Ukulele Hunt

Tag: 70s

  • Patti Smith – Because the Night (Tabs)

    Patti Smith – Because the Night (Tab)Download

    Intro: The intro is the most challenging part to get down. But it’s a nifty picking pattern that could come in useful in many places. So it’s well worth learning.

    Verse: The fingerpicked verse is simple. Just a bit of sliding around to deal with.

    Pre-Chorus: Switch to using strums to build into the chorus. The biggest problem I had here was memorising the chords. They shift around rather than repeating exactly.

    Chorus: The chorus is fun to play. You can really bash out the chords.

    This arrangement uses just the end of the guitar solo from the original (bars 31 and 32) to build into the bridge.

    Bridge: More chord bashing in the bridge. The song’s Springsteen origin really becomes obvious here.

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  • Pink Floyd – Time (Tabs)

    Pink Floyd – Time (Tab)Download

    Pink Floyd’s Time is a real epic so I’ve done the most un-Pink Floyd thing of all time and shortened the song by trimming the solo and cutting out the more atmospheric parts.

    Intro: Starting off with the ticking sound. Made by muting the strings high up the neck and plucking close to the bridge. Then a lick to lead into the verse.

    Verse: This section is forceful and confrontational so keep the chords short and stabby.

    Chorus: The chorus switches from the brooding G minor section to a blissed out Ebmaj7. Let the chords ring out in this section to match the mood.

    Solo: I’ve changed this considerably from the original. So feel free to make changes for your version. I’m using the G minor pentatonic for the solo plus the occasional A note.

    Outro: The outro throws in a few curve balls. It throws in a Gb and modulates to Bb. Then ending on a glum sounding Ebm – E – Cm.

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  • Creedence Clearwater Revival/Wednesday – Bad Moon Rising (Tabs)

    Creedence Clearwater Revival/Wednesday – Bad Moon Rising (Tab)Download

    We’re kicking off Halloween season with CCR’s Bad Moon Rising. For extra spook, I’ve worked from the minor key version of the song that cropped up in Wednesday. I always like the way dark songs sound on the uke. So this minor version works well.

    I’m using Travis picking all the way through the tune. So the thumb is alternating between the g- and C-strings while the index and middle fingers cover the E- and A-strings, respectively. This technique sounds intricate and hard to play. But, once you’ve got it under your fingers, it flows very easily. So practice nice and slow before you attempt it at higher speed.

    If you’re in the mood, you can find more Halloween tabs and chords here

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  • Minnie Riperton – Lovin’ You (Tabs)

    Minnie Riperton – Lovin’ You (Tabs)Download

    Today we’re taking on Minnie Riperton’s sweet lullaby and notoriously bad karaoke choice Lovin’ You.

    I’ve kept the arrangement sparse to match the original and to focus on the melody. But it’s still a challenge to play due to the amount of movement up and down the neck. The trickiest bits being the jumps up to the 12th fret. I found bar 19 particularly challenging.

    Of course, Minnie Riperton’s famed vocal range far outstrips the range of the ukulele. So the ultra-high “ah-ah-ah…” section is shifted down an octave.

    It’s played with one finger per string picking all the way through.

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  • Don McLean – American Pie (Tabs)

    Don McLean – American Pie (Tab)Download

    Inevitably, I’ve trimmed this one down from its 8 1/2 minute runtime. This arrangement includes the opening slow verse, then speeds up for the first chorus, then speeds up again for the second verse and chorus.

    There’s nothing too tricky to play until the second half of the second verse. As well as the increased tempo, there’s a lot of jumping up and down the neck to handle.

    But the hardest part for me was memorising the verses. The chorus has a very catchy melody and a clear chord structure. But the verses are meandering and wordy. The chord progression never settles into a pattern. And even changes slightly between the two verses.

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  • Billy Joel – Piano Man (Tabs)

    Billy Joel – Piano Man (Tab)Download

    Intro: The song kicks off with a couple of jazz licks that are completely unrelated to the rest of the song. But do sound cool. It’s fine to drop those if you’re not into it. Or adjust it to your taste.

    That leads into the intro proper. I’ve changed this up a bit from the original. And I’ve shortened it since the original is 30 seconds in before the verse starts.

    Verse: The verse is nice and straightforward. It’s all contained in the first few frets and uses familiar chord shapes. Be aware that the open g-string at the start åof bar 19 is a melody note, so make sure it stands out.

    Pre-Chorus: Switching to strums for the build up to the chorus. I didn’t find a nice way to play the melody and the descending notes at the same time. So I sacrificed the melody and just hinted at it with the hammer-ons on the E-string.

    Chorus: Almost identical to the melody in the verse. But it’s beefed up with a bunch of strumming.

    Solo: The trickiest part of the song. There are some quick runs that use campanella picking and a bit of quick movement up the neck. There’s room for changing things here. But I wouldn’t move away from the original too much as it has a strong melodic sense to it.

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  • Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen in Love (Tabs)

    Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen in Love (Tab)Download

    Intro: Well worth learning the opening even if you don’t bother with the rest of it. It’s the easiest part of the song.

    Verse: Here’s where things get tricky. A lot of quick alternate picking to deal with. Make sure you’re fretting the E-string with you pinky for the G minor chord in bar 11. That’ll mean you’re in position for the quick hammer-on and pull-off between bars 12 and 13.

    Chorus: The trickiest part of the song comes in the transition between the Ab and the Eb. You can make it easier by releasing the Ab chord rather than letting it ring. That’ll give you time to prepare your index finger on the A-string, 1st fret.

    Break: Just the second half of the intro played a few times. Build up the volume here to increase the pull back to the chorus.

    Outro: A key change right at the end. Which does make it trickier to play. The upside is you can just slow it down and call it ritardando and people will think you’re fancy.

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  • Stealers Wheel – Stuck in the Middle with You (Tabs)

    Stealers Wheel – Stuck in the Middle with You (Tab)Download

    Stuck in the Middle with You is just strumming almost all the way through. Just a bit of fingerpicking on the “please-e-e-e-e-ease” bits and in the solo.

    And the fretting hand isn’t too much of a challenge either. There’s a fair amount of bouncing up and down the neck but it’s set against the open g and C strings for most of the song. The solo is a little challenging, but you’re free to change that up to suit your own playing.

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  • Monty Python – Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Tabs)

    Monty Python – Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Tab)Download

    Diving into 2025 with some wildly unjustifiable optimism in the shape of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

    Intro: Lots of jumping around the neck in the section. But it’s slow and loose, so it’s not too challenging.

    Chorus: The tempo ramps up here and we switch to swing time. This bit is my favourite part to play. It has a nice flow to it on ukulele. Lots of use of the g-string in the melody.

    Verse: Similar to the intro, but the increased tempo makes it much harder to play. I’ve simplified much of it to make it easier. Particularly bar 19 where I’ve dropped the chords entirely. If you fancy a challenge, you could play this like bar 3.

    Outro: There’s a key change here, so you’re playing the chorus in D. It is more difficult to play in this key. So you could play the chorus again in C and no one would notice or care.

    I’ve tacked on an “have a banana” outro at the end as a nod to the song’s musical hall style.

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  • The Clash – I Fought the Law (Tabs)

    The Clash – I Fought the Law (Tab)Download

    I Fought the Law was originally recorded by The Crickets after the death of Buddy Holly. The Bobby Fuller Four had a big hit with it later in the 60s. Then The Clash recorded the definitive version. And it’s The Clash version I based this arrangement on.

    Most of this arrangement is very easy. It’s just strumming out basic chords. For the single open-C strings notes the first crop up in bar 11 (where they lyrics say “and the”), I’m strumming all the strings while muting the g-string with my thumb and the E and A-strings with my fingers. If you prefer, you can just play these with fingerpicking the C-string alone. But that does lose a bit of the energy of the song.

    Things only get tricky in the solo section. But even then, it’s not exactly a finger-twister.

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