David Arnold – Sherlock’s Theme (Tab)

There’s a lot to love about the BBC’s updating of Sherlock Holmes (and a few things – like all the tilt shifting – to hate) and one of the parts I love most is the music (by David ‘James Bond’ Arnold and Michael Price).

It’s interesting to hear how similar the score for Sherlock is to the music for the film version of Sherlock Holmes by Hans Zimmer despite the music for the TV version being written before the film came out.

My version of Sherlock’s Theme is all done with fingerpicking. After the intro, it’s all:

C-string = thumb.
E-string = index finger.
A-string = middle finger.

Make sure the melody stands out from the backing (the notes in brackets)

Melody Version

Sherlock’s Theme (Melody Tab)

My arrangement of the tune is quite tricky. So here’s the plain melody for the tune (without the intro). You can play it as it is or jazz it up in any way you see fit.

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Vince Guaraldi Trio – Christmas Time Is Here (Tab)

Tis the season to be jazzy. And I’ve thrown some decidedly jazzy bits into this tune from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I’ve added an intro with a few licks (using the E minor pentatonic scale) and some discordant chords. It’s played very loosely so feel free to change whatever you like or – even better – come up with your own.

Other than some unfamiliar chords, the tune isn’t too challenging. The right hand is all done with the thumb (except for the last chord).

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Away in a Manger (Full Arrangement Tab)

I thought I’d do a tab to give you an idea of what the stuff in the How to Play Christmas Ukulele ebook is like. Which, by the way, you can get $2 off if you use the code ‘armadillo’ by the 18th December.

But I’m not sure why I chose this one. I can’t stand the ‘baby Jesus meek and mild’ lyrics. I’m more into the ‘Jesus is here to fuck shit up‘ songs. But the tunes nice.

Like in the ebook, I’ve done two arrangements for this. The first one is a full arrangement that has the melody and back played on one uke. It’s arranged very simply. The right hand is all done with the thumb. And the left hand is based on familiar chord shapes (F, Bb, Gm and C).

Melody Arrangement

Away in a Manger (Melody Arrangement Tab)

The second arrangement is even simpler. The tab is just the single note melody which stays in the first position (except a quick trip to the fifth fret). And the chords above it.

For the strumming I’m doing this once for each bar:

d – d u d -

Here’s that being played:

Away in a Manger (MP3)

I’ve put the chords and melody on different sides so you can adjust your balance and play along with either.

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C418 – Wet Hands (Tab)

I had to play Minecraft for hours on end to tab this one out. You get a random piece of music four times a day. So I just had to keep playing and grab my ukulele quickly when Wet Hands came on. There was no other way of doing it.

The music in Minecraft – which you can buy on Bandcamp – fits the game perfectly. Inspiring bouts of loneliness and regret.

Wet Hands works pretty well on the ukulele. I’ve taken out a lot of the right hand piano and replaced it with a few backing strums. The trickiest bit is the harmonics in bar 15. If you want to simplify matters, you can just play these as open strings.

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Lana Del Rey – Video Games (Tab)

Lana Del Rey has had a real love/hate reaction. I am very firmly in the love camp but I can see why some people would have an instant negative reaction. Although people accusing her of being a slick record company product obviously haven’t seen her being interviewed.

The arrangement I did for the video was fairly haphazardly busked together so it’s a bit all over the place. The timing in particularly I’ve tidied up for the tab.

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All these riffs are in the original key. If you’re looking for the chords for these I suggest looking on Ultimate Guitar.

Losing My Religion

It makes a nice change to be reworking a mandolin riff.

The g-string, 7th fret can be replaced with A-string 5th fret if that’s more your taste.

Riff

Shiny Happy People

Riff

Pop Song 89

Riff

Driver 8

Riff

Pretty Persuasion

I’m playing this one with a capo at the 7th fret. You can play it without one if you don’t mind being in a different key to the original.

Riff

Walk On By (Tab)

Is this the first time I’ve done a Burt Bacharach song? I think so. And it’s a huge omission. One that Shireen of Mighty Ukulele suggested I fix.

I’m playing this mostly fingerstyle. The only strumming is done where you see the arrows in the tab. Most of these are finger-strums. But there are thumbs in the, “In silence…” section and the final chord.

I got asked why I use my thumb to strum when I’m so against it usually. There is a difference between general strumming and strumming in a tune. In solo playing using your thumb will give you a softer sound. It’s also more practical sometimes. When you need to strum up to a specific string it’s a whole lot easier to do with your thumb.

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Lisa Hannigan – Knots (Tab)

I’m going to have to revise my opinion that Lisa Hannigan and Damien Rice are the Brian Clough and Peter Taylor of Irish music; earth-conquering genius together but a bit disappointing apart. This song and the free track you get when you join her mailing list have got me very excited about her next album.

Tuning

You need to tune all the strings down three frets so you get e – A – C# – F#. Which sounds like this:

Tuning Notes

Picking

The picking pattern stays the same the whole way though. But she takes advantage of the re-entrant tuning to make it sound more varied than it actually is.

The picking pattern goes like this:

Thumb picks g-string
Index picks E-string
Thumb picks C-string
Middle picks A string

Here’s how the pattern sounds slowed down:

Picking Pattern

Because the pattern doesn’t vary and is fast you need some hand strength to get all the way through.

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UPDATE

Joe Dan emailed me with some interesting info about the tuning Lisa uses:

That tuning, e-A-C#-F#, is the tuning recommended in Wendell Hall’s Ukulele Method (edited by May Singhi Breen and copyright 1950, published by Forster Music, Chicago, Ill) for his “Taraguitar” (played like a uke but tuned three tones lower), an instrument I have never seen pictured or identified anywhere. Some believe the Taraguitar might have been modeled on the taropatch ukulele, but perhaps with a somewhat larger body and longer scale length. Hall, of course, was one of ukulele stars of the 1920s ukulele boom (“It Ain’s Gonna Rain No Mo” was his biggest hit of that era.)

Breen, of course, is in the Ukulele Hall of Fame. Hall also developed a variation of the tenor ukulele that he called the “Teeviola,”which was made by Regal and carried Hall’s signature on the peghead, and I own one of those instruments. Sometime after acquiring my first quality ukulele, a Martin concert model in 1961, I stumbled on that same tuning and used it, entirely by ear without even realizing exactly what I had done, and did not fully understand until many years later when I happened upon a copy of the Wendell Hall Ukulele Method, mentioned above. I liked the lower tuning on my Martin concert ukulele because it seemed better suited to my voice and I still use it today on my concert, my tenor and some of my baritone ukuleles.

It was not until the advent of electronic tuners that I knew exactly what tuning I was using, as I had previously only tuned the instrument by ear without comparison to pitch pipe or piano. Perhaps someday you can do the research and publish some background and photos of the elusive Taraguitar mentioned by Hall?

I think I’ve mentioned before that I hate musicals yet all my favourite films are musicals. And This Is Spinal Tap is definitely up there. Despite their huge impact on ukulele music (obviously been an influence on Jake’s key selection), I could only find two uke Tap covers. So I’m writing up to up that number and in tribute to the last of the great working, family-owned sex farms.

Intro

Intro

I’m always tempted to break into Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight when I play this bit.

Verse

Verse

This part uses palm muting (resting the palm of your strumming hand on the string just in front of the bridge so it dampens the sound) which is a bit tricky on a ukulele. An alternative is just to play the g and C strings a bit softer.

And the widdle at the end of the verse is my favourite part:

Verse End

Chorus

Chorus

No messing around here, full chords for the chorus part.

Outro

Outro

An extension of the verse end lick then finish up with an A5 (2450) and a big crotch spray.

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Adele – Rolling in the Deep

Adele might be handing my ass to me in the Musical Instruction books chart, but I’m not going to hold it against her. This is too good a song not to do an instrumental version of.

The tab doesn’t include every strum I do, so tackle it in the way that feels best to you – if you’ve got a complaint about that read Christine’s comment.

The trickiest bit comes in bars 12/13. Here I’m doing a fake strum because there isn’t time to do a real strum and get back to play the rest of the bar.

Here’s a slightly simpler way of playing it:

Melody

Rolling in the Deep (Single Note)