Comments

Since the great blog disaster, the ‘Recent Comments’ block in the sidebar has been out of action. It’s a shame since many of the comments are a lot more interesting than the junk I write. So from now on I’ll be highlighting a few, fairly randomly selected, comments in the Friday Links posts. Here a few to start off beginning with a comment about comments. Very meta.

LonnaB: Hey, Woodshed, just to be clear, do you have any rules about comments left on the blog? Have you ever removed someone’s post for being vulgar or inflammatory?

Yes, I should probably clear that up.

The official comment policy is, “”. That was the policy at the start anyway. I do delete comments that are likely to hurt someone – personally attacking someone who might actually see the comment. The only issue that really arises is when I’m the person the comment is attacking. In that case, I’ll let the comment stand or fall depending on how much of a dick you seem in the comment. If it’s constructive, that’s fine.

‘Vulgar and inflammatory’ comments, by the way, are very welcome.

Ukulele Barry: “Here’s an update from me. I’ve now had to return my third Fender Pa’ina. I won’t be getting another.

I desperately wanted to like this instrument (and in truth I did) but the quality control from Fender is disgraceful.

The third instrument that I received had a buzz coming from the bridge. This got worse over time and was completely unacceptable when I replaced the standard strings with Worths.

If Fender can iron out the issues, this will be a great Ukulele for the price. If I could buy one in a local store, I’d consider buying another after CAREFUL inspection. But right now, I’m not going to risk another mail order fiasco.

D- for Fender. Must try harder.”

There have been a lot of reviews of Fender ukuleles on that post. Most of have been negative. The only positive comment was from Ukulele Ray and he’s not exactly impartial.

cardboardfrog RE Lulu and the Lampshades: i’ve only just realized that the rhythmn to the yoghurt pots and all the moves are from a drinking game we play in the pub, you do all those actions passing the cup to your right and if your on a round table all the cups circulate in a very pretty fashion, works really well with vocals too

cbf’s years of alcoholism have paid off because he’s absolutely right. Here are some drunk people in Seville having a go at it along with the ever popular beer mat flipping (and some NSFW language).

stevius: There were a total of 25 new video clips uploaded on the Corktown Ukulele Jam (torontoUKES) channel last week – a significant undertaking that involved a huge amount of effort and generosity on the part of all involved, performers and organizers alike. What a shame that 25 performances were evaluted on the subjective merit of “a few”.

That’s referencing a comment I made in response to Acilius. I would like to watch more videos than I do, but I can’t watch them all. If you want to increase the likelihood of me watching yours then:

- include the name of the song in the title.
- do an original and put ‘(original)’ in the title.
- let me know about the video. I’ll always check out the videos of blog readers. I’m fine with you telling me when you’ve uploaded a video, so long as your fine with me not necessarily putting it on the blog. I lost count of how many times Todd emailed me before I featured one of his videos. Now he’s one of the most featured ones on here.

ronhale on the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: “Maybe it’s just me, but to me anyway, the Ukes are (at least) as much a visual treat as they are a musical pleasure. Some of their songs are not just songs, they are musical skits in which the
acting is at least as important & enjoyable as the music.

Something like You Don’t Bring Me Flowers or Orange Blossom Special, which shine on the Anarchy in the Ukulele DVD, would be virtually pointless on a live CD, & hearing audience participation just doesn’t cut it
compared to seeing the audience members, too. Even songs that are not skits always have something visual happening, as each band member has a unique musical/visual personality & the visual personality is lost
on a CD.

People who love their DVD or videos should just close their eyes & see if the impact is the same. It isn’t. It’s been four years since the DVD, & a new live DVD is most welcome, but they should not pretend that they are simply a music group, & ignore the visuals. Some of them come from acting/comedy backgrounds, after all.

Hard to imagine Shaft without that one audience shot (not a visual of the band, of course), or The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly without seeing Jonty break-up.

Anyway, maybe my emphasis on the visual aspect of the band is just me, because Will doesn’t say a word about it. And I would love to hear what the other people think about this, because (to me, anyway) they’re only as
popular as they are Because of the extra-musical, visual aspects of their shows that people experience live & on the many videos floating around. Ukulele performances alone are just not going to bring civilians into the ukulele fold, but ukulele entertainment can.

Toss in Wuthering Heights & you have my three favorite Ukes tunes, but the WH on Live in London #1, is a pale, pathetic, poser wannabe of the DVD version.

The Ukes, of course, have played the Electric Proms, joining the Kaiser Chiefs on Ruby (one of my favorite videos of them).”

ronhale’s comments are almost an entire blog on their own and are always good for a read.

Oceana Ukuleles

Amongst the videos of the Wine Country Uke Fest that have been uploaded, I noticed a few from Oceana Ukuleles. I wasn’t at all familiar with them, so to get myself up to speed I threw a few questions and Oceana mainman Zac Steimle.

How long have you been making ukuleles and how did you get started?

As an artist I have always been fascinated with the dynamics between instruments and musicians…. . The beauty and and mystery that surrounds an instrument! In 1995 I worked for a few months with a Luthier in Quito Ecuador, and that experience really piqued my interest. About 5 years ago I had the opportunity to do an apprenticeship with a world class luthier in Southern Ecuador that specialized in small instruments. All my passion and love fell into this work… as a surfer and surfboard shaper I found an easy flow into this art… It is fun to see all the different things I have done in my life come together and make great ukuleles and other instruments!

What sort of players are your ukuleles aimed at?

Oceana Ukuleles are aimed at people who love and play music. So far our buyers are both players and professional musicians….. but I’m not sure we’re aiming our Ukuleles at one group or the other, we just make great instruments that bring the best out of the people that play them!

What separates Oceana from other ukuleles?

The biggest difference between us and most Ukulele companies is the simple fact that we truly hand build the Ukuleles, we hardly use any power tools. What that means is that we spend a lot of time with each piece of wood that goes into a uke. We get to know it’s voice and we are able to utilize the wood so it reaches its maximum potential! We are building Ukuleles with the same techniques and traditions that the best builders used 80 to 100 years ago, but also bringing some great new school elements in as well. We don’t fabricate ukuleles we create them!

What do you think makes a great ukulele?

Music is very personal and the instrument you play is an extension of yourself. A great ukulele is an instrument that you want to play because it draws the music out of you. You will find a new song, one you did not know you had in you being expressed because the Uke you are playing is that good!

Some of your ukuleles have unusually placed sound-holes. How does that change the sound? Or is it just for show?

You must be referring a Kasha braced uke I built as an experiment, the sound hole was placed down by the first string and has a different look. I also built an Acoustic Bass Guitar with an off set sound hole, both these instruments have unconventional bracing that push the sound hole off to one side or the other…. other than that most things on our uke are where you would expect them!

We have not been simply following plans as we developed the Oceana ukulele but have been constantly refining our sound and look. For the past 5 years we have been putting them in the hands of musicians and working with their feed back. That means we have moved some things around. Our ukes have great playability and sound.. the balance is so smooth, none of this is an accident.

What made you choose to set up shop in Ecuador?

My family and I were living in Southern Ecuador working with a small non-profit clinic providing health education and care in rural communities. We came to respect Ecuadorians the more we worked in their culture with deep traditions that were birthed with the fusion of the Incas and Spaniards. In many ways Ecuador is a time bubble 10,50 and in some times up to 100 years behind many western countries, this is not mean in the “development” sense but rather in a very positive way such as, social values, connectedness, time not valued as we value it and that way more patience is applied to the craftsmanship. So building ukuleles in Ecuador was a natural step in the process. It was fun to see the Ecuadorians react to the “pulgas” (uke) I built and hear new melodies coming alive! One huge advantage to living high in the mountains of Ecuador was the perfect year-round relative humidity and tempter to build instruments.

After nearly five years of working with the Master Luthier he remains an integral part of Oceana Ukuleles. He is building ukuleles in Ecuador and now I’m building ukuleles in the North West of USA…We build instruments that your grandkids will fight over!

Enjoy your day and play music!

Visit Oceana Ukuleles.

Mad Tea Party – Zombie Boogie: Monday Exposure

If you’re looking for some Halloween themed tunes to play on your uke, there’s a full list of the Halloween stuff on this blog here:

Halloween tabs and chords

But if you’re looking for someone else to do all the hard work, you absolutely have to pick up a copy of Mad Tea Party’s Crampstastic Halloween EP Zombie Boogie. You can buy the downloads on BandCamp or the vinyl (ask your grandad) on their website.

Play Ukulele by Ear: Jim D’Ville Interview

Jim D’Ville recently released a DVD teaching you how to Play Ukulele By Ear and has been blogging helpful hints and interviews with ukers from the hugely knowledgeable to the clueless but handsome. So I turned the tables on him and coaxed a few my tips out of him.

What does ‘playing by ear’ mean?

To me, playing by ear means listening to what a song is doing and being able to recognize what is going on and then playing along with it. Many genres of music have a certain form which simply repeats itself. For example, if you familiarize your ears with the sound of the 12-bar blues chord progression every time you hear it you’ll know how to play along with it without thinking about it. Play a C Major chord, then a C7chord, then an F Major chord. Millions of songs start with this I-I7-IV chord sequence. Once your ears are familiar with the pattern it’s like hearing the recognizable voice of a friend when these sounds come around in a song.

Why is it important for ukulele players to learn to play by ear?

Because it’s more enjoyable. When you are staring at a piece of sheet music your eyes are distracting your ears from truly hearing what is going on. You’re trying to do two things at once. It also prohibits you from listening to what the other players might be doing.

How does someone start out learning to play be ear?

By listening. It sounds simple, but at most of the ukulele clubs I’ve visited the first thing they do is hand out sheet music. My approach is to first introduce the ears to the sound of the one and the five notes of the C Major Scale (C & G). Since most simple songs only consist of two chords (C-G7), this is a great place to start the ear on its “play by ear” journey. The most powerful relationship in western music is the transition from the five to the one (V7-I). Think big rock concert encore, fiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, one.

What’s your top tip for playing by ear?

Introduce your ears to the sound of the C Major Scale pattern of whole-steps and half-steps, the sound of the Major and Perfect Intervals found in the major scale and the sound of the Diatonic Chords in C (C Major, D minor, E minor, F Major, G7, A minor and B diminished). This gives the ears a solid foundation of the basic sounds found in songs. The primary thing to remember is that ear training does not happen overnight. Take your time and enjoy listening to the sounds you are creating.

Read more and buy Play Ukulele By Ear on Jim’s blog.

Mya-Moe Ukuleles

Mya-Moe Ukuleles are played by a number of Uke Hunt favourites like James Hill, Lil’ Rev, Mark Nelson and Daddy Stovepipe. But I know very little about them. So what better way to find out more about them than throw a few questions at the husband and wife team behind Mya-Moe, Gordon and Char Mayer.

How long have Mya-Moe been making ukuleles and how did you get started?

Gordon made guitars & mandolins for 7 years. One of his early guitar customers, professional musician Moe Dixon, asked if he’d build him a ukulele. Gordon delivered that instrument in April, 2008 (18 months ago). By the time that instrument was completed, he had so much ukulele interest that he stopped building guitars and Char started helping in the shop. As of now we’ve built 150 ukuleles. Char builds the bodies and Gordon does the necks, fretboards & finish work.

What sort of players are your ukuleles aimed at?

We make a serious instrument that’s played by a number of professional, touring musicians (including the likes of James Hill, Emily Hurd, Lil’ Rev and Moe Dixon). But, we also have instruments starting at $575 which we aim at the player buying their second ukulele. They’ve already bought an inexpensive production uke and their instrument is starting to hold them back.

We work closely with professionals because they give us the input to improve our ukuleles. But, in ways, the amateur is more demanding. It is the beginning player that really appreciates the ease of fretting, fast neck, and perfect intonation.

What separates Mya-Moe from other ukuleles?

Rather than compare to others, we’d rather just highlight our feature set. We think that there are three things that are important to players. In order, they are playability, tone and aesthetics. We try to excel in all 3 areas.

In terms of playability, we have a compensated saddle for perfect intonation & tuning all the way up the neck, a radiused fretboard for ease of fretting (especially bar chords), hand-dressed frets for a very smooth feel, and a hand-shaped neck which is designed to be very “fast”. People comment that once they hold our instrument, they don’t want to put it down. The weight and balance are designed to be very comfortable and effortless.

In terms of tone, we hand-voice every instrument. That’s what Char does, and that’s where the magic is. Every piece of wood is unique and must be treated as such. You can’t build to a blueprint–you have to find the personality of every instrument. We aim for a big, broad voice with long sustain. We go to great lengths and expense to put in features that reduce instrument vibration in order to turn every bit of string energy into sound. While our instruments each have a unique personality that is a function of the individual type & set of wood, they have a consistent “Mya-Moe tone.”

And, for aesthetics, we try to have a unwavering attention-to-detail. We offer the choice of matte (satin, oil-rubbed) or gloss (UV-cured polyester) finishes. They are meticulously applied. Our owners consistently comment on the workmanship of our instruments.

We build about 150 ukuleles a year. That’s a small enough number that we have no employees, and we hand-build and hand-voice every instrument. But, it’s a large enough number (we string 3 per week) that we can constantly experiment, refine and perfect our designs.

What do you think makes a great ukulele?

Well, all the things mentioned above. But, I’ll say that a great ukulele is one that the player/owner just loves. We like to say that the instrument chooses the musician. By that, we mean that when you pick up the right instrument, you just know that it is perfect for you. We want owners that are absolutely fanatical about their Mya-Moe. And, if a person buys one of our instruments and doesn’t love it, we refund their money and pay to have it shipped back.

You’re one of the few companies that makes lap steel ukuleles. What inspired you to make them? And how did you approach designing them?

James Hill asked us if we’d make him a lap steel. We took it on as an engineering & design challenge. Luckily, we already had a successful resonator model, so we were able to use that design as a baseline. The hardest challenge is knowing the required pressure on the resonator cone & figuring out, based on the string tension and “break angle” how to deliver that pressure. The lap steel is probably our most gratifying design, because the first one worked perfectly the first time we strung it up.

Visit Mya-Moe Ukuleles.

aNueNue Ukuleles

I often look at the ukulele scene in Japan with envy. Shigeto is kind enough to send me copies of Japan’s Ukulele Magazine. My Japanese isn’t great so I spend my time gawping at the strange and unknown ukuleles on its pages. They’re made by companies that are a complete mystery to me: ‘I’Iwi, Tsubame, Shiihara.

So when one of the companies aNueNue (based in Taiwan) got in touch with me (via Bosko and Honey) to tell me they were going international I took the opportunity to find out more about them.

Full disclosure: aNueNue have sent me one of their ukes to test out which I’ll be reviewing before too long.

How long have aNueNue been making ukuleles and how did you get started?

It all started in summer of 2007, we got into the idea of building a ukulele brand. We spent months of research in designing the brand. We finally agree to use Rainbow Man, a well known Hawaiian petroglyph. The rainbow arc above the man’s head shows that he radiates wisdom or power and shoulder to responsibility. He is the keeper of the land and its people. We are all responsible of protecting Mother Earth.

aNueNue means rainbow in Hawaiian. Pronounced as “”Ahh nu way nu way.”

“The philosophy of aNueNue Ukulele is Life, Music, and Play.” This little instrument has changed many people life entirely, in both music people listen to and music people play with.

We have years of experience in building good classical, acoustic guitars, and ukuleles.

We bought solid koa and mango wood from our friend in Hawaii. We handmade the first ukulele in tenor size by chisel and scrapers. We then build the next 12 samples in all ukulele sizes in mango, mahogany, and koa wood.

We then design the Lani Series (meaning Heaven) and Papa Series (meaning Earth).

What sort of players are your ukuleles aimed at?

Whether you are a beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional musician, we have designed various models to fit your needs. If you like rhythm playing, you can consider our soprano models. If you are a fingerstyle artist, you can look into our tenor cutaway model. We use Fishman USA pickups exclusively for amplification.

What separates aNueNue from other ukuleles?

Our passion for quality ukulele has provoked a strong focus on customer experience, brand building and the impact that customer service, artist relations and music has on people. With our expertise and years of experience in the musical instrument industry, we have focused our passion to bring you the World’s best ukulele.

What do you think makes a great ukulele?

Good season wood, brace system, volume, light weight, string, stable tuners make a good ukulele. It’s all part of equation. There’s a fine tune between over-built and under-built. We are still learning something new every day on how to make great ukulele. I can tell you we are experimenting a lot inside this little box.

Visit aNueNue’s website

Back on 21st August

Time for a bit of a blog-break. No more posts until 21st August.

No complaining unless you’ve mastered all of these:

How to Play Ukulele Strums
The pentatonic scale
How to Play Blues Ukulele
Naked As We Came
Neal Paisley’s Gossip
Sweet Child o’ Mine
Everything on Ukulele Dav

You can keep up to date with the latest uke news on Ukulelia and the latest uke videos on UkeToob.

Love ya, bye!

Ukulele Hunt T-Shirts

I’ve been promising these for a long time and you may well have seen a few of them crop up on various ukers. To be honest, the whole thing has been a nightmare. I’ve been looking at companies that print t-shirts and deliver them. And I’ve found that most of them are terrible. That’s why today is only half a launch of the t-shirts.

If you find yourself in North America, you can buy the shirts on Spreadshirt.

There are two designs: The Under-Bear and The Ukulele Hooters both designed by Art Grootfontein. As modelled by the delectable Jodi Mathews and the gorgeous Todd Baio.

They’re both available as skinny fit and relaxed fit. If you’re going for the skinny fit (by American Apparel) make sure you’re very generous with the size you select.

That’s the good news. The bad news is for anyone outside North America. The shipping from Spreadshirt will cost more than the shirt and that, in my opinion, makes them not worth getting. I’ve tried a number of other companies with no luck. The European Spreadshirt finds it impossible to print designs on a coloured T-shirt. Red Bubble took more than a month to deliver the shirts and the quality wasn’t good enough.

If anyone knows of a reliable service in Europe that will print T-shirts and handle orders and delivery, please, please, please let me know about it. Until I find something, you’ll just have to walk around topless.

UPDATE: Due to popular demand… I’m currently testing out Comboutique for the shirts in Europe. I can’t say whether they’re any good or not. But if you want to take a chance, you can buy them here.

Ukulele Strumming: How to Play Ukulele Strums

By far the most frequently asked question on the blog is, “What’s the strumming for this?” It’s taken me about six months, but I think I’ve finally got an answer to that question.

I don’t mind putting up strumming patterns, but the question really demands a permanent solution for people’s strumming woes. So I’ve written a new ebook: How to Play Ukulele Strums. I’ve been promising this one to a lot of people for a long time but I’ve been holding it back until until I was satisfied that it would be able to give everyone a strong understanding of rhythm and more confidence in their strumming.

The problem is that there isn’t anything out there for the ukulele that gives you the ideas behind strumming patterns so you can work out strums for songs and come up with your own. They just give you a few patterns and leave you to get on with it. My aim with this ebook is to give you the knowledge to understand what’s going on behind the strums so you can play along with any song you choose.

How to Play Ukulele Strums

Price: $17

Get Your Timing Right

Knowing that a strumming pattern is down, up, up… is a good start, but you need to know how long each of those strums is supposed to last. So I’ve come up with a ukulele-brand based method that will help you get you strumming at the right time. It’s a case of matching up words to the length of the strums. It’s a simple way of doing it but it works great.

Never Be Stuck for a Strumming Pattern

Of course, I’m not going to neglect the strumming patterns themselves. The ebook contains a whole bunch of basic strumming patterns and some advanced ones in the style of ACDC, Nirvana, James Brown, Bo Diddley, The Specials and Bob Marley. There are mp3s of all the patterns (including slow and fast versions of most of them).

Get Your Technique Down

If you ever have problems with your arm getting tired after strumming, or your playing doesn’t sound bright enough, or your strumming sounds a little raggedy, or you can’t get your chnking down; the ebook will help you sort out your technical gremlins. There are videos of the various techniques including basic strums, chnks, muting and triplets.

Who Is It For?

This one is aimed at beginners and improvers who have learnt the basics but feel like there’s something about strumming that they’re just not getting. If you have trouble taking chord charts and matching them up to the song, or you feel like you’re muddling through and winging it a bit; it’ll increase your knowledge and confidence and improve your playing.

Everything is explained really simply, so you don’t need to have any knowledge of musical theory going into the ebook.

What Are People Saying About It?

Thorough and thoroughly fantastic book! Thanks as always.

I’m sure my flatmates will be very grateful for it as well. With time, my practicing will (hopefully) sound like actual music rather than the sort of abstract noise that it was before and my flatties can stop voluntarily banning themselves from home until it’s clear that I’ve moved on to another task for the day.

In all seriousness: the book is wonderful, Thorough, easy to understand, and funny (as always). I am completely indebted to you for saving me from the depths of ukulele despair.

- Carrie Griffin

I shall be recommending the ebook to our Monday Ukearist ukers as I know many of them are interested in improving their strumming. I’ll also be unashamedly stealing your mnemonic way of teaching!

- John Hobson

Al’s topped himself this time which I wouldn’t have thought possible after the blues book.

This is a great read for beginners, but there are some strumming patterns at the end that are brilliant and will take some work to get the hang of.

When I started playing four years ago, I had no idea there would be such a great wealth of information available. Al’s books, in my opinion, are better than anything I’ve found elsewhere, as far as written instruction goes. And, he is rather hilarious when he wants to be.

- Lonna Brockway

I’ve already read this ebook more than 6 times and found something new with each read. A very important aspect for me was that the book covered basic things essential for strumming that are left out in other ukulele methods, such as rhythm and time signatures.
The examples and the videos are really helpful and you can even test out your newly acquired sense of rhythm through the exercises.
If there one book to buy on ukulele strumming, then it is definitely this one.

- Armelle

…it’s definitely set up for everyone at any level to learn something new. I get frustrated when teachers take the small bits of knowledge that make a BIG difference to a new student for granted. Al does the opposite by making sure that everything is explained in an accessible way that takes the mystery out.

Al’s teaching is very clear and well illustrated, and I would rec any of his work. I have Chord Progressions too; I will be working through that for awhile as well, there is just so much great information and there’s enough in each lesson to keep me interested and moving forward rather than get me discouraged like other books or authors.

- “Teek” on Ukulele Underground

What Do I Get?

You’ll get a pdf file of the ebook and a pdf of a printable version of the file. You’ll also get mp3s files and WMV video files. They’ll all be in zip files (check out the FAQ page for more info).

This one is slightly different to the way I’ve done it in the past. There are so many mp3s and videos that it made it too big for a single download. So you’ll get the pdf files as a single download (the same as my other ebooks) and the mp3s and videos will be a separate download. The links to all of them will be emailed to you automatically as soon as you buy.

Guarantee

If you check out the ebook and you decide it isn’t for you, let me know within 7 days of purchasing and I’ll give you a full refund. Just email me and let me know the email address you bought it with – you don’t need to give me a reason or anything. If the ebook doesn’t make you a better player, I don’t want your money (because swimming around in it, Scrooge McDuck style, is only fun if you’ve earned it).

How Can I Buy It? And How Much Is It?

To order it click ‘Add to Basket’.

How to Play Ukulele Strums

Price: $17

If you’re reading this via email, head on over to the blog to get it.

Once you’ve paid, click ‘Complete Purchase’ to be taken to the download page. You’ll also be sent a link to the download page by email. So don’t worry if you miss it.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or send me a message.

Contents

The full contents of the ebook:

Introduction

1 Strumming Basics

1.1 Strumming Hand
1.2 Holding the Ukulele While Strumming
1.3 Where to Strum
1.4 How to Strum

2 Musical Basics

2.1 Tempo
2.2 Bars
2.3 Notation
2.4 Working Out Time Signatures
2.5 Exercises
2.6 Time Signatures and Metronomes

3 First Strumming Patterns

3.1 Down, Down, Down, Down
3.2 Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up
3.3 Notating Strums

4 Rhythm Basics

4.1 Foot Tapping and Counting Out
4.2 Mnemonics

5 Strumming Patterns

5.1 Ups and Downs
5.2 First Choice Strumming Pattern
5.3 Strumming Patterns in 4/4
5.4 Chord Changes Within Bars
5.5 Strumming Patterns in 3/4
5.6 Swing Strums
5.7 Strong Strums

6 Chnks and Mutes

6.1 Chnks
6.2 Mutes
6.3 Complex Strumming Patterns

7 Working Out Strumming Patterns

8 Advanced Strumming Techniques

8.1 Semi Quavers
8.2 Touch Strums
8.3 Triplet Strums
8.4 Changing Bar Lengths

9 Strumming and Genres

9.1 Blues Strumming
9.2 Bo Diddley Strumming
9.3 Reggae and Ska Strumming
9.4 James Brown Strumming

10 Strumming in Tabs

11 Conclusion

12 Exercise Answers

How to Play Ukulele Strums

Price: $17

Cover photo: New ukulele day! by Monsieur Gordon

Becca McGee Interview

Becca is the latest addition to the Bobby McGee’s and is described by Jimmy as a combination of, “my looks and Eleanor’s ukulele ability.” Not content with that description, I grilled Becca for some more details.

How did you come to join the Bobby McGee’s?

I saw Jim and El play in my Fresher’s week, and then met them through a mutual friend; before I knew it we were sharing a flat and they were badgering me about playing saxophone with them. For a long time I refused, but when they told me they were playing on BBC 6 Music, I realised that my secret ambition had always been to play with them.

You’ve added ukulele to the long list of instruments you play. How does it compare?

I definitely love the uke a lot. It has a style and tone all of its own, and it’s been inspiring to listen to some older ukulele stuff, and realise there’s a long tradition of music which goes all the way back to its home in Hawaii. I like that the uke is still rooted in this particular tradition; it lends itself to a different sort of music than a lot of instruments. That said, all the instruments I play do different things, and while I enjoy playing some more than others, the rest of the band seem to like the overall result.

How on earth do you get a tune out of a saw? It seems like the hardest instrument to learn.

I think it’s a lot like bass, easy to be not very good at (like me!) and very hard to play well (see the Hot Potato Syncopators for example). The basics are not really that tricky: you start by putting the saw between your legs, with the teeth facing in; then you just have to bend the saw into an S shape and find the harmonics with some sort of bow, and then shake parts of your body to make the vibrato sound. If that makes it all sound a bit pervy, it’s because it kind of is!

Which three songs does everyone need to hear?

Since seeing them at Glastonbury I’ve been singing Art Brut non-stop; they were so good. My current favourite is ‘Slapdash for no cash’ about how over-produced music is a waste of time; the whole new record is great but I’d recommend having a look on you-tube for it too, cos Eddie Argos always seems to tell different little stories in the middle. Also everyone needs to hear Eleanor’s song ‘Mary Kate and Ashley’, she hates playing it because it’s really dark and disturbing, but I think it’s an important critique of body culture and commodity fetishism! Sadly it’s not on the new album but hopefully next time. And Graves by The Stars Down to Earth, they’re one of the best Brighton bands I’ve heard for ages, oh apart from the Tulips, who are also great. Argh! Three isn’t enough!

How do you put up with Jimmy? And why?

He really hates it when you pinch him on the bottom of his arms (the triceps is it?); it seems to get him to do what I want most of the time. But most of the time he’s okay actually, I think when he puts the make-up on he becomes more evil! Also I like playing music that’s a bit different; that encourages the audience to take part, have a dance, and hopefully go away and write their own songs. And Jimmy’s very into that, which is great.

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