In these divided times it’s comforting to know that Kanye lovers and Kanye haters can unite in hating Kanye.
Like James Brown and Duke Ellington, one of Kanye’s under-appreciated skills is finding talented collaborators and pushing them to make their best work. For the first piece in this little medley, he worked with arranger Rosie Danvers. Who until that point had mostly worked with British artists and recently worked on Dave’s showstopping performance at the BRITS.
Kanye had a whole raft of collaborators on Violent Crimes (including an unexpected writing credit for the drummer form Pond). But the standout collaborator here is 070 Shake who was signed to Kanye’s label from nowhere and was immediately phenomenal on this album.
The two songs tackle the subject of loss of innocence in two different ways. Lyrically and musically. All of the Lights uses basic chords and a simple, emotional melody. Violent Crimes uses a maze of complex jazz chords. But I think they work together very nicely.
Today’s tab comes courtesy of Nicolas Fingerstyle Ukulele. He has a great channel and I highly recommend checking it out.
This arrangement uses low-G tuning. And it’ll need some readjustments to transfer to high-g. But in either tuning the chord changes are tasty. Particularly bars 17-18 (the fourth row on page 2).
Finishing off this bonus Patreon week with a request from Taras. A fitting request since this week sees the 30th anniversary of Twin Peaks.
Other than some thumb action in bars 27 and 28, I’m using one finger per string picking all the way through. And thanks to the slow pace, it’s mostly easy going.
There are some big stretches in section C. So here’s an alternative version of bars 21 to 24:
It was so sad to hear of the death of Bill Withers last weekend. He always filled with such warmth it’s hard not to love him.
For my little tribute I went with Lean On Me. It has such a strong melody that I kept the arrangement very simple. For the first verse and the choruses I’m picking out the melody with one finger per string picking including some fake strums where the chords and melody intersect. There are also a bunch of supporting chords to keep the tune going that are just strummed in the normal fashion.
The middle section is picked mainly with my index finger. But it’s just one note at a time so you can play it however you like. And then the second verse breaks it down to just the melody (on the E-string) harmonised with thirds (on the g-string).
Starting up the Uke Hunt Patreon has really lit a fire under me to do some tabs. So much so, this is an extra week of tabs to ease the backlog a little. Starting with a request from Patron Daniel who wanted a Lizzobanger.
This arrangement uses a few elements from the SNL version of the tune featuring Celisse Henderson wailing on the guitar. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw her. Celisse is a uker and a Uke Hunt favourite from way back.
Firstly, the arrangement starts off with a lick adapted from Celisse’s intro. And, secondly, the bridge is also follows the SNL version. Other than that, it sticks pretty closely to the original.
A combination of Patreon support and global lockdown has lit a fire under me to work on tabs recently. So next week I’m planning a bonus week of tabs requested by Patrons. So a big thanks to all the backers. Particular thanks go to March’s Tenor backers:
I was inspired to do a version of this Ross Parker and Hughie Charles classic after hearing Sophie Madeleine’s ukulele cover being used as the backing for a COVID-19 video that’s been doing the rounds.
The arrangement isn’t very taxing but there are a few jazz chords you may not be familiar with in there. And there’s plenty of space for you to add your own little runs and ideas if that’s your bag.
Today’s post comes from Brazilian ukulele virtuoso João Tostes. He’s one of the top ukulele players in the world in my estimation. So it’s a huge pleasure to have him on.
When we first discussed this in February it seemed like a great tie-in to do a post with tips on playing ukulele live. Although these tips aren’t immediately applicable right now, there’s still great advice for when things return to normal.
Everything changes when you are in front of the crowd. What do you need to prepare before the stage time? What are good things to do when preparing to perform?
The stage… The place most dreamed of by many, where you can feel butterflies flying around the stomach. Sometimes it seems that it takes a life to prepare and then the stage time just disappear when you’re there.
You have to be well prepared to enjoy and have fun. Small things can’t get in the way of your performance. The jitter, fear and tensions of the moment are enough. Get ready to enjoy every minute!
1) Tune your ukulele
This is not a joke. Once in Vancouver to take JHUI classes with James Hill, there were a social night and some of the ukulele teachers were allowed to play live. My uke was in tune – tuned and double checked – and while going to the stage, somebody hit my ukulele headstock and some strings just lost its tune completely. I tried to get everything in place by ear but the rush with time, noise, nervousness and missing a clip-on tuning (which I had and was just a few meters far from me), rendered me a not-that-good-presentation. It’s subtle, but it’s possible to listen.
So, believe me. Even if you use pedals and have a tuner just under your feet, be sure to have a clip-on tuner on the headstock or even on your pocket. You’ll never know when you’ll need it. Even if you know how to tune by ear – which is great and you can learn it if you still can’t, sometimes you need to hurry up and the noise around you is intense: just use your clip-on tuner, but make sure your ukulele is in tune!
2) Practice and preparation
Know what you’re doing. If you are confident of your skills, your live performance is going to be great. If you are playing a song with two different parts (we call A and B parts), are you prepared to start by the B part? I mean, if you are live on television and they ask you to play 30 seconds of some song you are going to play on stage, are you well prepared to start a song by a different part than the beginning? It’s like playing Bohemian Rhapsody starting from “Mamma mia” part, for instance.
This means that it’s good, it’s really better for you if you master the song, if you really know how to play it and all the details. Make sure there is no stone left unturned while you are studying. Then, practice.
It’s also important to highlight that if you are part of a band or you are joining them to play some song, you better know how to change the key, how to transit between different tones. We never know when a singer is getting sick and need to low the tone. Are you prepared to play all the chords in a different key?
3) Gear
This is a big part of the thing. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, just take a sit. When I talk about the gear, I mean: pickup (or mic), cables, picks, capo, strings, tuner, batteries, pedals or multi effects processors, strap, stand, chair, foot rest, power supply, surge protector power strip, anything you need to be ready.
I know that some of you are purists, or just like to hear the acoustic and pure sound of the ukulele. Sorry to tell you but it’s not that simple: even if you don’t use effects or cables and just want a mic in front of you, believe me, there are lots of details to take care of. Think about the mic position: are you comfortable with your hand position or is the mic something that bother you? Are you used to play just seated? Is it a great chair like yours? Do they have something to help position your legs correctly? And if it’s needed to play standing? Lots of questions to think about. So, let’s talk about some of them!
Pickup: generally, you have the passive and active ones (the actives give you the possibility to change some things, like volume and tone). It’s possible to combine the undersaddle pickup with a microphone inside the ukulele, like Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend (PRO-MAK-MBV) or Double A2U. There are versions of these pickups without the microphone, just with the undersaddle pickup (PRO-MAK-NFV for Fishman and A1U for Double). Also, there is a very nice one called 5.0 (Five-oh) from LR Baggs (this is the one I use in my Ohana Tenor TK-350G). Jake Shimabukuro says that sometimes he needs to put up to 3 t-shirts inside the body of the ukulele to stop noises and things like that, in this case we know that even there is a microphone system inside, it’s not in use. There are other good pickup systems (like Fishman Kula) and some very popular (like UK-300T) which is widely used.
Mic (ukulele): if you don’t have a pickup system installed on your uke, and prefer to use a microphone instead, you have to be sure that the place where you are going to play live offers this condition to you. Normally it is, so it’s good to test before – I mean a good soundcheck.
Mic (voice): of course, if you sing you need this microphone, always remember to maintain your mouth in a place where you can sing and also catch a fleeting glimpse of your uke. I insist you must try it at home with proper sound equipment.
Cables, pedals, power strips and so on: If you use multi effect processors, pedals and things like that, you have to be well prepared and think about your equipment. 1/4 cables are normally offered by people from the sound system, but you might have yours. If you use pedals, it’s normal that you have some patch cables, so in the same way it’s great to always have your own 1/4 cables with you. Also, think you are in a different continent and they use an unknown power supply standard, so be careful and make sure you have your own power strip with some good conversion kit (like international power adapter – travel power strip). Don’t forget backup batteries, when you need them most they will end.
Capo, picks, tuner, backup strings and strap: Remember to carry the small things with you. If you use picks, have some handy in case you drop the one you’re using. Make sure your strap is well set. Again, don’t forget your clip-on tuner and always carry a set of backup strings.
Chair, foot rest, uke stand: If you need a chair, try to know the one you’re going to use before you go to the stage – it’s something that is not easy to carry. Try it while checking the sound, and if you think it’s not comfortable as it should be, you may try to use a foot rest. It’s great to try all those things at home, chairs, stools and so on. Also, if your instrument is going to stay on the stage, consider having a ukulele stand, so it will be safe.
Posture
Here I mean two different things. The first one is related to stage presence, when you are completely surrendered to art and the crowd is able to feel it. Be spontaneous, be the boss of your space, take the stage to you. Let the people watching you know that you are in love doing it, let them feel your love and passion for the ukulele. Enjoy what you do, people will notice it. The second one is about the way you deal with people around. Did you ever had the chance to be close to your idol? What did they say? Would you do or say the same thing? You must take care of your fans and people who appreciate your work and efforts.
Be ready
Be prepared for surprises: a broken string or cable, a requested song, a “one more” song in the end, when they ask for a song you used to play in the past (but you don’t remember it anymore), someone invading the stage, if your mind goes blank, to tell a joke if the moment asks to, think how to start, what to say to the people, how to end your show.
Don’t forget to watch your favorite artists’ performances. There are lots of good live concerts available on YouTube and we have lots of things to learn from them.
Also be sure: it’s not something you’ll learn just here, just now. Use this text to open up your mind and start to search, read, try, buy, test, and loop it until you have a good experience. It’s all about experience, so go for it and enjoy yourself!
