In keeping with this week’s Halloween theme. Mad Tea Party have released a rollocking new Halloween EP Rock-n-Roll Ghoul. And if you didn’t pick up Zombie Boogie last year, I recommend you do so forthwith.

Call me sentimental, but I would love to know about the trees that ended up being my ukuleles. Even if it wasn’t exotic. So I’m jealous of the guy in this story about a 150 year old tree being turned into ukes.

No sooner do I rant about Mumford and Sons not playing uke than this video turns up. For anyone interested, it’s a Mya-Moe ukulele.

California didn’t break the ukulele ensemble record. Everyone is saying that London still holds the record but I was under the impression that London’s record had been beaten in New Zealand.

Fairport Convention have put up a live MP3 and chords for their ukulele song (scroll down a bit) (via Got a Ukulele).

Halloween Theme (Piano Part)

MP3

The theme tune for Halloween the film was written by its director John Carpenter. Which may account for the fact it has all the horror film cliches: the weird time signature, the devil’s interval. And the main part is just the same phrase moved slowly down the neck.

I’ve posted up two tabs: one with just the main part and this one with the main part and the string bits as a duet.

Halloween Theme (Duet)

Some tunes you may wish to bone up on before the big night.

Addams Family Theme Tune
Chopin – Funeral March
Dance Macabre
Ghostbusters (Duet)
The Gothic Archies – Freakshow
London Bridge Is Falling Down (From Halloween)
The Misfits – Dig Up Her Bones
The Misfits – Halloween
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (from The Exorcist)
This is Halloween (From Nightmare Before Christmas)
Twilight Zone Theme
Warren Zevon – Werewolves of London

Usually I wait until just before Halloween before I put up the Halloween stuff. Partly because it seems strange doing it much earlier but mainly because of lack of foresight. But this time round I’m giving you plenty of practice time.

Suggested Strumming

You can go with a very simple strum:

d u d u d u d u

Or you can 70s it up a bit with some 6 chords and a glam-rock rhythm.

Verse Riff

Twiddly Bits

After the, “Let’s do the time warp again…” there’s a chance to throw in a few widdles. You can use the A minor or A major pentatonic or, in this case, a bit of both.

And here’s a minor bit up the neck:

Chorus Licks

And the end of the song:

With three weeks’ videos to choose from, this post really packs the fantastic. This is usually the point where I say which is my favourite, but this time the first six are all contenders.

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There’s no shortage of Les Paul type ukuleles but the RISA Les Paul is more authentic looking than most. It has steel strings so it gets the humbuckers and toggle switch. And I want one.

A couple of ukulele manufacturers venturing into the 6-string world. Kanilea with a guitarlele. And a Kamaka guitar from the 20s(I had no idea they’d ever made a guitar).

Super-sweet mango and spruce soprano from Michael J King.

But sometimes mango can make it look like someone has vomited down uke.

Robot made my Kate Micucci.

For glamour… and l’amour…

I think we can all agree that ‘ukulele comeback’ news like this piece in the Wall Street Journal is hopelessly out of touch. The comeback is old news, but recently I’ve been wondering if we’ve passed the high-tide mark. Certainly some of the people originally attracted to the uke for its uniqueness are moving away from it. Jens Lekman has vowed never to play it again, Stephin Merritt has moved on to bouzouki, the last Beirut album was uke-absent. Now even Ingrid Michaelson is ditching it for her next album because of its association with Hey, Soul Sister.

Volume 2 of Jim D’Ville’s Play Ukulele by Ear is out now.

There’s a ukulele group starting Nottingham. I’m considering going so if you’re planning on signing up, let me know.

Shigeto has some ukulele lessons in Japanese – but there are videos and tabs for the monolingual.

Ukes at the movies: Megamind and Giant Gila Monster.

MP3s: Free bandcamp tracks from Michelle Blades and entertainment for the braindead.

Pictures: Sharpie Pirate Wench Ukulele, Ukulele 2, but no good, uke4, Ukulele Jamboree poster (NSFW) and Ukulele Inferno poster.

I’m taking a blog break for the next 3 weeks. Including an actual holiday (in Slovenia) and two weeks working on the top secret Operation Exploding Carrats.

See you on the 24th.

Two videos you only need to watch half of this week. Lou Barlow (off of Sebadoh) does two songs but the most entertaining part of the second is watching the people stood out in a rain storm. In the Polytecnik video the song stops and the visuals keep going. I assume it’s a video screw up but you can never tell with these arty types.

Also this week UOGB’s Richie lays out, She and Him and the only Nirvana ukulele cover I’ve enjoyed.

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It’s interesting to see more US companies bringing out banjo-ukes recently – particularly the mix between the smaller style of banjolele which I associate with the US (like this one Aaron Keim is playing) and the larger type played by English ukers like George Formby and Mr B (I have no interest in banjoleles so these terms are completely wrong). Lanikai have gone with the English style for their LBU-C. The Mainland banjolele is a minimal one. And Morgan Monroe have a mixture of both. I’m a bit surprised Lanikai have gone with the English-style. The influence of Mr B? Or am I missing something?

Last week’s highly ornate Blueberry ukulele divided opinion in the comments. According to shumanyo, “Blueberry ukes look very nice but they are way too braced and damn heavy so the uke simply doesn’t vibrates resulting in a uke that is not and not ‘’singing”much. The soundborad is way too stiff.” Which isn’t a surprise. But we all know it’s how pretty the outside that matters, so here’s another one – this time featuring a scantily clad lady.

Photo: Beach group.