A short and sweet one I worked out while watching the New Zealand version of Taskmaster.
The theme is mostly just chords with a few notes picked out. The tricky bit comes right at the end (bars 8-9) that goes way up the fretboard. You can safely chop it short and end the run at the first 12th fret.
After that, I’ve added in the little theme that plays at the start of the tasks.
I recorded this video last year for the anniversary of Scott Hutchison’s death. And I’ve been a little reluctant to get around to the tab as I’m still cut up about it.
The trickiest part of the arrangement comes in the bridge. In this section, I’m trying to combine the guitar riff and the vocals so there are two melodies to keep track of at once. The fretting in some places isn’t intuitive, so check the video if you find yourself getting tangled up.
And be sure to keep a steady tempo when the chorus hits so you don’t do what I did and speed up horrendously.
I must admit, I’d never heard of Agnes Obel until it was requested on Patreon. I looked it up expecting to find a niche artist and found the video had 35 million views. No doubt helped by the long list of TV shows it’s appeared in.
After the opening twiddle, the arrangement starts out with campanella playing. Let these notes ring into each other to build up the sound.
The trickiest bit comes in bar 15 with three open A-string notes played in quick succession. If you’re struggling with that, you can substitute the middle note with the g-string, 2nd fret. Or miss it out entirely.
The only other bits that might throw you are the slight finger-twister in bar 38 and the switch to 3/8 time for bar 42.
John Williams proved he’s still got it with this theme. His best since Harry Potter, in my estimation. Give Sideways’ video a watch for an overview of why.
The theme has three sections. I play the first theme in two different ways. A single-note version in the intro (picked with thumb and two fingers) and a beefed-up version starting in bar 11 (picked one finger per string). This is my favourite section to play. Like the Imperial March, the rhythm alone is powerful and immediately Star Wars-y. And varying the dynamics is very effective.
The second part starts in bar 7 is slower and more stately. It’s also the easiest section to play.
The third part (starting in bar 15) is the most melodic. In the original version, the first theme pops up in the background orchestration. I’ve included this in bar 18. It’s a little tricky to play. If you want to skip it, you can just pluck a few notes from the C5 chord in that bar.
A very obvious choice for the first tab of 2021.
It’s a short and sweet tune from Vampire Weekend’s latest album with a lovely melody and a laid-back solo. The biggest challenge is some rapid melody notes. I’ve dropped a few notes to make it easier to play.
Despite it having over 900 million views on YouTube, I’d never heard this song before it was suggested by Patreon Taras and a surprisingly large number of YouTube commenters.
But it’s a catchy song and has some nice elements to it. I particularly like his vocal bends. So I’ve incorporated those into the arrangement. The trickiest bend is in bar 23. There you’re fretting the C-string, 3rd fret without bending and playing the E-string, 5th fret with a bend. That takes a bit of practice to get right. And I recommend using your middle and ring fingers to bend the string.
A short and sweet one: the theme to the TV show Community a.k.a. At Least It Was Here by The 88. It’s a jaunty little tune that transfers very nicely to uke. The highlight here is the rising chord move of C5-C6-C7 that builds the tension perfectly into the second half of the tune.
The third and final of my tabs from the game The Last of Us Part II.
The piece is unadorned and mournful. It’s an excellent piece for anyone practicing their fingerpicking. It’s nice and slow but there are plenty of switches in the picking pattern to get used to. But all the patterns use one finger per string picking.
The finale of the piece is very intriguing. The original and the tab are both in Gm. But the song ends on Cm7 making the song feel incomplete. I haven’t played the game yet but, since this is the last piece on the soundtrack, I’m guessing that means there’s unfinished business at the end of the game and there will be a Part III.
It’s game day on Uke Hunt. I’m covered music connected to three types of games. Starting with the tabletop hidden-role game One Night Ultimate Werewolf. A game I haven’t played but have spent a lot of time watching charming nerds play while practicing. So inevitably I worked up a version of the song from the game.
As I understand it, the tune uses tracks form the Logic Pro library. So you might recognise elements from elsewhere.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
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Part two of Game Day and this time it’s a song from the video game Pyre suggested by patron Xavier. I’m using a capo on the 4th fret to keep it in the same key as the original. But there’s no reason you can’t play it without one if you prefer.
The arrangement has three main sections. It starts with just the melody. I’m using one finger per string picking here but you can pick it in whatever way suits you. The second section adds chord backing to the melody. I would recommend using one finger per string picking here but you could use thumb strumming. The final section has the C-string plucked and a strum with a few little twiddles. I’m using whatever finger comes to hand here so go hog wild.
Buy the song
Buy the game
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