Some outstanding videos posted while I was away including Bartt and James covering Led Zep, Misty Miller finally winning my wholehearted support by doing a song to benefit the Woodland Trust, Matt Kresling on the rapture (which will mean only wicked heathen sinners are reading this post – just like every other week) and new (to me) bands The Haunted Windchimes and The Honey Month.
Ukulele I’d buy if money were no object: Breedlove Soprano Prototype. Ukulele I’m a bit tempted by and is within my budget: Ohana TK35G-5 5 string. I love my Ohana TK-35G and the prospect of a uke that has both low and high-G strings is intriguing.
The number of heavily decorated ukuleles just keeps going up: Kapono soprano, leafy Blueberry, floral Blueberry. As well as the odd shapes: Electric Concert Ukulele C17
Kala’s slimline travel ukuleles have been a huge hit. So not a surprise to see a bit of horning-in: Mele Slimline.
Photos: Black man playing a ukulele, Child in rocking chair with a pipe and ukulele, Evil forest sirens play the ukulele.
“Sucker Punch” star Oscar Isaac is set to play the male lead in Walden Media’s drama “Still I Rise,” which will be released stateside by 20th Century Fox.
Inspired by America’s current education crisis, pic stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as two frustrated mothers who team up to transform an inner-city public school.
Isaac will play Michael Raymond, a sexy, ukulele-playing teacher who helps inspire, challenge and romance Gyllenhaal’s character throughout the film.
And to prove ukers have always been sex-symbols in the movies here’s Gordon McRae Jack Smith pitching woo at Doris Day (thanks to Jenny for the video and Andi for the correction).
The world’s best ukulele blog, Ralph Shaw’s Ukulele Entertainer is becoming a book. You can preorder that and Ralph’s next CD on his website (I have done).
New releases from All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and Rocky and Balls.
Neil Innes does a session for NPR.
Highly dubious but very entertaining: Eddie Vedder sings the Samsung ringtone.
It’s an unwritten rule that all ukulele-playing dolls must be creepy. This one is no exception but you have to admire the attention to detail on the ukuleles.
Someone has been harvesting keywords (the stuff people search for on the net) and setting up ‘Ukulele Hunt’ related sites (that have nothing to do with me). This one and this one are expected. This one is just depressing.
Time for a little blogcation. I’ll be back on Friday 20th May. Expect some posts dedicated to music from Manchester (put your requests in the comments), game music from Portal 2 and Angry Birds, and some shameless whoring of my upcoming actual-paper book.
This week’s videos include O’Death doing a track from their new album, blues growling from Hal and the Baron, Janne Saar (Estonia’s Britney Spears) and plenty more good-timing action besides.
New ukulele releases: Ukulollo’s Completely Unbroken (you can get MP3s here – The Beat of the Strum is essential), UOGB’s Still Live (essentials: Hot Lips and Good Sculptures), Howlin’ Hobbit’s Taking the Plunge. And Nellie McKay has an EP available for free. On the way: Aaron Keim’s Quiet American II.
Zach Condon will be releasing a new album in the summer and he has a new outlook on the uke, “this year I buckled down. It’s an interesting instrument. My trouble was taking it seriously myself.”
Bossa is doing her Uke Hunt podcast inspiring ukulele show for Chorlton Arts Radio. So if you want to be involved hit her up.
Uke of Carl has been putting up plenty of TV theme tabs including Dallas, Black Adder and Family Guy.
Ralph Shaw discusses how to be a sensitve banjo-uker.
The Hitachi contest/boob entry hullabaloo continues with the owner of the boobs saying, “I would have expected better from the people at Uruti School who should be teaching their eight students good sportsmanship, not hate.”
Photos: Final image, Me and My Uke, adorable, Prince Charles forgets his ukulele.
Excellent news on the Eddie Vedder front. Not only is the new video out but there’s a a ukulele songbook on the way (thanks to Ric Jo for the info). Which means I don’t have to bother tabbing it up. Instead, I can transfer a few grunge riffs to uke.
The usual riff rules apply: they’re not necesarrily in the same key as the original and all requests for the rest of the song will be pelted with cabbage, tied to a donkey and driven out of town.
Soundgarden – Spoonman
With all the focus on Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden got a bit overlooked. I think they were as good as either of them. This riff is easily one of the best that came out of the scene. I’ve adjusted it a lot for the uke, giving it a C chord drone. It’s also two frets lower than the original (unless you’re using D-tuning or have a capo on the second fret).
The time signature for the main riff is, frankly, I have no idea. I went and looked around at other people’s tabs and they seem to have copped out a bit too. So I just did the same.
The verse riff is similar to the opening riff:
And the chorus riff is a bit like this:
All together they sound like this:
Nirvana – Heart Shaped Box
I’ve moved the riffs in this song down a fret to make it more ukeable. Otherwise it sounds pretty good on uke.
The chorus riff, being all distorted, doesn’t transfer quite so well. But it’s still playable. The open A-string here is optional – I added because I like how nasty it sounds.
Pearl Jam – Alive
This fits pretty well on the ukulele in the original key.
Here’s the uke version:
Temple of the Dog – Hunger Strike
Little known fact: my name when I was born was Andrew Wood like the guy from Underworld and the guy from Mother Love Bone (who inspired this song). Then my name was changed so I shared it with the leader of a ceilidh band and all hopes of rock and roll stardom were dashed before I was a week old.
This one is in the original key.
Alice In Chains – Them Bones
Another one in the original key and another one with an awkward time signature. But once you’ve got the hang of that it’s fairly easy to play.
More Grunge Riffs
Nirvana – Come As You Are
Pearl Jam – Jeremy
Nirvana
– Smells Like Teen Spirit
Pearl Jam – Can’t Keep
The April 2011 edition of the Uke Hunt podcast features flamenco ukulele from Herman Vandercauter, drizzly jazz from Patsy Monteleone, folktronica from Substitute Sandwiches and plenty more besides.
If you want to submit your stuff or – if you can get to Manchester – set up a session, you can find us on Soundcloud, or on Facebook, or email podcast@ukulelehunt.com
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
All the Uke Hunt Podcasts are here.
Playlist:
1. Nicholas Abersold – Those Punk Rock Days
2. Herman Vandecauter – Andaluzukulele
3. Patsy Monteleone – April Showers
4. Jessica Delfino – Chinatown
Follow Jessica on Twitter.
5. The Corner Laughers – Inner Archaeologist
6. Jake Wildwood – Amateur Night Five Dollars
7. Substitute Sandwiches – Criss-Cross Celluloid
8. Uke Punk – Mister, Mister
9. The Spiraltones – Lost Weekend
Garfunkel and Oates – Weed Card (Chords)
At the end of last year, Kate Micucci was the recipient of AV Club’s “She’s Everywhere” Award. With any luck, she’s going to be even more everywhere this year because Garfunkel and Oates have signed up with HBO to make a pilot (amid much talk of them filling the Flight of the Conchords role). If it ever makes it to a series – and I’m informed by an industry insider that G&O fit nicely with where HBO are going – I’m sure this one will be slotted in there.
Quick note on the chords: on the first G in the chorus, the uke plays G but the guitar plays G then F# in the bass. If you want to recreate that on the uke, slip in a Gmaj7 after the G.
Suggested Strumming
INTRO
For the intro:
This strum is also used at the end of the chorus and the end of each section of the verses. Slowed down, it sounds like this.
VERSE
In the verse, start out with:
d u x
For the first D chord, then move on to:
u d u x
Put together and slowed down, they sound like this:
On the A chord you can go wild with d u d u…. Until you get back to the intro strum.
CHORUS
For the chorus, one of these for each chord in the first two lines:
d – d u
Then a d – x on the Bm and on the F#m:
u – u d –
Together those two go like this:
BRIDGE
And in the bridge section, you can do just up-strums on the off beats for the Dm chord. And a single down-strum each for E and F.
More Micucci
Garfunkel and Oates – Me, You and Steve (Chords)
Garfunkel and Oates – Present Face (Chords and Tab)
Garfunkel and Oates – Year End Letter (Chords)
Kate Micucci & Ted (Scrubs) – Screw You (Tab & Chords)
Kate Micucci & William H Macy – It’s Time to Get Laid (Chords)
Kate Micucci – Let Us Be Happy Together (Chords)
Kate Micucci/The Gooch – Mr Moon (Chords)
A genre hopping week this week with soul from Celisse Henderson, backwoods punk from the Denver City Saltlicks (and check out their badass diddley bow riffing) and reggae from Tribal Theory along with the usual bits of instrumental wizardry and girls with jazzy voices.
If you’re looking for some non-uke action, take a listen to some Malawian diddley bow action and Wu Man playing the 4-string Chinese pipa.
