Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer‘s hip-hop history has caused a bit of a stir on 7 of the 8 internets, so I thought I’d plow through the whole thing.

A lot to get through in this one. But start out by tuning up to the traditional banjolele D tuning: aDF#B.

Rapper’s Delight Section

There’s tab for the bass riff here – but it’s in a different key.

King of Rock and Enormous Guitar Solo Section

My favourite section of the song. He uses the same chords for the, “enormous guitar solo” but with a few more fancy triplet strums and shifts between Em and Em7 shoved in the hole thusly:

Fight for Your Right Section

The main riff is E – G – A. But he throws in a B right before the lyrics.

The solo in this section is a lot of moving between B and Badd9+ with the occasional B7 thrown in.

She Watch Channel Zero Section

Chromatically descending chords. If you’re feeling lazy you could start with E played 7655 and slide it down a fret each time.

Mama Said Knock You Out Section

At the start of the Knock You Ayyyyyyt section he’s just playing D and A before the E chord comes in later.

The Magic Number Section

Dead easy two chorder. Simple enough for any stoner to play.

My Name Is Section

The whole song has been in E/Em so I’m not sure why the last bit switches up to F.

Buy it on eBay.

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.

MP3

I don’t know why this is only the third time I’ve featured the Mighty Zeppelin (Whole Lotta Love, Stairway to Heaven) they’re quite clearly the greatest band in history. Perhaps because all their songs are heroically unsuited to the ukulele. This one certainly is. It took a fair bit of fudging and key changing, but I think this version just about works.

I’m using a pick in the MP3 but that’s just because I recorded this right after Master of Puppets and forgot to put it down.

Part of the Guitar Riffs for Ukulele series.

Requested by Jennifer.

If you’ve been paying any attention to the Saturday UkeTube at all, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Todd. With him putting out a new CD, Odd Hill Music, it seemed the perfect time to pump him for more information.

What can we expect from your new CD?

“Odd Hill Music” is a collection of 21 folk and old-timey songs (with one original thrown in there :) . Some of the tunes are the lo-fi mp3s from my you tube channel and a handful of the songs are from some time spent in my office recording with a little more attentiveness to mic placement, etc. It’s a very “uke-ccentric” collection replete with soprano, concert, and baritone ukulele, but it also includes tracks with harmonica, washboard, 3 string cigar box guitar, and the 12 string guitar (which i affectionately call the ‘boom stick’). i’d say it’s a bit quirky, very simple, pretty lo-fi, pretty fun, and a bit punk….even though it’s folk :)

You mentioned on your blog that the ukulele has inspired you to write more songs. Why do you think that is?

*i’ve got a new blog by the way that i promise to post more consistently on….because it’s focus is scattered like me www.brothersonnysblog.blogspot.com

I think this is a great question. Quite honestly, i think it’s partly because i’ve been playing the guitar for 20 some odd years and have become a little too comfortable with it’s voice and tone….(another reason i’ve recently picked up the 12 string guitar and been messing around with alternate tunings). Another part of the equation would have to be the unique voice and feel of the uke….even the baritone (gasp). The re-entrant tuned ukes just breathe fresh life into chord patterns/riffs (which is usually how i start making/writing tunes) and the baritone uke has a simplicity to it that I believe is a good fit for my voice.

Which of your homemade instruments is your favourite?

I’ve got two right now. one is a modification i did on a crappy grizzly kit uke. The Uke-Cimer. I pulled frets off to give it a diatonic scale/dulcimer fretboard and i put the 1st and 2nd strings close together to make them one course….i think i have it tuned to DAD. the other is a 3 stringed box guitar i made out of an old art supply box and a plank of pine….it’s got natural overdrive when you strum it hard enough!

You often play for kids. How do you find they react to the old songs?

They’re absolutely super! They get very involved, many of them are pretty familiar with some of the old folk songs I do (probably thanks to Dan Zanes’ family music empire), and they’re pretty forgiving if i chunk a verse here or there….

You’ve got a new YouTube channel for family, singalong songs. Do you come from a musical family?

Yessir. youtube.com/sonnyssongbag is my start up channel to promote singalongs and internet porch music. I come from a family that appreciates music, but not many players….it’s neat though, my 3 year old son is already messing with the uke, percussion, and my homemade creations, and my 4 year old daughter seems to have a knack for song and dance.

How can people get hold of your CDs?

I’m still a technical Luddite. folks can get ahold of me through my Youtube Channels or e-mail me at folkster.todd@gmail.com (you can see logistics here). Until I can’t maintain it, I actually prefer doing transactions via the e-mail and postal service because I’ve made a lot of great friends that way….it’s a bit more relational. I’ll do the whole paypal thing when i hit folk star status ;)

Visit Todd on YouTube and on his blog.

I smiled quite a lot as well.

This tab is taken from GUGUG and L’Uke’s excellent version of the tune. I’ve tabbed up Gus’s part. Daniel’s playing the same thing but in the rather unusual E tuning (bEG#C#). Finn is playing the chord with an E under the riff.

And, of couse, I couldn’t resist working out the solo as well.

Those chords are also the ones in the, “Look at you with your mouth…” section. So that’s pretty much the whole song.

Part of the Guitar Riffs for Ukulele series.

Most of the UOGB stuff that turns up on YouTube is DVD rips, which makes lizardonuke’s channel very refreshing with lesser seen songs and backstage shenanigans. As well as the UOGB, this weeks vids include Mr B schooling us, Lulu and the Lampshades going bandstand busking (watch the whole thing here), The Bobby McGee’s fighting off zombies, Plushgun making a video on the cheap, Peter Moss soundchecking, Luca Gemma with the UKEit guys and plenty more. Read the rest of this entry »

Bosko and Honey are auctioning off ukuleles to raise funds for their Safari. First up is a Kiwaya KC-4.

The solid body Ko’olau CE-1 is a very nice piece of work.

Broken Lanikai LU-21TE. Asking price: $95,000. If you’re thinking of buying it, I have some magic beans you might be interested in.

I can’t begin to imagine how it’s possible to play one comfortably, but that’s not going to stop me wanting a Harmony Aero ukulele.

A pair of Lyon & Healy 5Ks.

Ukulele pictures: Odd man, Marilyn shaking her ass, ukulele calendar pin-up

Pam ‘Nerd’s Eye View‘ Mandel has a lovely little story about travelling with a ukulele.

William King has been making some very sexy, solid body electric ukuleles.

The Bobby McGee’s crop up in the new Dizzee Rascal video (not the first time he’s had a uke in his video) thanks to cardboardfrog for spying that.

Whilst I was working on the updated Buy a Ukulele section, I realised I hadn’t seen a Black Bear ukulele for sale in a very long time. So I actually did some investigative journalism and got in touch with Duane. Turns out the eBay rules and fees got too high and he now sells them on Flea Market Music.

Rumour has it my version of Upstairs, Downstairs will be on Radio 4’s PM next week.

Help Ukulele Movement find 101 reasons to play the ukulele.

The Qatari royal family are learning to play ukulele.

Tiny Tim Overdrive are a new uke covers band from Vancouver. There’s a recording of their rehearsal in the sidebar (including covers of Sam Roberts and Eddie Vedder) and I can’t wait to hear more.

Photos: Sophie Madeleine shoot, Bongolele (thanks to byjimini), ukulele swimming pool (via Shelley).

Ukulele spotting: in the intro to Neighbours.

Billy Connelly has been uking it up with Jack Black and Emily Blunt.

Megg Farrell hooks up with the Beatles Complete on Ukulele guys.

MP3

Old-school riffery from Richie Valens. But the song is probably best known for Los Lobos’s cover version. The highlight of that version being the outro. Here’s the start of it in the same, uke-friendly, key as I used for the riff.

La Bamba Outro

If you want to play it in the original key, move everything up 7 frets – something like this. It’s much more difficult but still playable.

Part of the Guitar Riffs for Ukulele series.

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.