabDownload

    The ukulele version has the same basic chords but a few different inversions. That means you can switch chord inversions as you see fit.

    The arrangement, though, is slightly different. The intro is longer and there’s a verse missing.

    I’ve suggested a thumb and two fingers picking pattern (shown in the first bar and repeated all the way through). It doesn’t seem to be what he’s using but it’s what I’d recommend.

    Links

    Karen O on iTunes
    Visit HerTheMovie.com
    More movie tabs
    Uke Hunt Patreon