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.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The Parting Glass isn’t Irish at all but a traditional Scottish tune. However, it’s become a firm part of the Irish traditional scene since The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem made it their own. More recently, it’s been covered by Ed Sheeran and cropped up in Assassin’s Creed and The Walking Dead.
The arrangement is in two parts. The first run through the verse is played campanella style (with the notes ringing into each other). Then it’s played in a fuller arrangement with chord backing. Both are one with one finger per string picking.
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I couldn’t let the festive season pass without another addition to my jazz odyssey. This time the Christmas classic written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer in 1953 and made popular by Eartha Kitt.
I used the intro and turnarounds to stretch out a bit and throw in some fancy chords and chromatic notes. I would definitely recommend playing around and coming up with your own ideas for those sections.
The fingerpicking is all over the place. So do whatever feels natural to you.
If you’re interested in more Christmas tabs, check out my Christmas ebooks.
Since immigrants invented the ukulele, it’s only right to have a song celebrating immigrants on here. And what a celebration it is. Idles turned in a barnstorming performance of it in their already legendary Glastonbury set. And, along with Fontaines D.C., have convinced me that punk isn’t dead yet.
Idles are masters of playing with tension and release. The opener on their latest album, Colossus builds tension for four minutes then releases it for a riotous two minutes. Danny Nedelko is more traditional in its structure. The verse, pre-chorus and bridge are just a C chord all the way through with some 7th notes to increase the tension. Then they break into a bright, singalong chorus with the cheesiest chord progression going.
As I mentioned, there’s no getting away from the I’m Yours chords these days. It’s even in the punk songs. But at least Idles mix it up a little. Rather than I V vi IV (C-G-Am-F), it’s I vi V I IV V (C Am G C F G).
I’ve raved about Hitman before on here. But I haven’t given enough praise for how much the music adds to the experience. The music works to subtly differentiate different areas of the maps and set the mood for each one.
This excellent little guitar piece is used to evoke a small Columbian fishing village which is relaxed on the surface but houses a huge drug operation. Similarly, the tune is relaxed and easy-going with a few little hints of darkness peaking through.
Hi, How are you?
Yesterday brought the very sad news of the death of lo-fi legend Daniel Johnston. Johnston was the darling of indie musicians in the 90s. True Love Will Find You in the End alone has been covered by Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco, Spiritualized, Kula Shaker and Jeff Mangum. And now I’ve had a go at it.
I’ve kept my version very simple. I’m only using the top three strings picked thumb and two finger style. The most important thing is to give the melody notes a little extra umph so they stand out against the backing notes.
I owe all y’all an apology. And not just for using the term, “all y’all.” I thought I had posted this tab months ago until someone let me know I hadn’t.
The Zombies’ Odessey & Oracle (which this song comes from) seems to be criminally overlooked. If you’re into psychedelic 60s pop you absolutely have to check it out.
My favourite aspect of this song is the descending chromic line that runs through the chord progression. It starts with the G on the E-string. Then moves down through Gmaj7 and G7 to the open E-string in C6. Then it moves down to the C-string, third fret before dropping to the C-string, second fret for a D7 chord. Then it skips a fret for the open C note on the final C6.
I decided to write up this song after it cropped up in my post on augmented chords. And it quickly became obvious it would have to be a group arrangement. It’s impressively constructed. For most arrangements I can remove a few bits without losing too much. But all the parts here seem essential to the song.
Nothing too challenging in the vocal part (top left of the video). I’m using fingerpicking but you could easily use a pick for the same arrangement. And a pick would help this part stand out if you’re playing in a group.
This is the most challenging part (top right of the video) and uses both fingerpicking and strumming. You fingerpick in the quieter sections and switch to strumming in the loud bits. Tip: if all four strings are played at once it’s strummed, if it’s three or less it’s picked.
My favourite part to play (bottom left of the video). As well as the great lick in the intro, it gives you a chance to rock out on the big chords in bridge section. To fill out the sound, I’ve used different inversions of the chords.
This part (bottom right of the video) starts and ends harmonizing the opening guitar riff. Between that it’s based on the marimba part in the song. Playing the piano riff an octave higher in the bridge and partially following the vocals in the chorus. There’s a lot of empty space in this part. So if you’re playing as part of a group this part could join in with the chords in the bridge section.
I’m playing this part on guitar because my place is too small to contain a bass. But you can play this part exactly as written on bass.
Just to add some percussive sounds I’m playing a uke with all the strings muted. At the start of the verse I use this strumming pattern:
d u D U d u D U
That part drops out for chorus and follows the rhythm of the strummed chords for the big chords in the bridge.
For those – like me – who have no friends, here’s a backing track you can play the melody along with.
The picking starts out very simple. It’s sedately played and uses thumb and two finger picking. Things get a little more complicated for bars 15-22 where I switch to using one finger per string picking (with a quick return to in bars 27 and 28).
The picking gets much more involved in the second chorus. But the chords are the same so you can play them the same as the first chorus. Or mix and match to come up with your own version.
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