Lazy River Uke

72 – Another Way To Learn Basic Chords

2011-08-11T23:33:00.002-04:00

In this post: Learn basic chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I'm baaaaack. Sorry to be away so long. My saxophone trio, the Winded Jammers, has kept me busy. We've had a bunch of concerts lately and have expanded our group to five by adding a bass guitar and bongos. I'm looking to expand our capabilities, which has gotten me back to the uke and the tenor banjo. I'm looking into amplifying a uke, or getting one already setup, such as a solid body Eleuke.

Meanwhile, I came across an idea on the Banjo Hangout forum. The author of the post explained his methodology for learning chords when he was starting out. I like it because the sequence is fun to play. Basically, he played a I-VI-II-V-I major chord progression and a I-vi-ii-V-I major/minor chord progression. For example, this would give you sequences like:

Major:

G – E7 – A7 – D7 – G
C – A7 – D7 – G7 – C
F – D7 – G7 – C7 – F
Bb – G7 – C7 – F7 – Bb

Major/minor:

G – Em7 – Am7 – D7 – G
C – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 – C
F – Dm7 – Gm7 – C7 – F
Bb – Gm7 – Cm7 – F7 – Bb

Eventually you would want to start in all 12 keys. You can use the circle of fifths to figure out the remaining sequences.

Later

71 - Year One

2010-06-24T14:17:00.002-04:00

In this post: Time to play outside

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

We just passed the one-year anniversary of Lazy River Uke. It’s been a fun-filled and eventful year. More to the point, though is that it reminds me of my theme - Lazy River - and the time of year that it recalls, which is NOW. This is the time to take your uke outside and let your music play on the gentle breezes of summer. The uke is one instrument you can do this with and not run the risk of alienating your neighbors. (If I were to take my saxophone outside I’d hear about it soon enough!)

If you have a friend or family member who plays the harmonica or ocarina and can join you, so much the better. These three instruments seem made for being out in nature, especially warm nature. (BTW - if you live in the southern hemisphere, just set this aside for November.)

Every year a neighbor of ours who just recently retired from show biz, sets up a tent in his back yard and invites the neighbors over for an amateur hour or two. It’s great fun and turns up surprising talent in unexpected places. This year my wife and I are considering a uke-harmonica duet. The operative word here is “considering.” First she has to learn the harmonica. Then we have to pick a simple tune or two. That part should be easy enough. I guess she could always whistle instead. The uke sure is versatile!

Later,
-- Al

70 - The Fine Art Of Visualization

2010-05-26T12:19:00.002-04:00

In this post: Practice by using visulaization

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

MANY years ago, while bedridden with pneumonia and frustrated in the knowledge that I was missing the start of basketball practice in my sophomore year of high school, I recalled having read about Jim Thorpe, the great American/Indian athlete. He made visualization a routine part of his practice. While others were knocking themselves out with physical practice, he was sitting there imagining himself running races, pole vaulting, high jumping and so forth. (That’s not to say he didn’t also practice the physical side of things.)

Being bedridden with time on my hands, I began imagining myself shooting layups left-handed (I’m right-handed, of course). Amazingly, when I finally made it back onto the court weeks later, I discovered I was able to shoot layups left-handed, smoothly and successfully.

I’ve only occasionally applied this technique to my music, and am now wondering why I don’t do it more often. I have plenty of challenging passages to deal with in my community band endeavors, and the one time I tried visualization things seemed to improve. I read through all the numbers we had to play for a given concert, imaging myself actually playing them and paying particular attention to the phrasing and timing (a couple of weak areas for me). When it came time to actually perform, I found myself much more confidant and familiar with the music.

Visualization is especially useful at those times when you want to practice but don’t dare for fear of waking a sleeping child or spouse. Basically, it’s a matter of running through in your mind what the chord sequences are, what the strum pattern is, and so forth. If you can’t remember a certain passage, get out the instrument and finger the chords or step through a single-note sequence till you can remember it.

Visualization is also a great way to deal with those awkward phrases and difficult fingering sequences. You can work through a phrase, paying particular attention to the notes without being distracted by actually having to play them as well. Count them out and then feel the phrase.

With difficult fingering sequences you can train your fingerings by using your mind. Ultimately you want to get your fingers to know what to do without having to think too much. Visualization gets your mind on board so that when the time comes to play, your mind is not getting in the way. It already knows what’s going on.

Give visualization a try. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Later,
-- Al

69 - Some Play-Along Songs

2010-05-13T09:37:00.007-04:00

In this post: Wabash Cannonball, Uncloudy Day

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

In post “67 – Two’s Company” I announced my new Lazy River Ocarina blog, suggesting the ocarina was a good companion to the uke. The lessons there have advanced enough to where we can now exchange some easy, traditional songs. First up are Wabash Cannonball and Uncloudy Day.

Wabash Cannonball

Wabash Cannonball dates to 1882 and has since been recorded variously with different titles and words. The Wiki has a good, though brief, history plus lyrics. Here are the lyrics below from my Bluegrass Fakebook.

From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore
From the green & rolling mountains to the South down along the shore
She’s mighty tall and handsome, she’s known quite well by all
A regular combination on the Wabash Cannonball

She came down from Birmingham one cold December day
As she rolled into the station, you could hear all the people say
There’s a girl from Tennessee, she’s long and she’s tall
She came down from Birmingham on the Wabash Cannonball

Our Eastern states are dandy, so the people always say
From New York to St. Louis and Chicago by the way
From the hills of Minnesota where the rippling waters fall
No changes can be taken on the Wabash Cannonball

Here’s to Daddy Claxton, may his name forever stand
And always be remembered round the courts of Alabam
His Earthly race is over and the curtains round him fall
We’ll carry him home to victory on the Wabash Cannonball

Listen to the jingle, the rumble, and the roar
As she glides along the woodlands through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobo’s call
As she rambles across the country on the Wabash Cannonball

Uncloudy Day

Uncloudy Day (aka Unclouded Day) dates to c1880 and is attributed to Josiah K. Alwood. The lyrics here are from Willie Nelson’s recording.

They tell me of a home far beyond the skies
And they tell me of a home far away
They tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
They tell me of an unclouded day

Chorus
The land of cloudless days
The land of an unclouded sky
They tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
They tell me of an unclouded day

They tell me of a home where my friends have gone
And they tell me of that land far away
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day

[chorus]

They tell me of the King in His beauty there
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on a throne that is whiter than snow
In the city that is made of gold

[chorus]

They tell me that He smiles on His children there
And His smile drives their sorrows away
And they tell me that no tears ever come again
In that lovely land of unclouded day

[chorus]

BTW - These songs fit nicely within the range of the alto recorder in case you prefer the recorder to the ocarina.

Later,
-- Al

68 – For The Record

2010-04-20T16:07:00.004-04:00

In this post: Voice recorder for monitoring progress

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

How do I sound? Am I playing better today than I was six months ago? Why not try recording yourself at various stages along the way to monitor your progress? With today’s technology nothing could be simpler.

If you have a tape recorder around or maybe a boom box with cassette recording capability, you can use that. Recently I bought a digital voice recorder with the idea of having something readily available – because it is so small and portable – to record musical ideas (tunes) that I think up. Quality of sound was less important in my mind than portability and ready availability.

I was pleasantly shocked to discover this little Sony digital recorder of mine has outstanding recording capabilities. I recorded an entire nightclub type concert given by the Latin-African fusion band my sax teacher plays in. I thought surely the loudness would kill any hopes of a decent recording, but I wanted it for my teacher, who uses such recordings to monitor the band’s progress and look for areas in the performance that could use modification. The end result was a very credible recording, made simply by placing the recorder on a bunched handkerchief on the table. With the accompanying editing software I was able to convert the files to MP3 and even audio CD for playing on any CD player.

My specific model is Sony ICD-PX720. Staples doesn’t list it now, but I bought it there for less than $60 a few months ago. Amazon has listings for it as low as $46.42. There are other makes and models, of course. Just look for voice recorder. (There are also higher-level music recording devices as well. Zoom is one manufacturer to consider.)

The reason I chose the Sony was its large storage capacity. I had tried recording an earlier concert for my teacher, using his music recorder, and ran out of storage capacity before the last two numbers were played.

Later,
-- Al

67 – Two's Company

2010-04-19T14:21:00.002-04:00

In this post: Playing with others

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Playing my ukulele is fun, but playing with other people can be even more fun. When two or more people are playing the uke, there are ways to make things more interesting than having everyone play exactly the same way. For example, why not have one part pluck the melody while another part strums the chords? Or have one person play the rhythm at twice the speed of the other? You can also have one person take the lead for a section while the other plays quietly or even stops or only plays one strum per measure. If one person has a baritone, this will add depth to the rendition by expanding the tonal range.

Here’s a really radical idea. Why not add another different, but compatible instrument to the mix? I’m thinking of another relatively quiet instrument like the harmonica, recorder, xaphoon or ocarina. I’ve played recorders on and off through the years since I was a kid, though in recent years I have not. I’ve also tinkered with harmonicas of various sorts – diatonic, tremolo, chromatic – and most recently have gotten interested in the ocarina. This latest interest was inspired by a YouTube video that featured the Ohana Vita uke I wrote about in my last post together with an ocarina. It’s the same person playing both. Have a listen. I think you’ll see/hear why I became interested.

Never one to do anything halfway, I’ve started a new blog, similar to this one, featuring my learning adventures with the ocarina. Please join me there at Lazy River Ocarina blog.

BTW – this (the uke) blog will continue. I still love playing the uke, especially my new Ohana.

Later,
-- Al

66 – Is It The Shape?

2010-04-02T22:40:00.006-04:00

In this post: Ohana Vita CKP-70

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I have to admit I love the vita (aka teardrop or pear) ukulele shape. I’ve been tempted to get a vita uke for quite awhile and recently decided to go for it. I bought the Ohana CKP-70 concert vita with solid spruce top and mahogany sides and back. It’s every bit as good sounding as advertised. To be fair, I don’t have much to compare it with other than my standard shape concert by Oscar Schmidt and a banjo uke by Waverly Street Design. It’s impossible to compare a banjo uke with any standard uke, so that leaves me with my Oscar Schmidt OU2 concert and the various instruments I’ve plucked at the local music store. Still, for me the Ohana is a definite winner by it’s clear, pleasant, strong sound. It also has a great finish, though I worry less about that than I do sound quality. Mine has a slight blemish in the spruce coloration, which led to a nice discount.

What intrigues me is the shape. It was first made famous by legendary guitar/uke player Roy Smeck, whose name appears on the design marketed by Wonder. Is there something inherent in the vita shape that produces these great sound qualities? If so, why aren’t all ukes shaped this way? Also, why doesn’t Ohana make them in anything but concert size? If anyone out there has answers or even theories, I’d be interested to know them.

Before any sharp-eyed observer asks, the Ohana vita is listed and model-numbered as a concert instrument (i.e., the C in the model number makes it a concert instrument), but it only has 12 frets like a soprano instrument. I don’t know why the discrepancy, although it may be the shape gives the body a concert size sound while limiting the length of the fret board to that of a soprano. I don’t really know, but the fret board length does explain why some sellers like Elderly Instruments list it as a soprano.

Later,
-- Al

65 – Need More Songs?

2010-03-12T17:11:00.002-05:00

In this post: Source for chords and lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

If you find the lyrics with chords format useful, you will be interested in Guitarguy's website. It has a huge amount of songs listed by decade and title. You can copy paste the chords and lyrics into a word processor and print out the song.

If you like the illustrated chords I have been using, refer to my post 47 - Ukepix.

The conversion process is very easy.

Later,
-- Al

64 – More Stompin'

2010-02-20T20:11:00.007-05:00

In this post: Darktown Strutters' Ball words and chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

As long as I'm on a stompin' kick, I might as well add an early favorite: "Darktown Strutters' Ball" written in 1917 by Shelton Brooks.

Rhapsody has over 100 recordings by Pete Fountain, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Eddie Condon, George Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Goodman, Turk Murphy, Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller, Original Dixieland Band, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey and others.

YouTube has recordings by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Les Paul & Mary Ford, and others. Add "ukulele" to your YouTube search to find renditions on the uke.

In my rendition here, which is from an old fakebook, I've simplified the D7 chord because I like the sound better than the common version.

Later,
-- Al

63 – Salute to New Orleans

2010-02-12T11:53:00.004-05:00

In this post: "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans"

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

While the joy in New Orleans still reverberates as the city celebrates its first Super Bowl victory, let's have a rousing song celebrating New Orleans's past: "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans," first published in 1922, when it made its debut in the Broadway musical "Spice of 1922." Music was by Joe Turner Layton, Jr. and lyrics by Henry Creamer.

Rhapsody lists 139 recordings, including ones by Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Leadbelly, Harry Connick, Jr., Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Glenn Miller, Bennie Goodman and Paul Whiteman. You'll find some of those plus others at YouTube.

The rendition below is in cut time in the key of G. Don't be cowed by the Bm7, Bm, F#, Bm sequences. They're really quite easy once you give them a try. Just use a bar fingering on all of these chords.

Later,
-- Al

62 – Write Myself A Letter

2010-02-05T14:55:00.008-05:00

In this post: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" has been a favorite song of mine since I first heard it the 1950s. It had already been recorded numerous times by then, having been written in 1935 by Fred E. Ahlert with lyrics by Joe Young.

Some of the better known recordings were made by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Fats Waller, Nat "King" Cole, Barry Manilow, Dean Martin, Shakin' Stevens, Scatman Crothers, Gregory Isaacs, Willie Nelson, Bill Haley & His Comets, Billy Williams, George Lewis, and Sean Moyses. The latter should be of special interest here since Sean plays jazz banjo style on a plectrum (4-string) banjo. This style has a lot in common with the ukulele.

There are numerous recordings at YouTube, the most appropriate (that I noticed) for the ukulele player being the one by LStrachey.

Here are the words and chords:

Later,
-- Al

61 – In A Shanty

2010-01-03T13:42:00.004-05:00

In this post: In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Happy New Year!!!!

Here's an old favorite of mine: "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town" by Ira Schuster and Jack Little with lyrics by Joe Young (see the Wiki ). It was first published in 1932, but I first heard it in 1956 when a recording by Somethin' Smith and the Redheads made the pop charts. I had a 45 RPM recording of it that I pretty nearly wore out. It has a nice cheerful bounce and seems perfect for an instrument like the ukulele. I found the lyrics and chords in an old jazz fake book. The tempo is 3/4 time. Search YouTube for other renditions

Later,
-- Al

60 – Stardust

2009-12-09T12:54:00.006-05:00

In this post: Stardust: Words and chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I recently was given a fake book from the late '40s-early '50s. It has nearly 450 songs in it, each with a melody line, words and chords. I hope to post some of these here.

My first posting is one of my all-time favorite songs, Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael in 1927. I used Ukepix (see post 47 - Ukepix) to create the chord pix above the words. One thing to note is that where I have the augmented C chord (C aug), the book calls for an augmented C7 (C+7). Ukepix didn't recognize this chord in any of the ways I tried to write it, so I simply went with the augmented C. You can play an augmented C7 by dropping the first string third fret to first string first fret.

There are a number of renditions of Stardust on Rhapsody, including tracks by Willie Nelson, Louis Armstrong, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and Hoagy himself. The song is almost always played slowly with the melody line supported by sustained chords. Since the uke is not capable of this the way an organ is, my suggeston is to play Stardust using arpeggios. Stardust is written with four quarter notes to a measure, but in cut time, which means each quarter note is like an eighth note.

Later,
-- Al

59 – Finger Nail Tremolo

2009-11-17T13:41:00.005-05:00

In this post: Play tremolo with your finger nail

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

One of the things I like about the uke is that you can play it without flat picks or finger picks. Some people do use picks, but you don’t have to. Those who like to play tremolo a lot can make some sort of case for the use of picks, but I’m going to try to make the case for playing tremolo without a pick.

You don’t hear tremolo that much on the uke, but you do hear it a lot on tenor banjo and mandolin. The idea behind tremolo is that many stringed instruments – uke, banjo, and mandolin in particular – don’t have a long sustain. That is, a note once played dies out quickly. Playing tremolo, which is a rapid down-up strumming of the same note, keeps the note alive for an extended period of time because you are striking the note repeatedly rather than just once.

I had seen a demonstration of using your finger nail in place of a pick for playing tremolo, but have had some difficulty in actually doing it. I’m happy to say that I finally have it working for me, at least in a preliminary sort of way, and can say that the method does work, but that it may take some time to get the hang of. Here’s how it works.

First, put your thumb and index finger together as though you were holding a pick (i.e., crossed). Do not squeeze or pinch. Just touch the two tips in crosswise fashion. (You don’t actually need the thumb, but it is nice to have as a steadying influence.)

Next stroke the string downward with your finger nail – start with the first string – very lightly. Do not move your finger very far. Move just enough the pick the string.

Now stroke upwards, just picking the string with you finger tip. Again, do this very lightly and move the finger just enough to do the job.

Your strumming motion should be with the wrist, never the arm. The finger/hand relationship should remain constant. Do not try to just flick the string with you finger without turning your wrist.

Start strumming slowly. I really mean slowly. Don’t even think of doing this rapidly until you are comfortable with the motion.

Don’t try to make a lot of noise. Just strum softly and easily. Do not tighten your finger, hand or wrist. Just do it easy. Keep the thumb in contact with the finger, but just barely.

If you’re like me, you will have to come back to this on numerous occasions before everything clicks. Once it does click, you will be all set to play notes rapidly on all strings and with a strong sound. You will also discover that this method of strumming can be used with different rhythms, taking it well beyond the basic tremolo.

Later,
-- Al

58 – Just For Fun

2009-10-08T21:41:00.005-04:00

In this post: The Box-A-Lele Company

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

With schools cutting back on the arts, it may be that the only way your kids can get some music in school is to have a lunch box that doubles as a ukulele. If so, The Box-A-Lele Company in San Francisco has just the thing for you. It really IS a lunch box that doubles as a ukulele. It's called a LunchBox-A-LeLe. They also have CigarBox-A-LeLes, WoodBox-A-LeLes and TinBox-A-LeLes. They have a big range of very cool designs. In fact, they will even make a cigar box uke for you using your own cigar box. If you want to buy or just plain smile, check out their web site.

How well do they play? Check out the sample tracks on the web site. Don't expect them to sound like classic Martins. They do, however, sound like ukes, and if you you take it all in the spirit in which it's intended, you should have a lot of fun with them.

Later,
-- Al

57 – Big Bend Gal In C

2009-10-03T13:55:00.007-04:00

In this post: A simple tune in C

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

If you’ve been practicing the C scale on your uke you are probably getting tired of it and looking for something more interesting. Here’s a simple, traditional song that will give you some good practice reading notation and translating the notes to your uke. I’ve omitted the tab this time but I did place the open string number in key places just as a reference.

If you’re playing the baritone, the notation below will be easier and has the appropriate string references noted.

Big Bend Gal is a simple song that shows you can have a good melody without being complicated. It basically goes up the scale and down again. If something sounds out of kilter, either I’ve made a mistake in the notation or you’ve played the wrong note.

Later,
-- Al

56 – Notes For The Baritone

2009-09-29T23:14:00.003-04:00

In this post: Reading standard notation on the baritone uke

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

For all you baritone uke and Chicago-tuned banjo players (and that includes me), I’ve translated post 55 – By The Notes to account for the baritone’s different tuning from the standard ukulele. This tuning is DGBE with the D being tuned low. The standard uke us tuned gCEA with the g being tuned an octave higher than one would expect. For those familiar with the circle of fifths (see 36 – Circle Of Fifths), going from standard to baritone is simply a matter of moving each string pitch clockwise one position and dropping an octave. This is useful to know when dealing with chords, which we will get in due time – right after we come to grips with knowing where the notes are and how to recognize them when they are written in standard music notation.

As with the standard uke, the best place to begin is with the C scale. Doing so with the baritone is less convenient than with the standard uke because we don’t get to a C until the first fret of the 2nd string (unless we go way up the fretboard on the 3rd and 4th strings). The octave of this 1st C is then on the 8th fret of the 1st string. I’ve shown the full scale in the score and tab (in black), but in my practicing I focus on the notes that belong to the C scale (up and down) that are reachable within the first 5 frets (blue D through black A). At some point we will want to learn the notes going all the way up the fretboard on all strings, but this belongs to a subject we call “positions,” and properly comes later on.

Later,
-- Al

55 – By The Notes

2009-09-28T15:39:00.006-04:00

In this post: Reading music "proper"

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

How many times have you thought “If only I had the tab or the chords to such and such song?” It should go without saying that many more songs would be “available” to us if we knew how to read music “proper” as they say. It’s really not that hard, but it does take a bit of focus to learn the principles and a bit of practice to make things second nature.

I have a head start in this since I played violin for six years as a kid and more recently I have been studying saxophone. I bought a 5-string banjo a year ago and a ukulele last winter. So far I have NOT attempted to read standard music notation with the banjo and uke, but I am now ready to go. Just for consistency, I tuned my banjo (and the tenor banjo I just bought) to the same tuning as a baritone uke, which is similar to standard uke except the baritone is pitched a fourth lower and is normally tuned with a low 4th string rather than high.

Enough already. Let’s get on with it!

First, I’m not going to try to explain all that’s involved in standard music notation. There are books and websites on the subject. What I will do is make the bridge between the uke and a standard musical score.

I think the best thing to do is begin by identifying the notes of the C scale on the instrument and the score. These will serve as benchmarks. The sharps and flats are then easy, because they are just one fret one way or the other.

The standard uke is tuned very conveniently for learning the C scale. The 3rd string (the one that’s third UP from the BOTTOM when you are holding the instrument in normal right-handed playing position) just happens to be C. This is the first note (root) of the scale. Play the remaining notes up to the next higher C (the octave) as shown. Play this sequence up and down repeatedly until you remember it. (Remember when you were a kid and learned the times tables? This is the same idea. Do it repeatedly and pay attention.) Notice also the interval patterns. Try to form a mental picture of the string/fret combinations. Soon you will be able to go up and down the scale without looking. Then you will be ready for simple tunes in the key of C with no sharps or flats (called accidentals). Next time we’ll deal with them.

Here’s the C scale in standard notation and corresponding tab.

The 4th string is a special case since it’s normally tuned an octave higher than one would expect. Here’s how it plays out (pun intended). The low tuning is shown in blue.

I have limited drawing facilities, so I didn’t bother drawing in the clef at the start of the score. In both cases it would be the standard treble clef. I also haven’t bothered to discern whether or not the scale is positioned properly. In reality it may be playing an octave higher than shown. It’s often the case that high-pitched instruments are presented lower as a matter of convenience. What I’ve shown is in accordance with other published ukulele scores.

Don’t worry about chords yet. We’ll get to them.

Later,
-- Al

54 – Extending The Family

2009-09-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

In this post: Baritone uke; plectrum and tenor banjos; tenor guitar

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Most ukesters know the ukulele family includes the Sopranino, Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone sizes. All but the last are typically tuned GCEA. The baritone is tuned a fourth lower: DGBE.

What more is there? The obvious answer is the Banjo Uke or Banjolele, as it is often called. These are tuned like the common uke.

But there’s more. I include the plectrum banjo, tenor banjo and tenor guitar. Here’s my thinking.

The Plectrum Banjo is a 5-string banjo with the 5th string removed, by design or by act of its owner (my case). Like most banjos, there are many ways to tune the plectrum banjo, but the common way is DGBD. All you have to do is raise the first string to E and you have the baritone uke tuning of DGBE. In the banjo world, this is known as Chicago tuning.

Unlike the plectrum banjo, which evolved from the 5-string to fill a need for jazz musicians who wanted to use the instrument as part of the rhythm section of a dance band (as opposed to the traditional picking styles), the Tenor Banjo was designed flat out as a 4-string instrument with the intent of making it easy for mandolin players to move to the banjo, but with similar end purpose to the plectrum banjo. Thus the instrument is commonly tuned like a viola or violin/mandolin. The viola tuning is CGDE; the violin/mandolin tuning is GDAE. You can easily tune the tenor banjo in Chicago style, DGBE; again, the same as the baritone uke. If you do this, you will want to investigate the strings to use. There are lots of opinions on this at the various banjo forums.

One more option is the Tenor Guitar, which also can be tuned like the baritone uke. An introduction to tenor banjo and tenor guitar can be found on this YouTube video.

One thing to bear in mind about the baritone uke is that it is tuned like the top four strings of the guitar. Now, suddenly, we have tied our humble uke to banjos and guitars, If we get to know the circle of fifths, as I keep advocating, learning the baritone uke (and thus the other instruments mentioned) chords is relatively simple if you already know the ukulele chords. For example, from the circle of fifths we can read a partial sequence of neighboring scales/chords as:

F C G D A E and so on

Any chord in common (GCEA) uke tuning is now the chord to the right (clockwise on the circle) on the baritone uke. Thus:

Common --> Baritone

F --> C
C --> G
G --> D
D --> A
A --> E
E --> B

and so on. Also, you can put a capo on the fifth fret of a baritone- or Chicago-tuned instrument and have the common ukulele tuning.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have a 5-string banjo. I began to learn it 6 months before I picked up the uke. Recently I began thinking I’d like to play jazz on my uke and banjo. In the case of the banjo, it led me to investigate 4-string versions. I don’t have a tenor, but hope to try one before long. The plectrum, however, proved an easy conversion – just raising the first string one full interval – and is working out nicely. The chord formations are exactly the same as the common uke, only renamed as mentioned. I also tried the plectrum banjo using the common plectrum tuning. I find the Chicago tuning easier to play, so am planning to pursue that avenue. I hope also to get a baritone uke at some point. This will give me “stepping stones” in the form of Concert Uke, Banjolele, Baritone Uke, Plectrum Banjo. By stepping stones I’m referring to an evolution of tone and loudness. This gives me a lot of options.

For more on 4-string banjos, visit the Jazz Banjo web site. There is a baritone uke forum at ezFolk Forums.

Later,
-- Al

53 – All In The Numbers

2009-09-11T17:35:00.005-04:00

In this post: Generic notation of notes and chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Do you sometimes get tired of saying something like “If we take the C scale, for example, we can [fill in whatever general concept you have in mind]”? In the movie “The Sound of Music” we heard the classic way of speaking generally about notes in a scale: Do, re, me, so, fa, la, ti, do. Somewhere along the line I learned that system, though I don’t recall when or where. I certainly have never used the system nor was I ever encouraged to do so. Musicians generally prefer to use numbers to refer to the notes in a scale, numbering each note in sequence: one, two, three, four, etc.

Aside from being able to speak about principles in a generic way, numbering the notes of the scale enables us to easily learn a tune or a riff in one key – the generic numeral key – and apply it to any specific key. This takes a bit of getting used to, but it forms a flexible way of knowing our music.

I first learned this from my saxophone teacher, but it applies to all instruments. (If you play the harmonica, you are probably already doing something like this, though your numbers are those above the holes in your instrument and are not exactly what I’m referring to here). As an exercise, try writing out the notes to a simple song, such as “Row, Row Your Boat” or “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” (You did get some music manuscript paper as I’ve been advising, right?)

Taking the last note of the song as the key signature, and thus the first note of the scale (this isn’t always true, but it most likely is for any common, simple song such as I’ve suggested here), identify that note as ONE. Now go back and figure out the numbers for all the other notes. Write out your song in the following manner (I’m just making up things here; this is not a real song):

5 5 6 3 2 1
5 5 6 3 2 5
5 5 6 3 2 1
1 2 3 2 3 1

If you have to go to the next octave for a particular note, put horizontal line above the number. When your sequence comes back down to the original octave, put a line below the note that takes you there. Similarly, if you go below the original octave, put a line below the note that takes you there and when you return to the original octave put a line above the that note.

If you encounter an accidental (an in-between note not in the basic scale), add a plus or a minus after the number to indicate it is raised or lowered by half an interval.

Now see if you can play the tune, using your numerical score, in several different keys, such as C, G and F for starters.

The same idea applies when working with chords rather than notes. With chords we use Roman numerals instead of Arabic numerals. If the chord is major, the Roman numerals are capped; if minor they are lower case. If the chord is something more exotic, add the appropriate indicators such as 7 or 6 or whatever. This way we can identify a sequence, for example, something like:

I IV V7
I IV V7
I IV V7 IV I

(Again, I just put out some chords to show what it looks like.) Now try playing in different key signatures. Example:

Key of C:

C F G7
C F G7
C F G7 F C

Key of G:

G C D7
G C D7
G C D7 C G

If you are having trouble recognizing the jump from key to key, get to know the circle of fifths, discussed in post 36 - Circle of Fifths. If you are at all serious about music, sooner or later you will want to know the circle of fifths. I learned it by practicing scales on my sax, taking a different scale each day, going around the circle in sequence.

Later,
-- Al

52 – Getting To Know You

2009-09-02T13:16:00.002-04:00

In this post: Ukulele clubs/societies

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I think it’s axiomatic that any hobby is more enjoyable when shared with others. I suppose it’s possible that someone may disagree with me. No matter. Today I’m talking about ukulele clubs. When it comes to sharing a hobby with others, participating in a group such as a ukulele club is a great way to do it. I say this as someone who doesn’t have a ukulele club nearby, but someone who has played in a community band for the past three years.

Our band is open to any one who can read music and play a chromatic scale on a band instrument. Ukulele clubs have even less restrictive requirements, being open to virtually every one. Our band has no dues; ditto for most ukulele clubs. We play half our concerts at nursing homes and extended care facilities and retirement communities. The same can be said more or less for uke clubs.

I love playing for our less mobile seniors. Not because I’m getting there myself or because they are less likely to be critical of my less-than-perfect performance, but because I know it means a lot to our audiences. It revives memories for them, provides relief from what in many cases is a boring day, and gives the gift of music.

I began looking on the web for ukulele clubs and societies to see what others were doing and where they were located. My searches were slow to turn up even the clubs I was aware of, so I began to hope there would be a comprehensive listing somewhere. I finally hit the jackpot: the Ukulele Clubs Around the World web site.

Ukulele Clubs Around the World is maintained by Curt Sheller Publications of Pottstown, PA. Naturally you are going to see an offering of Sheller publications focused on music, but you are also going to see a listing of links to clubs around the world, by country and, in the US by state. There are also articles on starting a club, listings on learning the uke, and instructions for adding/updating a club listing. If your club is not listed, do yourself and others a favor and add it to the list. There are still plenty of states not identified in the listing – either because there are no clubs in these states or because no one has added them to the list.

Some of the things I’ve noticed about the club web sites that I’ve looked at – and that’s a relatively small amount of what’s available – is that clubs usually meet once or twice a month on a given day. Some meet on weeknights; others on weekends. Most have no dues, but sometimes it is necessary to rent a room for gathering/rehearsing. These can be at nursing home facilities or schools or town facilities as examples. I know in my area it is possible to use public rooms made available free at shopping malls. Most clubs have collections of easy-to-play music available to the members and often to the public online. Some club web sites have forums.

Of course a “club” can be only two people: you and your spouse or sibling or friend. It doesn’t have to be a formal entity, though from what I can see, the formal ones are not all that formal. Mostly clubs of any kind are about sharing an interest, and that’s one of the great things one can do with music.

Just for fun, here’s the Vermont Ukulele Society rehearsing for a gig.

Later,
-- Al

51 – Relative Minor

2009-08-31T12:14:00.006-04:00

In this post: Relative minor scales and chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

No, I don’t have any relatives who are minors nor do I consider any of my relatives to be minor. Relative minor is a musical term referring to a minor scale that has the same key signature as a specific major scale. The difference between the two scales is the starting point, or root. (That has implications about the makeup of the scale, particularly in the arrangement of full and half intervals. See my post 25 - Scales: The Foundation.) The relative minor scale begins on the sixth note of the major scale, thus the relative minor of the C major scale is the A minor scale.

This has some practical application. First, I’ve noticed that often a song has a minor chord where one might otherwise use a major chord. It adds some color and may even be following the melody. This is not just any minor chord. Usually it’s the relative minor chord.

Reviewing our basic chords, remember that a major chord is built of the first, third and fifth notes of the scale bearing its name. For example, the C major chord is built with C, E and G. If we substitute the sixth for the fifth (A for G) we have the relative minor chord, bearing the name of that sixth, in this case Am.

In theory this is very simple. Whenever we want to add a little minor color, just substitute the relative minor chord for the major. In practice this requires us to learn to identity of each major scale’s relative minor, or learn the composition of each major and minor chord. Both are useful. You don’t have to learn these things all at once, but over time they are well worth learning.

Here are the 12 scales and their relative minors. They can also be gotten from most representations of the circle of fifths. Major scales are capped; minor scales are lower case.

C: a
F: d
Bb: g
Eb: c
Ab: f
Db: bb
Gb/F#: eb/d#
B: g#
E: C#
A: f#
D: b
G: e

Here’s another way of looking at the relative minor chord and some other chords in context.

1 – 2 – 3 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 = generic scale
C – D – E F – G – A – B = C major scale

C - - - E - - G - - - - = C major chord
C - - - E - - - - A - - = relative minor chord
C - - - E - - G - A - - = C6 chord
C - - - E - - G - - Bb- = C7 chord
C - - - E - - G - - - B = Cmaj7 chord

C - - Eb- - - G - - - - = Cm chord

Notice that the relative minor chord replaces the fifth (G); the C6, C7 and Cmaj7 chords retain the fifth.

I’ve separated the C minor (Cm) chord for a reason. The Cm is arrived at from the C minor scale, which is the relative minor of the Eb major scale, not the C major scale. When a minor scale has the same root as a major scale, it is said to be the parallel minor. The difference between major and minor scale having the same root is that the minor scale has a flatted third and flatted sixth. Compare the following sets, including the differences between the generic scales.

1 – 2 3 - 4 – 5 6 - 7 = generic minor scale
C – D Eb- F – G Ab– B = C minor scale

1 – 2 – 3 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 = generic major scale
C – D – E F – G – A – B = C major scale

The Cm chord, just like a major chord, is constructed of the first, third and fifth of its root scale. Thus Cm is C, Eb, G. Have I contradicted myself? No. The Am chord is constructed of the first, third and fifth notes of the A minor scale, not the C scale. That’s why it’s a relative minor to the C scale, not parallel minor. I showed it initially in context of the C scale just to show how it relates to the other C chords and why it can often be substituted for the major of which it is the minor.

Later,
-- Al

50 – Playing Tips

2009-08-26T14:19:00.002-04:00

In this post: Playing tips; Kepasa Ukes

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

So far I haven't said anything about how to hold the ukulele or given any other playing tips. That's because I hadn't come across any and, like most people beginners, I was/am winging it. I'm happy to say I just recently discovered Kevin Crossett's Uketalk website, which is loaded with good things ukulele including a forum, music, interviews, reviews, and more.

Most importantly for this post is the Ukelele Playing Tips page. It provides basic, but valuable information such as how to hold the instrument to get the best sound. It works!

Kevin has another web site, Kepasa. That's where he displays and sells his handmade ukuleles. They are well worth looking at.

Later,
-- Al

49 – This Land Is Your Land, Expanded

2009-08-24T21:49:00.006-04:00

In this post: This Land Is Your Land expanded version, expanded tab

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Back in post 18 - Campfie Songs Ia I gave a simple tab for This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. Here's the same tab with an expanded second part.

Later,
-- Al

48 – What We've Learned, Part 2

2009-08-22T14:28:00.007-04:00

In this post: What we've learned, part 2

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

In post 24 – What We’ve Learned I gave a brief summary of key points from posts 1-23. Here are the key points from posts 25-47.

Basic Music: Scales. Post 25 – Scales: The Foundation and post http://lazyriveruke.blogspot.com/2009/07/26-one-more-thing-about-scales.html talked about the structure of common, everyday scales. There are lots more scales to go over in the future. Stay tuned.

Song: Bill Bailey. Post 26 – Bill Bailey provides the words and chords to the traditional song Bill Bailey. This is a popular traditional jazz song that is also sometimes played as a march. There have been many popular recordings of Bill Bailey, including those by Turk Murphy and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Basic Music: Beats and Rhythm. Post 29 – And the Beat Goes On and post 30 – Get Rhythm present basic concepts for newcomers to music.

Song: Freight Train. Post 31 – Freight Train provides the words and chords for Freight Train, a popular song written by Libba Cotton c1905. Peter, Paul & Mary and others have made popular recordings of Freight Train.

Basic Music: Chords. Post 32 – Chords describes chord fundamentals. This is a continuation of the previous Basic Music posts, but is more advanced. There is a lot more that can and will be said about chords in the future.

Early Music on the Uke. Post 33 – An Eye Opener calls attention to the beautiful early music played, arranged and being composed by Jamie Holding.

Practice Routines. Post 34 – Practice, Practice, Practice is not a ticket to Carnegie Hall (though who knows?). It’s some thoughts on practicing with a purpose.

Basic Music: Circle of Fifths. Post 36 – Circle of Fifths describes this great invention that belongs in the tool box of any serious musician.

Basic Music: Strumming Techniques. Post 37 – Your Mileage May Vary presents some basic strumming techniques.

Song: John Henry. Post 38 – John Henry provides the words and chords for the traditional railroad song John Henry. It also gives some tips on strumming and adding a few picks.

Basic Music: Bum-Ditty. Borrowing from the banjo, we present post 41 – Bum-Ditty: Pete Seeger Style and post 42 – Bum-Ditty: Clawhammer Style. These are two ways to play a popular pick/strum rhythm.

Song: Take This Hammer. Post 43 – Take This Hammer presents words and chords for Take This Hammer, a traditional prisoner’s song.

Song in 3/4 Time: Amazing Grace. Post 44 – 3/4 Time: Amazing Grace presents words and chords for Amazing Grace, one of the most popular songs of all time. Numerous performers have recorded renditions. This post doubles as a presentation of 3/4 time and gives some strumming tips.

Song in 6/8 Time: Greensleeves. Post 45 – 6/8 Time: Greensleeves presents words and chords for Greensleeves, a song that goes WAY back. This post doubles as a presentation of 6/8 time and gives some strumming tips.

Notation: Ukepix. Post 47 – Ukepix describes a neat freeware DOS utility for turning letter designations for chords into standard chord diagrams.

Later,
-- Al

47 – Ukepix

2009-08-19T12:09:00.016-04:00

In this post: Ukepix: a nifty songwriting utility

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Ukepix by Jerry Dallal is a nifty DOS utility that converts text chord notation to graphic chord diagrams. The bad news is that it’s in DOS, works only on a PC, and requires another piece of software to complete the process unless you have a PostScript printer. The good news is that it’s free, the additional software is free and it’s all very easy to use once you get the procedure down.

Here’s a make believe song, MYSONG, I set up in Word and saved as a .txt file:

MYSONG

  G                      C
I sing this song, I sing this song,
     D7
It's not very long,
     G
It's not very long.

And here’s the final rendition in Adobe Acrobat format (I took a screen shot of the full page and then clipped a portion for this graphic).

Here’s what you need to do.

Get the Software

Ukepix is free for Windows. You can get it from Jerry’s website.

Ukepix produces .ps (PostScript) files, which are printer files for use with PostScript printers. I haven’t had a PostScript printer attached to my PC in many years. So I – and I suspect most of you – need to convert the .ps files into .pdf (Portable Document File), better known as Adobe Acrobat files.

There are several free converters on the web that can do this, including:

OpenForge PDFCreator and PrimoPDF

Get Set Up

Ukepix comes as a .zip file. It expands to its own folder, which can be placed anywhere. This is a DOS program, so it’s exempt from all the Windows falderal concerning registry. Do your conversions within this folder.

Here is the expanded Ukepix folder, which I named UKEPIX.

The PDF converters will expand to their own directory. Just be sure to have a shortcut available somewhere that’s convenient, like in the Ukepix folder.

Basic Procedure

1. Create your chords and lyrics file in Word or whatever word processor you like and save the file as Text Only. I tried creating directly in Notepad and ended up with a misaligned conversion, so stick with a word processor.

2. Drag the .txt file over the UKEPIX icon. You should get a .ps version of the file inside the UKEPIX folder.

NOTE: To take full advantage of Ukepix’s capabilities, open Ukepix first and follow the steps that I’ll give later.

3. Open the .ps file with your converter and save/convert the file to .pdf (Acrobat) format. The resulting .pdf file can be opened, read and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

NOTE: The exact terminology, etc., depends on which converter you are using. If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you don’t need the converter because Acrobat has it built in. If you only have the free Acrobat Reader (that’s most people), you need the converter.

Here is the UKEPIX folder after these steps have taken place for the make believe song (MYSONG) I showed before.

Expanded Ukepix Procedure

In order to take advantage of Ukepix’s full capabilities, use this procedure.

1. Open the UKEPIX program (i.e., double-click the UKEPIX icon). A DOS dialog opens.

NOTE: Each question requires an answer (i.e., typed input followed by pressing the Enter key)

2. Answer each question, including:

Input file name with a .txt extension (note DOS naming rules)
Output file name with a .ps extension (note DOS naming rules)
Tuning
Number of steps to transpose (optional, but must make an entry)
Print or not print numbers under chord diagram
Scaling factor

The onscreen instructions pretty much explain what the choices are. If uncertain, try something and redo it if you don’t like the result. Here’s the completed dialog.

Once you have answered the last question and pressed Enter, the dialog disappears and Ukepix creates the .ps file as before.

3. Complete the .ps to .pdf converson as before.

Tips

Here are a few things I discovered while using the program.

1. The process renders a page that has only a nominal left side margin regardless of what margins you used with your Word Processor. My recommendation is to set the left margin on your word processor to 0.5” and then add 10 spaces to the start if each line.

2. I recommend using Courier New Bold as a font. I tried Verdana and didn’t get a conversion. There may have been some other factor involved, but as far as I’m concerned Courier New Bold is the way to go.

3. Make sure any line that has chord designations in it has ONLY proper chord designations. I had one line with C followed by (C7) as an alternate and the line did not convert to chord diagrams.

4. The size font you use has no bearing on the final product. Use the Scaling function in the dialog to control that. Also, it turns out that you can use a percentage greater than 100, even though the implication is that you can’t.

Final Page

Here’s a sample page made using the above procedures.

Later,
-- Al

46 – Presto!

2009-08-18T10:21:00.004-04:00

In this post: We're back on line

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Yee-hah! Ride 'em cowboy! I can't believe it. After four days of Internet "service" that was soooooooo slow I couldn't send anything without the system timing out, Verizon has us back on line at speeds I've never seen before. I have no explanation for it and they haven't yet called to say the problem has been officially fixed, though they promised twice that they would. If we continue to go at current speeds, I won't complain if they never call.

I can tell you it is frustrating to be unable to communicate in what has become the normal manner - using the Internet. If I didn't live in the sticks I would have been able to take my laptop to a coffee shop and gotten online that way; but I don't and that's the way of it. Meanwhile I got lots of non-computer things done - for a change - and I have to admit it was nice to be able to do something besides work at the computer.

I suppose Presto could lead into a discussion of Italian lingo regarding music notation. But why? Anyone can look it up on the Internet - assuming they have access - or visit their local big-time bookseller - you know, the kind that has a reading area and attached coffee lounge. That, of course, assumes you have access to one. The little book on reading music that I'm looking at right now has so many Italian indications that I wouldn't know where to begin other than to say adagio = slow, andante = walking pace, allegro = fast and presto = very fast. Prestissimo means as fast as possible. I don't think I'll ever get to that unless we mean as fast as possible FOR ME (or Verizon DSL).

Later,
-- Al

45 – 6/8 Time: Greensleeves

2009-08-14T08:54:00.010-04:00

In this post: 6/8 time; Greensleeves chords and Lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I thought finding a familiar song in 6/8 time would be relatively easy. Not so. It’s a popular time signature for marches and Irish jigs, and has a very interesting structure, but I couldn’t find a single example in my bluegrass fake book (admittedly I went through it quickly). At last I found one in “Song Fest.” It’s the ever-popular Greensleeves.

The interesting thing about 6/8 time is that it’s basically a doubling of 3/4 time, giving you two strong beats divided into three sub-beats. Thus you count ONE two three, FOUR five six; ONE two three, FOUR five six. The sub-beats are like triplets. For fast pieces, like marches, we usually take it in two, counting one two; one two.

My strum in 6/8 time is just like the 3/4 strum I gave in post 44, except I repeat the first one two three as four five six. For Greensleeves, though, I’m inclined to use an arpeggio picking style as follows:

1. Using thumb, pick third (C) string; count ONE

2. Using index finger, pick up on first (A) string; count two

3. Using thumb, pick second string (E); count three

4. Using index finger, pick up on first string; count four

5. Using thumb, pick second string; count five

6. Using index finger, pick up on forst string; count six

Here is the first verse, chorus and chords for Greensleeves. There are more verses readily available on the Internet. You may notice this is the first time I’ve included chord illustrations. These are made easy by a freeware program called Ukepix and an open source PostScript converter named PDFCreator. I’ll have more to say about them and the process of conversion in my next post.

Note that the Em chord can also be played with an open fourth (G) string).

Later,
-- Al

44 – 3/4 Time: Amazing Grace

2009-08-13T14:05:00.003-04:00

In this post: 3/4 time; Amazing Grace chords and lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

So far every song I’ve detailed has been in 2/4 or 4/4 time. Now for something in 3/4. It’s Amazing Grace, one of my favorite songs.

When playing in 3/4 time, think waltz: ONE two three, ONE two three, ONE two three, gliding around the dance floor. You don’t have to go to such extremes with Amazing Grace since it’s usually played or sung more slowly and deliberately. Still, you need to get the one-two-three rhythm in your mind and in your body.

Here’s an easy way to play 3/4 time:

1. Using the thumb, pick down on the fourth (G) string; count ONE
2. Using the first finger, pick up on one of the first three strings OR brush up across all strings; count two
3. Using the first finger, brush down over all strings; count three

One trick to keep in mind is when playing the down stroke (step 3), bring the thumb to a rest on the fourth string a la clawhammer style while your brushing down with the first finger. This way the thumb is ready to go for the next cycle.

Here are the chords and lyrics. This is more challenging than anything I’ve posted so far, but it shouldn’t be that difficult if you’ve been playing the earlier songs. First practice the simple waltz rhythm, then practice getting the D chord (I use a single finger to catch strings 2-3-4 on the second fret) and the Em chord. Take it slowly.

Note that the “A” (first line)in the first line and “I” in the third line are on beat 3. I play the “A” with a thumb pick on the third string, then follow with beat one thumb pick on the fourth string. Because of the re-entrant tuning, the first two notes match the tune and are D and G. I play the “I” (third line) with an up brush.

AMAZING GRACE

       G        G7          C           G
-- A | mazing | grace how | sweet the | sound -
                 A7            D      D7
that | saved a | wretch like | me - | -
       G          G7         C         G
- I | once was | lost but | now I'm | found -
      Em          D       G
was | blind but | now I | see |

Depending on the source, the complete lyrics vary. Here’s a set that purports to be the original.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, spoils, and snares
I have already come
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun

The full story of Amazing Grace’s author, John Newton, is often told incorrectly. Here are a few links to check out:

Amazing Grace: The Story of John Newton

Wikipedia

Later,
-- Al

43 – Take This Hammer

2009-08-12T09:58:00.000-04:00

In this post: Take This Hammer chords and lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

This is a well-known song of prisoners breaking rocks on the chain gang. The Wikipedia provides some history. I play the song in 2/4 time with four strokes to the beat and counting one-ee-and-uh, two-ee-and-uh as follows:

Beat 1

1. Using the thumb, pick down on one of the lower three strings; count one
2. Using the first finger, pick up on the first (A) string; count ee
3. Using the first finger, brush down over all strings; count and
4. Using the first finger, pick up on the first string; count uh

Beat 2

1. Using the thumb, pick down on one of the lower three strings; count two
2. Using the first finger, pick up on the first (A) string; count ee
3. Using the first finger, brush down over all strings; count and
4. Using the first finger, pick up on the first string; count uh

Here’s the basic version. There are various sets of lyrics around. I’ve only included the better known. The double dash indicates a rest. If you want to be adventurous, try finger-picking the first three notes of the first three lines corresponding to “Take this ham-.”

TAKE THIS HAMMER
               G                              D7
-- Take this | hammer, | -- carry it to the | captain|
               D7                             G
-- Take this | hammer, | -- carry it to the | captain|
               G7                             C
-- Take this | hammer, | -- carry it to the | captain|
                  G          D7             G
-- Tell him I'm | gone, | -- tell him I'm | gone |

If he ask you, was I runnin'
If he ask you, was I runnin'
If he ask you, was I runnin'
Tell him I's flyin', tell him I's flyin'

If he ask you, was I laughin'
If he ask you, was I laughin'
If he ask you, was I laughin'
Tell him I's cryin', tell him I's cryin'

I don't want no cold iron shackles
I don't want no cold iron shackles
I don't want no cold iron shackles
Around my leg, around my leg

Later,
-- Al

42 - Bum-Ditty: Clawhammer Style

2009-08-11T10:54:00.002-04:00

In this post: Bum-ditty, clawhammer style

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

The clawhammer style of picking is one worth investigating. You may end up loving it or you may end up not caring for it. In any event, it’s worth investigating because it forms the basis for a melodic style. In case you’re wondering, this style is also referred to as frailing and down picking. There are those who make a fine distinction between clawhammer and frailing, but for most people the terms are interchangeable.

Bum-ditty clawhammer is an extension or enhancement to the basic clawhammer style. Think of the clawhammer style as a down stroke with the first or middle finger (I find the middle finger works best) ending with the thumb coming to rest momentarily on the fourth string (fifth if you’re playing the banjo) and immediately bouncing off the string and picking it at the same time. The basic count is one two, one two.

Adding in the bum-ditty we change the count to one two-and, one two-and. The and is still the thumb part as above, but the two is a downward brush stroke, this time catching all the strings.

The two essential ingredients in any clawhammer style are 1) the way in which the hand, thumb and index finger are held (see the various references) and, 2) the down stroke with the thumb stopping at the low string and bouncing back off (general upward direction) with a pick. This takes practice, practice, practice. But first, have a look at the references and study the one(s) you like.

General Reference

Wikipedia

Banjo References

Intro to Clawhammer Banjo (YouTube video)

Rocket Science Banjo (free book download)

The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo (free book download)

Ukulele References

LocoRoco Clawhammer Ukulele Tutorial part 1 (YouTube video)

Locoroco Clawhammer Ukulele Tutorial Part 2 (YouTube video)

Clawhammer ukulele lesson 1- Aaron Keim (YouTube video)

Clawhammer ukulele lesson 2- Aaron Keim (YouTube video)

Note Aaron Keim’s up picking on the first stroke. I wonder if this should be called Seeger style. The downward brush stroke, however, is clawhammer style.

Later,
-- Al

41 – Bum-Ditty: Pete Seeger Style

2009-08-10T10:53:00.006-04:00

In this post: Bum-ditty, Pete Seeger style

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Beginning banjo players usually are introduced to the Pete Seeger bum-ditty strum right off. The name and the idea go back to Seeger’s “How to play the 5-string Banjo,” which was first published in 1948.

The bum-ditty rhythm isn’t all that unusual or complicated, and there a number of ways to play it. I’m going to mention Seeger’s method first.

The rhythm is exactly like it sounds: bum-ditty, bum-ditty, bum-ditty, bum-ditty, and so on. In counting, it’s one two-and, one two-and, one two-and, one two-and. In music notation the one is a quarter note and the two-and represents a pair of eighth notes. You could also represent them as an eighth note and a pair of sixteenth notes, which is what I've shown below.

The variations are in the playing, such as the choice of fingers. Seeger’s method is as follows:

1. Using the first (index) finger, pick upward on the first (A) string. This is the ONE count.
2. Using the (your choice: first finger, second finger, third finger or first three fingers) brush downward over all strings. This is the TWO count.
3. Using the thumb, pick downward on the fourth (G) string. This is the AND count.

Here’s a measure in tab.

A - - X - - X - - - - - X - - X - - - - - |
E - - | - - X - - - - - | - - X - - - - - |
C - - | - - X - - - - - | - - X - - - - - |
g - - | - - X - - X - - | - - X - - X - - |
      |     |_____|     |     |_____|
      |_____|_____|     |_____|_____|
     Bum Dit – ty    Bum Dit - ty
      I     B     T     I     B     T

I = Index finger
B = Brush
T = Thumb

The strum takes a bit of practice. Once you get it down as described, try it with different chords. After that, try varying the string you pick in step 1.

The bum-ditty gives a nice bounce to your rhythm. You can try it with some simple folk songs at first, but you will soon find it can be used with a variety of songs.

One reason bum-ditty is used so much with the 5-string banjo is that the thumb keeps hitting the fifth (short) string, which is essentially a drone. The fifth string doesn’t figure into the various chords. It’s a constant pitch and it’s also re-entrant. That is, it’s pitched an octave higher than you would normally expect. The combination of drone and re-entrant tuning gives the banjo its characteristic ring.

The ukulele doesn’t have a drone or a fifth string, but the fourth string is normally re-entrant, so you at least have part of the banjo formula.

As I’ve found with playing the banjo, the bum-ditty rhythm and strum give you good opportunities for picking out melodies. The bum-ditty is the base upon which you build. You don’t have to religiously play every stroke according to the formula above. You can replace specific strokes with sequential picking. I usually use the first finger unless it involves the low string(s).

Other Variations

Bum-ditty appears in at least two other forms. One is the clawhammer banjo style, which can be adapted to the ukulele; and the other is a variation Seeger learned in his travels from Bascom Lamar Lumsford. The clawhammer syle deserves a special article in its own right. The Lumsford style can quickly be described as brushing upward in step 2 instead of downward. Lumsford’s style is sometimes referred to as Up-picking whereas the clawhammer style is referred to as Down-picking. I’ll cover clawhammer in another post.

Later,
-- Al

40 – Try Before You Buy

2009-08-08T23:24:00.002-04:00

In this post: Try before you buy

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Through the years I’ve purchased many things through the mail or over the Internet. Usually I research them, comparing specs and reading reviews by professionals and everyday consumers. For the most part I come out OK, but there are also times when I thank my lucky stars that I tried the product in person. Such an occasion happened today when I stopped in at my friendly local stringed I instrument shop to chat with the owner. It was here that I first got interested in ukuleles last March.

I had in the back of my mind getting a Fluke some day, but wasn’t certain that this would be the day. I had a credit coming from the consignment sale he had just completed of my mandolin. I wanted to see what else he had, maybe even something old and exotic. One thing I knew for sure was that my next uke would be good sounding.

He had several models of Fluke on display, including his own (not for sale), which he had been using for a number of years and said was his favorite uke. I tried it and really liked the sound AND the way it handled. I had read comments that the Fluke was awkward to hold. I didn’t find that to be the case. In talking with him, I discovered that it was a tenor fluke I was holding – not a concert, which is what I would have purchased if I simply gone online. He had a concert Fluke for me to try by comparison and it was clear that the concert was not right for me. It just seemed too short and imbalanced. The tenor was just right.

So … I will soon be bringing home a mango tenor Fluke. It was only by happenstance that I had a chance to try the different versions. It was a good lesson. Always try it out in person if at all possible. Barring that, be sure you can return the item. It’s well worth the extra effort of driving to a store and may help save you from a costly mistake.

Later,
-- Al

39 – Aloha From Sunny New England. Say What?

2009-08-06T12:23:00.002-04:00

In this post: A mild musing

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

No lesson today, just a mild musing.

This is my 69th summer on planet Earth, all of them in the Northeast USA, and this is by far the darkest and the wettest I can remember. Of course I don’t remember the first few, but they were during World War II, so I’m glad not to have remembered them.

This year the lawns are lush, everything is green. The apples are small, the skeeters are big, the peach crop is damaged and ticks are in great supply.

Usually by now we would have had a week of temps in the 90s, the lawns would be turning brown, and the reservoirs getting low. Not this year.

I can’t help but think how fortunate it is that this is the year, by coincidence or by deep subconscious foresight, I decided to take up the ukulele and bring this cheery little instrument from sunny Hawaii into my life in New England.

Aloha from sunny New England! Good cheer to all.

Later,
-- Al

38 - John Henry

2009-08-03T13:45:00.004-04:00

In this post: John Henry chords and lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here’s another classic American folk song. It dates back to the days of feverish 19th century railroad building in the US and pits man against machine. Though it’s hard to distinguish between the man and the legend, there was an actual event involving man vs. machine in 1887. You can read more about it at the Wikipedia.

A simple search of the web turns up countless verses and versions of the song. I’ve included the verses here that I’m familiar with. These are in the vein of Pete Seeger’s recordings. Just a few of the recordings I was able to at find Rhapsody include those by:

Pete Seeger
The Limeliters
Ralph Stanley
Lead Belly
Mike & Peggy Seeger
Flatt & Scruggs
Doc Watson
Bill Monroe
Bruse Springsteen
Josh White
Big Bill Bronzy
Ramsey Lewis
Paul Robeson

The chords are easy enough and the rhythm is a basic 4/4. I use a down-up-down-up style with a thumb pick on the first down stroke and the index finger for the remaining strokes. The last stroke is also a pick and the second stroke can be a pick on the first string or a partial strum on the first two strings.

Note that on the third line I show a C chord with a C7 in parentheses. That means you have a choice. The C is the expected chord; the C7 is a little funky, but I like it.

You can spice things up a bit by picking a 3-note run at the start of each of the first three lines (Well John ..., He was ..., and Well he ...). For the first two, you are playing the G chord. Pick in succession:

C string 2nd fret
C string 4th fret (add pinky for this note)
E string 3rd fret

Except for the pinky, your fingers are already in place.

For the third run, use the same as above. Here you are playing D7 and are in the process of switching to G. This works quite easily.

JOHN HENRY
(Traditional)
          G
-- When John | Henry | was a | lit-tle ba-by boy |
                           D7
He was | sit-tin' on his | pa-pa's | knee |
        G                             C (C7)
-- Well he | picked up a | ham-mer | and a lit-tle |
                         G
piece of steel | say-in' ham-mer's gon-na |
D7                G
be the death | of me, Lord | Lord |
D7                                   G
Ham-mer's gon-na be the | death of | me. |

More verses:

The captain said to John Henry
I'm gonna bring that steam drill around
I'm gonna bring that steam drill out on the job
I'm gonna whup that steel on down

John Henry told his captain
Lord a man ain't nothing but a man
But before I'd let your steam drill beat me down
I'd die with a hammer in my hand

John Henry said to his shaker
Shaker why don't you sing
Because I'm swinging thirty pounds from my hips on down
Just listen to that cold steel ring

Now the captain said to John Henry
I believe that mountain's caving in
John Henry said right back to the captain
Ain't nothing but my hammer sucking wind

Now the man that invented the steam drill
He thought he was mighty fine
But John Henry drove fifteen feet
The steam drill only made nine

John Henry hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, it broke his poor heart
And he laid down his hammer and he died

Now John Henry had a little woman
Her name was Polly Anne
John Henry took sick and had to go to bed
Polly Anne drove steel like a man

John Henry had a little baby
You could hold him in the palm of your hand
And the last words I heard that poor boy say
My daddy was a steel driving man

So every Monday morning
When the blue birds begin to sing
You can hear John Henry a mile or more
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring

Later,
-- Al

37 – Your Mileage May Vary

2009-08-02T15:07:00.005-04:00

In this post: Down Up Down Up

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Although I may have studied other instruments and spent some time studying music, I’m still a beginner at the ukulele. Developing strums and picking styles is not something that comes without effort – and I’m still making that effort. I did spend some time with the 5-string banjo before trying the uke, so I have encountered different approaches to strumming and picking. Here’s what’s working for me so far.

Down Up Down Up

This simple stroke is perhaps the easiest to learn and work with and is one you can get a lot of mileage from. At least it has been for me. In the graphic below I’ve shown two different rhythms and three different tabs, though the first two tabs are nearly the same as each other. You can also vary the tempo and try different rhythms to gain even more variety. All are Down Up Down Up.

Rhythms. The first rhythm, i, is a straight, even stream of eighth notes. Assuming 4/4 time, they’re counted 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. The second rhythm, ii, holds the beat a bit longer than an eighth, and shortens the and. (This is counted 1 uh 2 uh 3 uh 4 uh.) A variation on this is the swing beat, which is commonly written as straight eighths but played as though each pair of eighths were actually three notes (i.e., triplets) in which the first two of the three are treated as a single note and the third is treated as a single note half the length of the first. This is nearly the same as ii except that the ratio of first to second notes is 2:1 instead of 3:1. These distinctions are worth practicing.

Tabs. The first tab, A, is played by picking down with the thumb, picking up with the first (index) finger, strumming down with the first finger, and picking up with the first finger. In other words, the first finger does most of the work.

The second tab, B, is essentially the same as the first except that the first up stroke with the first finger catches the first two strings instead of just the first string. This gives a subtle difference from the first.

The third tab, C, is entirely picked, alternating the thumb and first finger.

Putting These To Use

I’ve used all of the above strums/picks with the songs I’ve given tabs or lead sheets for in previous posts. Sometimes I combine two in the same song, For example, you could start a song softly or easily with C and then shift into A or B as you pick up the loudness or tempo. You could even shift back and forth for different parts of the song.

Experimenting with these variations will help you see what works best for a given song. I use A very rapidly (i) with Freight Train, B with a swing beat for Bill Bailey, and C/B and ii with Time’s A-Getting’ Hard.

Later,
-- Al

36 – Circle Of Fifths

2009-07-31T16:52:00.004-04:00

In this post: Circle of fifths

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

And now, finally, the circle of fifths!!! This is really cool. I’ve been wanting to talk about it for quite awhile, but felt I needed to lay the groundwork first. For many the groundwork was unnecessary, but for absolute beginners it WAS necessary.

I guess the circle of fifths could be best described as an organizing tool, but it’s one that is indispensable if you want to become creative in your arranging and improvising or even if you just want to get a better handle on the relationships among chords and scales.

The circle of fifths – also called the circle of fourths (more on this later) – is usually presented as a clock-like circle. You may remember those pre-digital-era clocks. The ones with the two hands and the numbers arranged around the perimeter beginning with 12 at the top and proceeding to the right with 1, 2, 3, and so on. The circle of fifths also has 12 positions, the top center being C. Moving around to the right we have G, D, A, E, B, F#. Moving left around the circle from C we have F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb. Note that F# and Gb are coincident at the 6 o’clock position and are, in fact, the same except for nomenclature.

The method in our madness in creating this circle is that if we begin with the C scale and count the notes, beginning with C=1, the fifth note is G. That’s our first position to the right of C. If we count up to the fifth note in the G scale we come to D. That’s our second position to the right of C. We can keep doing this and eventually produce the remaining E, A, B, etc. Thus the name “circle of fifths.”

Now, if we start at C and count up to the 4th note, we arrive at F. That’s the first position to the left of C. If we continue in this vein we produce F, Bb, Eb, and so on. Each new position in the counter-clockwise direction is the fourth. Thus we can also call this the “circle of fourths.”

Key Signatures

Here are some of the things we can learn or see in the circle of fifths. Going clockwise from C, we increase the number of sharps in the scale by 1 for each increment. Thus the G scale has 1 sharp, the D scale has 2 sharps, the A scale has 3 sharps and so on till we reach 6 at the scale of F#. Going counterclockwise from C, we increase the number of flats with each increment. Thus F has 1 flat, Bb has 2, Eb has 3 and so on till we reach 6 at the Gb scale.

There are various tricks we can use to remember the sequence. I like the BEAD sequence, which is in order for the flats, but in reverse for the sharps.

Transposition

The circle is also helpful in transposing chords. Let’s say a given piece has a chord sequence of C, F, G7, C. We can change this sequence to any other sequence by retaining the relative positions of the chords. In other words, we could move everything one step clockwise and change the sequence to G, C, D7, G. We would still have the same relative chord structure.

The Rule of Neighbors

This is a rule of thumb, but you can readily see that if we pick a chord on the circle and call it the root (I) chord, the next chord counterclockwise is the subdominant (IV) chord. The next chord clockwise from the root is the dominant (V) chord. Most traditional songs include the I and likely the IV and often the V and/or the V7 chords. If you are playing at a campfire sing along and someone starts singing, you can catch up by finding the note at the end of the song and assigning that to the root. (Most songs end on the root note/chord.) Then call to mind the IV and V and you will likely have most or all of the song. There are, of course, hundreds of chords out there, but you can really think of them as major, minor, seventh and a whole lot of variations that often are just the movement of a finger or two by one fret. These “other” chords add spice and color to a piece, but generally are not the foundation chords of a piece.

Resolution of 7ths

Seventh chords are great because they are attractive and stimulating. They are also somewhat unstable and want to be resolved. On the circle of fifths, a 7th chord (represented by its name position without the 7) resolves to the next chord in counterclockwise direction. Thus G7 resolves to C. You can also resolve a 7th to a 7th to a 7th, etc., ending finally with a major (or minor). For example, we can have D7, G7, C7, F7, Bb.

There are probably other things you can do with the circle of fifths, but that’s it for now. You can learn more about it at the Wikipedia.

I left off the minor scales here because the diagram is necessarily small without the clutter of more information. But the relative minor of C is Am. Continuing clockwise we have Em, Bm and so on. In other words. if you take the entire circle and rotate it one-fourth of a circle (i.e., 90 degrees) counter-clockwise, you will have the relative minors for each of the majors.

Later,
-- Al

35 – Noteworthy

2009-07-30T22:42:00.003-04:00

In this post: Learning notes on the ukulele

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Traditionally one learns the ukulele by learning chords. I did that back in my college days countless years ago when I was first introduced to the uke. I had no idea what went into those chords. I just learned them and played them. The truth is, you can go a long way on just learning and playing chords. BUT, you can go further by learning the notes.

Learning notes embodies learning scales and positions of notes on the various strings and ultimately learning to read music from traditional notation. The truth is I haven’t actually done this myself, BUT I intend to.

My approach is going to begin with learning the scale embodied by each string. Since a soprano has 12 frets, we can play a fully chromatic scale on each string. The G string (ie, 4th string) begins on G and ends on G an octave higher. The C string is C to C and so on for the other strings.

Just playing the major scale up and down the string is useful and a good beginning, but it begs for more variety and interest. So, how about following with the chromatic scale? That gives us 2 scales on each string. We can also look at the pentatonic scale while we’re at it.

I haven’t spoken of the pentatonic scale yet, so here goes. The pentatonic scale is a major scale with a few notes missing. Specifically, it omits the 4th and 7th notes, leaving us with 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8. The relative minor pentatonic scale (the one that has the same key signature as its relative major scale) has the same notes as the major pentatonic but begins on note 6, giving is 6, 8, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.

In specific terms, a C major pentatonic scale consists of C, D, E, G, A, B, C. The relative minor would be A, B, C, D, E, G, A. The Wikipedia has a more extensive discussion of pentatonic scales.

One thing that makes the pentatonic scale useful for improvising is that it contains no disharmonic combinations. With a regular scale, the 4th note is always one to watch out for and use advisedly.

Eventually we will want to pick out scales going up and down the entire instrument, and do so for all 12 scales. But for starters, the scales represented by the 4 strings will suffice.

We can also learn the minor scales beginning on each string. Remember, the minor scale intervals are whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole whereas the major scale intervals are whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. More briefly they are W-H-W-W-W-H-W and W-W-H-W-W-W-H.

We can also do something that Aldrine Guerrero did in one of his Ukelele Underground Uke Minutes (#29), which is to pick a major chord and play the notes of the scale represented by that chord alternating with the chord itself. For example, using the C major chord, alternate it with successive notes of the C major scale. That’s interesting and gives us a sense of the chord.

You might also want to have a look at Aldrine's Uke Minutes #28 in which he goes up and down the scale in thirds.

There are probably more strategies for learning note placement on the uke, BUT that’s enough for one day.

Later,
-- Al

34 – Practice, Practice, Practice

2009-07-29T18:30:00.005-04:00

In this post: Practice routines

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

At some point you may wish to get more serious about your ukulele playing and start looking for practice regimes or strategies. I’ve been looking around – OK, not that hard – and haven’t really found anything. Here’s how I’m approaching it.

Based on the more formal routines my clarinet/sax teacher has given me, I would divide a practice session into four areas:

1. Secure basic techniques

2. Expand techniques

3. Secure current repertoire

4. Expand/embellish repertoire

Secure Basic Techniques

Basic techniques include playing chords and going through chord changes deliberately with the idea of making sure the chords are played with accuracy and clarity. In a earlier posts I presented chords in groups that you might find in a piece of music. I only gave the more everyday groups. Ideally you will want to know all groups based on every scale. In other words, chord sequences such as I-IV-V-V7-I (the Roman numeral represents the chord associated with the note in the scale, beginning with I at the bottom), i-iv-v-i (lower case indicates minor), and the like. We haven’t gone over blues progressions yet, but eventually they could be included.

While you’re practicing chords and chord changes, you could also be working on different strums. For example, with my sax I take a different scale each day and go through it from one end of the instrument to the other in both directions and in 7 different articulations, once each with a straight beat and once each with a swing beat. This of course doesn’t translate directly into ukulele strumming, but you could look for different patterns and vary the rhythmic approach. For example, a D U D U can be played as straight 1 2 3 4 or as 1and 2 3 and 4 or some other variation.

Expand Techniques

Initially you are only going to be playing the common, easy cords. Make an effort to learn the difficult ones like E.

Also begin looking at the tricks of the trade that add spice and interest to your playing. These include pull-offs, hammers and slides. I haven’t gone over any of these yet, but they are mentioned in just about all guides to playing the uke.

Secure Current Repertoire

As you learn new songs, don’t forget the ones you already know. Make a point of going over them to keep them sharp. It’s better to know a few songs really well than only sort of know a lot of songs.

Expand/Embellish Repertoire

Be on the lookout for new songs and new variations to your existing songs. I’ve heard traditional jazz bands get 10 minutes or more of playing time out of simple 2-line songs. The reason they can get away with it without boring everyone to tears is that they vary the rendition each time. Of course being able to pass the melody from instrument to another is a help, but bear in mind that each player puts a new spin on the melody. You can do a lot of that as just a single player.

Daily Routine

I don’t have a daily routine yet, so I can hardly preach to others or map out a specific plan. However, I’ve given enough ideas here to spread over more than one day. Consider doing some things one day and other things the next day. The important thing is to keep in mind what needs to be accomplished. Basically the approach should be to hone and expand your techniques and secure and improve your repertoire.

Later,
-- Al

33 - An Eye Opener

2009-07-29T12:35:00.003-04:00

In this post: Early music on a uke

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Getting past the stereotypes is not always easy. That’s particularly true with the ukulele, where the traditional icons for many of us who’ve had only passing acquaintance with the uke these many years include Arthur Godfrey and Tiny Tim. What a joy it is to hear and watch the YouTube videos of a modern virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro.

Another eye opener for me was spotting the work of a young man named Jamie, who has arranged and performed Renaissance music on the uke and even composed some new pieces in a similar vein. It had never dawned on me – thanks to the stereotypes and my limited imagination – that the uke would sound great on early music. Guess what? IT DOES!!!!! Listening to Jamie, you could close your eyes and think you were listening to courtly music on a lute. What a great idea. And if you’ve been thinking of playing Renaissance music on a lute and were staggered by the prices of early instruments, consider the humble uke at bargain basement prices.

This has been a real find. Thank you, Jamie.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Visit Jamie’s two web sites here:

Classical Ukulele Arrangements

Ukulele compositions

Later,
-- Al

32 – Chords

2009-07-26T19:11:00.005-04:00

In this post: Chord fundamentals

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Chords are the building blocks of harmony and the fodder of fretted instruments. Most ukulele players learn a few chords before they learn anything else. As we work our way through the hundred or so chords in the charts we may wonder who figured these out and what was the thought process behind it.

Briefly, there are three basic chords – major, minor and seventh – and a lot of variations to them.

As I noted in the discussion of scales, our current-day scale dates to Pythagoras. I’m not so sure about the origin of our harmonies, but I can say they are built around thirds. That is, if we number the notes in our scale from low to high, the root chord of our scale – aka, the major scale – consists of the first, third and fifth notes. If we build the root chord of a minor scale, it consists of the first, third and fifth notes of the minor scale. As you can see in the charts, the intervals of those thirds change when going from the major scale to the minor scale.

Why are these basic chords based on thirds? I suspect its because they produce the harmonies we like. Future generations may think differently.

Generic Major Scale and Chord (1-3-5)
1     2     3 4     5     6     7 8

C Major Scale and Chord (C-E-G)
C     D     E F     G     A     B C

Generic Minor Scale and Chord (1-3-5)
1     2 3     4     5 6     7      8

A Minor Scale and Chord (A-D-F)
A     B C     D     E F     G      A

C Minor Scale and Chord (C-Eb-G)
C     D Eb     F     G Ab     Bb      C

Notice that the minor scale begins with the 6th note of the major scale. Thus A is the natural minor of the C scale and both share the same key signature (no sharps or flats in this case).

This touches on something I will only mention and let you pursue on your own if you have an appetite for it. That’s the subject of modal scales. Briefly, you can build a modal scale for each note in the scale. The modal scale retains the same key signature – in the example of the C scale here the scales would all have no sharps or flats – and takes on the interval pattern from the root (in this case C) scale. For example, the root scale here has intervals of whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. The modal scale based on the number 2 note has intervals of whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole. The whole/half sequence has simply slid over along with our starting point.) You can go through the series on your own and can read more about this in any book on music theory. To return to where we started this thread, the minor scale is the 6th mode of the major scale. (The root scale is the 1st mode.)

The seventh chord adds a flatted seventh to the major chord, giving us a group of first, third, fifth and flatted seventh. The flatted 7th is also added to the minor chord, but notice that the 7th is already flatted from the major scale and is not further flatted in the minor 7th chord.

Generic 7th Chord (1-3-5-7b)
1     2     3 4     5     6 7b     8

C 7th Chord (C-E-G-Bb)
C     D     E F     G     A Bb     CX

Generic Minor 7th Chord (1-3-5-7)
1     2 3     4     5 6     7      8

C Minor 7th Chord (1-3-5-7)
C     D Eb     F     G Ab     Bb      C

Your chord charts list quite a few other chords with such names as augmented, diminished, suspended, 6th, 11th and so forth. These are all variations of the three fundamental chords: major, minor and 7th.

There are different ways to arrive at these variations, all pointing to the actual intervals among the principal notes and the inclusion of extra notes. I recommend getting a book on the theory of music if you want to delve further into this area.

For now it would be good to begin mapping out scales on the uke and then trying to figure out what the basic chords are. If you really go at this, you will find that the major and minor chords have a redundant note somewhere because there are four strings and only three notes are required for a major or minor chord. The seventh chord has four notes, so there is no redundancy.

You will also find there is more than one way to play a given chord. This gives us flexibility in fingering, but more importantly it gives us options as to how the chord sounds: which note is redundant and therefore stronger? Which note stands out possibly because it’s higher or because it fits the tune?

I’m sorry if all this is confusing or sounds too much like work. I think it’s important for anyone serious about studying music, but I also understand that for many, just playing the chords and transition notes is sufficient for enjoying the uke and music. Consider this post optional.

Later,
-- Al

31 – Freight Train

2009-07-23T22:37:00.010-04:00

In this post: Freight Train chords and lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I love trains, so it was only a matter of time before I worked out the chords for Freight Train, a song that goes back to 1905 but was made popular by Peter, Paul & Mary (among others).

The time signature is 4/4. I play it by picking down with my thumb, up with my index finger, strumming down with my index finger and picking up with my index finger. I keep the down thumb picks on the 4th string and the up picks on the 1st string. If you do this quickly you will get the something like the rhythm of a train moving fast.

FREIGHT TRAIN
(Libba Cotten - written about 1905)

CHORUS
F                             C7
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast;
C7                            F
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast;
A7                     Dm
Please don't tell what train I'm on.
Dm      F          C7         F
So they won't know where I've gone.

VERSE 1
F                             C7
Freight train, freight train, going round the bend
C7                            F
Freight train, freight train, gone again
A7                     Dm
One of these days turn that train around
Dm F       C7      F
Go back to my home town

CHORUS

VERSE 2
F                  C7
One more place I'd like to be
C7                 F
One more place I'd love to see
A7                            Dm
To watch those old Blue Ridge Mountain climb
Dm      F        C7     F
While I ride old Number Nine

CHORUS

VERSE 3
F                 C7
When I die please bury me deep
C7                 F
Down at the end of Chestnut Street
A7                Dm
So I can hear old Number Nine
Dm F    C7      F
As she goes rolling by

CHORUS

VERSE 4
F                 C7
When I'm dead and in my grave
C7                 F
No more good times here I'll crave
A7                  Dm
Place the stones at my head and feet
Dm            F    C7      F
And tell them I've gone to sleep

CHORUS
F                             C7
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast;
C7                            F
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast;
A7                     Dm
Please don't tell what train I'm on.
Dm      F          C7         F
So they won't know where I've gone.

A7                     Dm
Please don't tell what train I'm on.
Dm      F          C7         F
So they won't know where I've gone.

Later,
-- Al

30 – Get Rhythm

2009-07-23T11:39:00.005-04:00

In this post: Learning to count musically

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Rhythm is the foundation of music. It's what gives a piece of music the structure upon which to build a melody. If you're playing alone, you can get away with being causual about your rhythm, but if you are playing with others you have no choice but to GET RHYTHM.

There's far more to be said about rhythm than I'm capable of saying or even wish to say at this point. My postings are for those who, like myself, are learning to play the ukulele. I'm merely passing on what I've learned or discovered. What I want to pass along today is the simple act of counting while playing. This act, if performed correctly, will keep you in step with others who are playing with you and it will also help you figure out some difficult passages.

Basically, we count in accordance with beats in a measure. If there are 4 beats, as in 4/4 time, we count 1 2 3 4 as we play the notes. Then we repeat for the next measure. If there are 3 beats in a measure, as in 3/4 time, we count 1 2 3. Then repeat for the next measure. If we have just rests and no notes in a measure, we count the beats of the rest instead of the beats of the notes.

So far so good. Now it gets more "interesting." When playing in a group it is common to encounter extended rests. At my second alto position in the community band I have seen blocks of rests for 8 measures followed by blocks of 3 measures in a different time signature, and 6 more in yet another time signature. When counting such blocks of rests, we count the number of the measure in the place of the first beat, then continue as normal. For example, if we have 3 measures of rest in 4/4 time, we count 1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, 3 2 3 4.

Another complication is when we have notes that are smaller than a single beat. For example, if we have a 4/4 measure that includes a quarter note followed by 2 eighth notes followed by 2 quarter notes, we count 1 2-and 3 4. In other words, the syllable and gives us the semi-beat. If the quarter note is divided into 4 sixteenths instead of 2 eighths, we count 1 2-e-and-a 3 4. If we have triplets for the second quarter note instead of the 2 eighth notes, we count 1 2-lal-ly 3 4.

But wait! There's more. It's syncopated rhythm, which we haven't spoken of yet. Syncopation is when we begin notes between beats. For example, if we're in 4/4 time and the first quarter note is dotted and followed by an eighth note then 2 quarter notes, our counting is thrown off because it is no longer on the beat. In this case we count 1 and 3 4. The first note is on the beat; the second is off the beat; the remaining 2 are on the beat. This takes some getting used to.

That pretty much takes care of it, but it's a subject we cannot and do not want to avoid.

Later,
-- Al

29 – And The Beat Goes On

2009-07-21T22:44:00.014-04:00

In this post: Beats and rests

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Earlier I spoke of a note as having not only a pitch but a duration as well. We could also point out that it has loudness/softness, but for today we'll stick to duration. Duration is simply the length of the note; its unit of measure is the beat. The way we arrange beats produces rhythm. Confused? Don't be. We'll take them one step at a time.

Beats

A beat is the fundamental pulse of a piece of music. There may well be shorter and longer notes in a piece of music, but the beat is the building block.

Music is normally written with a time signature that appears before the first measure and appears again if there is a change during the piece. Typical time signatures are 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8/, 12/8 and so on. This is shorthand for beats-per-measure/length-of-beat. In the case of 4/4, we have 4 beats to a measure and each beat is what we call a quarter note in duration (I'll come back to this). A 6/8 time signature indicates there are 6 beats to a measure and each beat is an eighth note in duration. These are the basic rhythms of a piece.

What's a quarter note? or an eighth note? Unfortunately they are a little like referring to things in length of 1/4-inch instead of a full inch. Be that as it may, we represent whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and thirty-second notes as follows:

We can also get fancy by robbing from one note and giving to another, thus we have dotted notes, such as the dotted quarter followed by an eighth as shown.

We can also cram 3 notes into the space of 2 to give ourselves triplets. Actually, we can cram any number of notes into the equivalent of a single note; I just don't have names for them all.

Notice that in these examples each measure adds up to 4 beats, each a quarter note in length. What a quarter note equals in terms of actual time depends upon the pace (tempo) the player decides to use. Often the composer will gives hints, such as fast, light, slow or some other indication (often in Italian). Sometimes a composer will go so far as to dictate the actual tempo by giving a metronome setting.

Rests

The reverse of a beat is a rest. The concept is the same except that we are talking about silence instead of sound.

Further Study

I went back to basics with beats because I wanted to balance the coverage I gave to pitch. I've also noticed from reading the forums that some people don't know any of this, or are confused. So ... I've given you a start. However, there's a lot more to this than I've covered, or intend to cover. I don't want to create a book on reading music; there are plenty available and I highly recommend getting one. A quick Google search did not turn up any freebie that I would immediately recommend. In other words, if you are serious about this, please get a good book on the subject of reading music.

Next we will cover using beats and rhythms while playing.

Later,
-- Al

28 – Bill Bailey

2009-07-20T14:01:00.015-04:00

In this post: Bill Bailey lyrics, chords and tips

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

To celebrate my new banjo uke I've worked out a popular old jazz standard, Bill Bailey. The chords are easy enough and the changes are few. I recommend keeping the strumming simple. Since the time signature is a basic 4/4, I would give 4 equal strokes to a measure, counting 1-2-3-4 and strumming down-up-down-up (or down-down-down-down if you prefer). I would set the 1st down-stroke apart by using the thumb on the 4th string while using the index (pointer) finger across all strings for the other strokes.

Since my musical background until I took up the uke a few months ago has been exclusively with single-note melody instruments, getting used to strumming while singing is something that's taking some practice. Sometimes it's like patting your head with one hand while mapping circles on your stomach with the other hand. I'm developing it slowly, keeping things simple until I get the hang of it. For Bill Bailey it may be helpful to practice the strumming while quietly humming or whistling the tune (or just strumming at first). The song consists of two stanzas of two lines, each with eight measures and chords as follows:

F x 6 measures; C7 x 2
C7 x 6 measures; F x 2

F x 4 measures; F7 x 2; Bb x 2
Bb x 2 measures; D7 x 2; G7 x 1; C7 x 1; F x 2

Here are the lyrics with chord changes:

Bill Bailey (Traditional)

F
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home
                           C7
She moaned the whole night long

I'll do the cookin', honey, I'll pay the rent
                  F
I know I done you wrong

F
Do you remember that rainy evenin'
                        F7                       Bb
I threw you out....with nothin' but a fine tooth comb
                                  D7
Well, I know I'm to blame, now... ain't it a shame
G7                     C7          F
Bill Bailey, won't you please come home

F
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come on home
                           C7
I've moaned that whole day long

I'll do all the cookin' honey, I'll even pay the rent
                          F
I know, I know I done you wrong

F
Remember that rainy evenin'
                        F7                      Bb
I throwed you out, with nothin' but a fine tooth comb
                            D7
I know I'm to blame, now... ain't it a shame
G7                 C7
So baby, won't you please come
G7                    C7
I said now, won't you please come
G7                     C7                 F
Bill Bailey, won't you please.... come on home

Later,
-- Al

27 – Breaking News

2009-07-18T23:44:00.002-04:00

In this post: A new arrival: Woody the banjolele

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

If you watch the cable TV news channels you are probably aware that every news event is labeled as “breaking news.” Some are so breaking that they actually interrupt other news. That happened the other day when CBS announced that Walter Cronkite had passed away. David Schuster was interrupted almost mid-sentence and never looked back. Hours later, when I checked back, he was still on the Cronkite story. I hope didn’t have other plans for the evening!

Well, my breaking news is an arrival, not a departure. The arrival is Woody, short for Woodpile, descendent of Dave Gjessing’s (Waverly Street Design) fire wood pile in Columbus. Dave’s banjolele arrived safe and sound a few days ago and has been my constant companion since then.

What’s more significant for me than its arrival is the fact that I kind of went back on what I suggested back in post 2 – All in the Family, in which I hinted that if you want the sound of a banjo, get a banjo. That was easy for me to say because I had and still have a banjo. I’ve noticed, however, that my banjo has been getting less use since I got my first ukulele a few months ago. Woody is not going to help that situation. In fact, it has given my wife the idea that she might want to plunk on Lil’ Red (my Oscar Schmidt OU2) a bit while I’m occupied with Woody.

It’s really not constructive to compare a banjolele to a 5-string banjo other than to point out that the two are completely different instruments serving different purposes. The banjo is big, heavy and LOUD. It can hold its own in a string band with fiddle, mando and guitar, but it is not a particularly good companion to a uke. Woody, as I am envisioning things, is going to serve well when I need more sound than Li’ Red can dish out. On the other hand, when I want something with a sweeter tone and one that won’t drown out my feeble singing (or someone else’s), Lil’ Red will do just fine.

Now that I’ve had to eat my earlier words, I’m going to reset the table, so to speak, and make another bold statement. I think it makes more sense to have two same-size ukes of very different sound characteristics than one each of two similar sizes. In my case, for example, having a soprano and a concert Oscar Schmidt makes less sense than having a concert Oscar Schmidt and a concert banjolele.

I’m not suggesting that I’ll NEVER have a soprano or tenor, but rather that in the order of acquisition, the pairing of a banjolele and uke offers a good choice. I also happen to like the scale size of the concert, so I don’t feel the need to experiment. I can well imagine that this is any area in which someone might feel it makes more sense to expand their collection. I suspect – but you never know – that one of these days I will head for a tenor with low G tuning. That makes a good sound option.

Later,
-- Al

26 – One More Thing About Scales

2009-07-17T02:50:00.006-04:00

In this post: Another thing about scales

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I was planning to say a few things about the other aspect of a note: beat; but decided to point out something else about scales first.

One thing we learned about the Major scale is that it has the pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H. In other words, 2 whole intervals, a half interval, 3 whole intervals and a half interval. This pattern holds true for any Major scale.

One other thing we learned was that the C Major scale very nicely follows this pattern with unadulterated notes. That is, the intervals are all whole except those between B and C and between E and F. What happens when we go to another scale, such as D Major?

Basically you can envision the WWHWWWH as pattern sliding over to the new scale. But when you do so you will notice that some tones are now sharp (or flat). We always try to have every letter represented once in a scale. This determines whether we use sharps or flats in our terminology for that scale. For example, here’s the D Major scale.

The D Major Scale

D | | E | | F# | G | | A | | B | | C# | D

If we had used flats we would have had Gb and Db, but since G and D are already in use, we use F# and C#. A little simple arithmetic tells us the D Major scale has 2 sharps. That’s worth remembering, but very soon I will show you a convenient way to visualize and remember this and other things about scales.

For now, why not get out some paper and figure out some more scales? Try F Major, G Major, and A Major for starters. There are 12 in all in case you are feeling ambitious; one for each of the chromatic tones given in the chromatic scale in the previous post.

Later,
-- Al

25 – Scales: The Foundation

2009-07-16T10:44:00.006-04:00

In this post: Musical scales

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

It should go without saying that there is any number of sounds or pitches out there. Throughout history there have been numerous systems by which people organized or “made sense” of these sounds. The system we rely on today in mainstream music is the one devised by Pythagoras. He’s the Greek philosopher who gave us Pi and the formulas for determining the circumference and area of a circle, among other things. His determination of the harmonic musical scale makes interesting study, but one we’re not going to get into here. Moreover, that scale, which uses geometry and mathematics to determine the intervals of the scale, has been modified ever so slightly to produce the tempered scale – the one we really use – to produce 12 identical increments (half-steps) in an octave.

For the mathematically inclined, and in case you’re wondering, an octave is defined as the doubling of the frequency of a sound. Thus the common pitch A=440 cycles per second reaches the octave at 880 cycles to second.

For the rest of us, the scale is divided into 8 intervals, most being full steps, some being half. Here’s how it works.

The Major Scale

| 1 | | 2 | | 3 | 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | 7 | 8 |

First, notice that I’ve numbered the tones instead of calling them A, B, C, etc. We always do this when speaking of a scale in generic terms. The tones in a scale are numbered in order, beginning with one and continuing upward.

Second, notice that tones 3 and 4 are next to each other. The same is true of tones 7 and 8, whereas the others have a space between them.

Third, notice that there are 12 increments from tones 1 to 8.

The pattern of this scale is Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half, or W W H W W W H. That’s 2 W, H, 3W, H. This is important. Get it down pat using any memory trick you can devise.

These relationships are the foundation of our understanding of music in our time. There are variations of this scale that produce the common minor scale, blues scales, pentatonic scales, whole step scales, modal scales and any other scales I haven’t thought of.

For now we are only concerned with the scale shown above – the Major scale – and the Minor scale, which we will get to in due course. I’ve capitalized these two because, technically, there are other scales that qualify as major and minor in character, but are not these two bedrock scales.

For this post, let me just convert the generic Major scale shown to the specific C scale (or more accurately, C Major scale).

The C Major Scale

| C | | D | | E | F | | G | | A | | B | C |

Notice that the lettering system only goes to G; then it starts over again at A. Notice also that E-F and B-C are half steps. These are constants no matter what scale we are talking about unless we go beyond the Pythagoras-derived scales (e.g., Far Eastern and historic), which I will not.

Tones occupying spaces between the tones above are designated as being flat or sharp. Thus, the full (chromatic) scale is:

The Chromatic Scale

| C | C#| D | D#| E | F | F#| G | G#| A | A#| B | C |

and

| C | Db| D | Eb| E | F | Gb| G | Ab| A | Bb| B | C |

In other words, C# (C-sharp) and Db (D-flat) are the same tone. Sometimes you will see something like Cb. Looking at the chart you can see that a flatted C is in fact B. That is correct. Sometimes, when things get really complicated, it makes sense to use such a notation. Most of the time it’s not necessary. BTW – I started the chromatic scale at C just for consistency with the rest of the presentation. It can start anywhere.

Finally, you may have noticed that I used the word tone where we often use note. That’s because note implies duration as well as pitch. So far we have only spoken of pitch, or tone. We’ll get to duration, or beat, in due course.

That’s enough for today.

Later,
-- Al

24 – What We've Learned

2009-07-15T10:14:00.004-04:00

In this post: Summary of what's been covered so far

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

It's getting time to dig a little deeper. But before we do, let's go over the main points so far.

1. I'm new to the ukulele, though I have and still do played other instruments. The point of this blog is to share my experiences with learning the uke. My process is self-guided, but it is based on having taken lessons on violin, flute, clarinet and sax. The latter is ongoing. Reference 1 - Up A Lazy River.

2. There are numerous choices for your first uke. I suggest getting something inexpensive and in the soprano or concert size. Later, when you have some experience and a better idea of what you want, consider spending some serious money for the instrument you really want. Reference 3 - Hey Good Lookin'.

3. Chord charts can be overwhelming at first glance, but are valuable resources. To begin, just learn the chords you need for a basic (e.g., traditional) song. Practice chords by the functional groups I provided, such as C - F - G - G7. Reference 5 - Let Me Entertain You.

4. We can group minor chords as well as major chords. Reference 6 - Sad And Lonely.

4. You can strum down-down-down or up-down up-down or some more complicated version. You can also finger pick in arpeggio style or mix the strum and the finger pick. I've used both in the tabs I presented. Reference 7 - Puttin/ on the style.

5. Tab, short for tablature, is an age old means of reading music and one that works well for ukulele and other fretted instruments. It is instrument-specific and provides a "picture" of what is to be done. The more common notation system in use is generic and requires the user to translate requirements to his/her specific instrument. Reference 8 - How Do I Tell You.

6. I've given three sets of YouTube videos: the first two for inspiration; the third for instructions of all kinds.

7. I've provided a list of "campfire" songs and given some detail as to how to play several.The principles are applicable to other songs. These will be useful when someone asks to hear you play. Get them to sing along while you play.

This body of work gives you all you need to get started and have a lot of fun with your uke. If you're new to the uke, spend some time with these topics. There's no need to rush. It took me five weeks to get them all up there. Don't expect to instantly know everything just because you can read the lot in an hour or less.

Next I'll be looking under the hood, so to speak, to get a better sense of how music is organized and how knowing that organization can help us be better musicians.

Later,
-- Al

23 – Instructional Videos At YouTube

2009-07-13T10:01:00.002-04:00

In this post: Instructional videos at YouTube

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here are 10 excellent instructional videos at YouTube covering a full range of topics.

ukulele tuning

Learn to play the 'ukulele

Learn to play the 'ukulele (Part 2)

Chords & Scales

Ukulele Blues Workshop

Ukulele - Changing Strings

Ukulele string comparison

Homemade/econo ukulele strap

strap button install tutorial

Ukulele Pickup - Quick Installation

Later,
-- Al

22 – Sad, Sadder, Saddest

2009-07-11T11:19:00.005-04:00

In this post: St. James Infirmary tab

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Sad, sadder and saddest with a touch of dark humor add up to this version of St. James Infirmary. I'm sure there are other lyrics out there. The melody, though simple, is haunting. I never get tired of playing or humming it.

I've set this tab up in simple fashion. I like to play it slowly and simply. To get a better feel of it, try at first to focus on the thumb (single note) strokes. I originally set it up - as shown here - to provide an interesting pattern. Increasingly, though, I have been favoring the use of 2nd fret, 3rd string for all Dm thumb strokes in this piece. It produces a somber drone that can be very powerful. Try it both ways.

Here are the complete lyrics:

ST. JAMES INFIRMARY
(from Song Fest, ed. Dick and Beth Best)

Dm                 A7
Dm
I went down to the St. James Infirmary;
Gm             Dm
To see my baby there,
A7                            Dm
She was lyin’ on a long white table,
A7                    Dm
So sweet, so cool, so fair.

Dm         A7      Dm
Went up to see the doctor,
Gm                   Dm
“She’s very low,” he said;
A7                  Dm
Went back to see my baby;
A7                          Dm
Good God! She’s lyin’ there dead.

Dm             A7        Dm
I went down to old Joe’s barroom,
Gm                   Dm
On the corner by the square;
A7                              Dm
They were servin’ the drinks as usual,
A7                      Dm
And the usual crowd was there.

Dm               A7        Dm
On my left stood old Joe McKennedy,
Gm                          Dm
And his eyes were bloodshot red;
A7                            Dm
He turned to the crowd around him,
A7                     Dm
These are the words he said:

Dm                      A7        Dm
Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
Gm               Dm
Wherever she may be;
A7                             Dm
She may search this wide world over
A7                               Dm
An’ never find a better man than me.

Dm              A7          Dm
Oh, when I die, please bury me
Gm                     Dm
In my high-top Stetson hat;
A7                                         Dm
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
A7                                    Dm
So my friends’ll know I died standin’ pat.

Dm                  A7       Dm
Get six gamblers to carry my coffin,
Gm                            Dm
Six chorus girls to sing me a song,
A7                                      Dm
Put a twenty-piece jazz band on my tail gate
A7                     Dm
To raise Hell as we go along.

Dm             A7        Dm
Now that’s the end of my story;
Gm                          Dm
Let’s have another round of booze;
A7                                      Dm
And if anyone should ask you, just tell them
A7                               Dm
I’ve got the St. James Infirmary blues.

Dm                  A7            Dm
Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
Gm               Dm
Wherever she may be;
A7                             Dm
She may search this wide world over
A7                               Dm
An’ never find a better man than me.

Later,
-- Al

21 – Campfire Songs III

2009-07-09T18:56:00.008-04:00

In this post: If I Had A Hammer

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

OK, back to the campfire songs. Here's a great one; one I forgot to include on my list back at post 16 - Your First Gig. It's If I Had A Hammer by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger.

IF I HAD A HAMMER by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger
                D         A7                   D
1. If I had a | hammer, | I'd hammer in the | morning, |
2. If I had a | bell,   | I'd ring it in the | morning, |
3. If I had a | song,   | I'd sing it in the | morning, |
                                                A7
-- I'd hammer in the | evening | all over this land; |
-- I'd ring it in the | evening | all over this land; |
-- I'd sing it in the | evening | all over this land; |
                    D
-- I'd hammer out | danger, | -- I'd hammer out a |
-- I'd ring out   | danger, | -- I'd ring out a   |
-- I'd sing out   | danger, | -- I'd sing out a   |
Bm         G                   D       G
warning, | -- I'd hammer out | love between |
warning, | -- I'd ring out   | love between |
warning, | -- I'd sing out   | love between |
D         A7          D G D      A7           D G   D
all of my brothers, | all __ | __ over this | land. | __ ||
all of my brothers, | all __ | __ over this | land. | __ ||
all of my brothers, | all __ | __ over this | land. | __ ||

Instead of D, A7, Bm and G, you can use G, D7, Em and C, respectively. Remember, when you're playing for a group that is also singing, all you need to do is keep a steady rhythm. Nothing fancy is needed. In this case it's a steady 4/4.

Later,
-- Al

20 – Going Green

2009-07-09T10:05:00.005-04:00

In this post: Going green

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I'm taking a time out from my campfire series to let you know about this thread at the Ukulele Underground forum. It's called Green credentials and discusses the idea of green (as in environmentally conscious) ukuleles. Some woods being used are on the endangered species list; others are depleting natural habitats. There are other factors to consider as well.

This is a subject that's big on my mind these days and this thread is one well worth following.

Later,
-- Al

19 – Campfire Songs II

2009-07-08T09:39:00.003-04:00

In this post: Michael Row The Boat Ashore

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here's the king of campfire songs - Michael Row The Boat Ashore. The chords are easy. Just strum in a way the feels natural.

MICHAEL, ROW THE BOAT ASHORE - Traditional

Solo       G                        Chorus
Michael, | row the boat a- | shore, Halle- |
C     G       Solo
lu- | jah! -- Michael, | row the boat a- |
D7     Chorus G
shore, Halle- | lu- | jah! ||

2. Gabriel, blow the trumpet horn, ...
3. Brother, lend a helping hand, ...
4. Jordan River is deep and wide, ...
5. Sinner, row to save your soul, ...

Later,
-- Al

18 – Campfire Songs Ia

2009-07-07T09:45:00.003-04:00

In this post: A tab for This Land Is Your Land

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here's a simple tab to follow up yesterday's lyrics and chords to This Land Is Your Land. The key of C works out nicely here. Notice that, although the basic rhythm is 4/4, the phrasing typically begins on the second beat rather than the first. This may take a bit of getting used to. Also, I haven't gone out of my way to show any rhythm other than a straight up-down with the thumb plucking down for the single notes. Feel free to experiment.

Later,
-- Al

17 - Campfire Songs I

2009-07-06T13:18:00.006-04:00

In this post: This Land Is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

As promised, here is the first installment of campfire songs in expanded format. This Land Is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie is a song just about everyone in the US knows.

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND by Woodie Guthrie

CHORUS
G              C                           G
This land is | your land, | This land is | my land | from Cali- |
D7                         G
fornia | to the New York | island. |
G7                 c                             G
From the redwood | forest | to the Gulf Stream | waters, | _ |
D7                                 G
This land | was made for you and | me. | _ ||

VERSE
   G                    C                             G
1. As I was       | walking | that ribbon of    | highway   |
2. I've roamed and    | rambled | and I followed my | footsteps |
3. When the sun comes | shining | and I was         | strolling |

                       D7         D7                    D
I saw a-             | bove me | that endless        | skyway |
to the sparkling     | sands of | her diamond         | deserts |
and the wheat fields | waving | and the dust clouds | rolling |

       D7 G7    C                    D7    G
I      saw be- | low me | that gold-en | valley   | _ |
And    all a- | round me | a voice   was | sounding | _ |
As the fog was | lifting | a voice   was | chanting | _ |

D7                                 G
This land was | made for you and | me | _ ||
This land was | made for you and | me | _ ||
This land was | made for you and | me | _ ||

The D chord may prove a little troublesome for beginners, but it is a chord one needs to know. There are two common ways to play the D chord. One is to simply move the C chord up two frets. That requires a bar with your first finger at the second fret position and your pinky at the fifth fret on the first string. The second, and usually better, way is to use an "almost" bar at the second fret, raising your finger off the first string. This is actually easier than you might expect, though it takes some getting used to.

If you really must, you can change from the key of G to the key of C. This is how the chords match up:

Key of G: G C D7 G7 D
Key of C: C F G7 C7 G

Later,
-- Al

16 – Your First Gig

2009-07-02T17:35:00.002-04:00

In this post: Campfire songs

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

July 4th marks the start of camping and campfire season here in the US. I can assure you that once people hear that you have a ukulele (never mind whether or not you can play), you will be asked to show it off. If you're not a born entertainer or have reservations because of your inexperience or if you just want to have a great time, take a page out of Pete Seeger's book and make the audience part of the entertainment. That way you can focus on playing the few chords you've learned and others can focus on the singing. Of course it helps if you play songs people know. I realize there may be a generational thing here, so I apologize if the following are the wrong songs for your generation, but they ARE the right ones for mine. Here's my list.

Amazing Grace (G G7 C G A7 D D7 G G7 C G Em D G)

Do Lord, O Do Lord, O Do Remember Me (G C G D G)

Down In The Valley (F C7 F)

Michael Row The Boat Ashore

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands (C G C G C)

Kumbaya

On Top Of Old Smoky (C F G7 C)

Red River Valley (E B7 E B7 E E7 A B7 E)

This Land Is Your Land (A E B7 E7 A E B7 E)

You are My Sunshine

I've got a ton of preparation awaiting me for our own 4th celebration, not the least of which is getting ready for our community band concert on the 5th. So ... I'm only giving you chords here. Soon I'll try to get you words and chord change locations. I DID find a web site with the words to some of these songs, but not the music. It's appropriately named Indian Princess Campfire.

Later,
-- Al

15 - Time’s A-Getting Hard Lyrics

2009-07-01T22:30:00.006-04:00

In this post: A look at Time’s A-Getting Hard lyrics

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

After playing through Time’s A-Getting Hard a number of times I got to thinking that some changes needed to be made to the lyrics. The words and thoughts are fine. It’s just that the song is presented as having a chorus (refrain), and reinforces that idea by changing the melody in the last part of the refrain. My problem is that if we take a verse, such as the one that begins with “Take my true love by the hand…” and use it as a refrain after every verse, the song becomes unnecessarily long. Many published recordings simply skip verses to shorten the song. I would prefer to omit the repetitious refrain because the various verses add up to a complete story. Isn’t that what folk music does? Tell a story?.

My solution is to treat each verse as having two parts or sections. We can call them A and B if we like, but I’ve just separated them below by blank lines. I’ve separated the verses by broken lines. Part A is what was formerly thought of as the verse; part B is what was though of as the refrain.

I rearranged the various verses so that each verse presents a complete thought and works well with the melodic change in the latter part of part B. Here’s how I suggest arranging Time’s A-Getting Hard. BTW - I've gone back to putting the chords in brackets before the word or syllable where they apply. The other way works nicely in a word processor, but is horrible to format here. Remember, the F(2) chord simply adds the third fret to the first (A) string. It's still an F chord.

----------------------------------------------------------

[F] Time's a gettin' [Gm] hard boys [C] money's gettin' [F] scarce

[F] Times don't get no [Gm] better boys [C] gonna leave this [F] place.

[F] Take my true love [Gm] by her hand [C] lead her through the [F] town

[F(2)] Say goodbye to [Gm] every one good [C7] bye to every [F] one.

----------------------------------------------------------

[F] Made a crop a [Gm] year ago [C] it withered to the [F] ground

[F] Tried to borrow [Gm] money but the [C] banker turned me [F] down

[F] Now I'm goin' to Cali [Gm] forn-i-ay Where [C] everything is [F] green

[F(2)] Goin' to have the [Gm] best ole farm That [C7] you have ever [F] seen.

----------------------------------------------------------

[F] Take my bible [Gm] from the bed [C] Shotgun from the [F] wall

[F] Take old Sal and [Gm] hitch her up The [C] wagon for to [F] haul.

[F] Pile the chairs and [Gm] beds up high Let nothing [C] drag the [F] ground.

[F(2)] Sal can pull and [Gm] we can push we're [C7] bound to leave this [F] town.

----------------------------------------------------------

Later,
-- Al

14 – Time’s A-Getting Hard, Take 2

2009-06-28T23:00:00.008-04:00

In this post: Another way to play Time’s A-Getting Hard

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

The first version of Time’s A-Getting Hard I posted I relied on what was essentially a two-finger picking pattern without regard to the melody other than to use the appropriate chords. This second version uses a combination pick and strum in which the thumb picks down and the index finger then strums up-down-up. The first measure shows the accents to be used throughout. That is, hit the first note hard, the second and fourth quick and not so hard, and the third somewhere in between. The effect should be something like a horse walking slowly but steadily.

I also paid some attention to the melody as I selected the notes to be played with the thumb. They are still part of the appropriate chords, but follow the melody rather some predetermined pattern. You can apply the first-note changes to version 1 if you like, or modify either or both as you see fit.

Later,
-- Al

13 – A Baker’s Dozen More YouTube Links

2009-06-27T19:25:00.002-04:00

In this post: More YouTube ukulele links

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here are 13 more inspirational links to YouTube ukulele performance.

Best Ukulele Song...

Carol of the Bells: John King ukulele

Bach Bouree from BWV 1006: John King ukulele

Samba Pa Ti - Ukulele solo

The Girl From Ipanema (Ukulele)

Desperado(Ukulele)

UKULELE - AIN'T SHE SWEET?

Takashi Nakamura(TTCafe) jazz ukulele solo（Spain )

Folsom Prison Blues (Ukulele Blues)

Kamaka Pineapple Soprano Ukulele

National Concert Maple Ukulele - "Rosin the Beau"

Gaillarde on Flea Ukulele

When I'm 64 (Ukulele Cover)

Later,
-- Al

12 - Playing In Tune

2009-06-25T12:10:00.006-04:00

In this post: Digital tuner

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

What’s your first accessory? Actually, mine was a hard case in the event I wanted to take my uke somewhere. My first really useful accessory turns out to be the FZONE Chromatic Clip Tuner Model FT-800 I just bought from Elderly Instruments. I’d been holding out, figuring I could get by with the handheld digital tuner I use for my sax. It works – sort of – with the uke and my banjo, but not as well as I’d like. Striking a string sends the readout fluttering, which seems to suggest the frequency of a plucked note varies over the life of the note. In any case, tuning was difficult.

The traditional way, of course, is to tune with a piano or a pitch pipe. Both require you to match the sound of one instrument against that of another. Eventually you learn to listen for “beats,” which indicate one instrument is slightly off relative to the other. The harder question is which one is off?

Another problem with my handheld tuner is that I don’t play the banjo or uke while using a music stand, so I don’t have a place to prop up my tuner in a position that makes it readable.

The clip-on FZONE Chromatic Clip tuner solves all the problems. (BTW – I’m not pushing this particular brand or model. It’s simply the only one I’ve tried and so far I’m very pleased.) First, the LCD readout is steady and precise, clear and bright. There’s no uncertainty as to what the reading is (if I’d been faster with my shutter finger I would have caught the displayed needle in the above photo). The other really nice thing about the clip-on is just that: it clips onto the instrument in a place where I can see the screen. The head rotates and tilts, so I can position the display in whatever direction is most suitable for me and my instrument.

The tuner is set to A=440 by default, but can be easily adjusted up or down in 1 Hz steps. You can also “flat” the tuning for transposing instruments (like the sax and clarinet) so that the scale shown is the one the instrument tunes to rather than concert pitch. This is very nice.

If you don't have a clip-on tuner, I suggest you have a look.

Later,
-- Al

Postscript: A few things worth noting: First, my uke sounds much better now that it is truly in tune. The clip-on tuner is responsible for my ability to tune precisely. Seoond, if you are thinking of using the clip-on as a replacement for some other tuner for an instrument like a sax, be aware that the tuner has only a limited range. I like to check my intonation over the entire range of my sax - the clip-on is not up to the job. My Korg handheld is more suitable for that task.

11 – Playing With Chords

2009-06-23T14:42:00.007-04:00

In this post: Chord variations

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Many traditional songs have been passed down through the generations with only an outline of how they are to be played. Moreover, tunes and accompaniment vary from player to player, particularly where professional performers are involved. This gives us license to experiment (not that we need it) and have some fun. It’s also a great way to begin to learn our way around the instrument.

I set out to create a tab for Midnight Special, a prison song based on the legend that if the Midnight Special shines its light on a prisoner, that prisoner will be set free. The song is in Song Fest, but can also be heard on YouTube by Lonnie Donegan, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Paul McCartney; and on Rhapsody by Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, Van Morrison, Leadbelly and others.

I changed the key in "Song Fest" (see 4 - Play a Simple Melody) to suit my voice, resulting in the basic chords of C7, F, C and G7. I then began experimenting with modifying single notes in the important chords. Here are some interesting progressions that resulted.

The F chord begins and ends a progression that goes up the hill and back down.

The C chord begins and ends a progression that goes down and then comes back up. The C7 chord (not shown) could also be used here. Just slide the finger on the first string down to the first fret.

The G7 chord is at the center of an oscillation. I didn’t find an official label for the G9, but guessed at my label based on the notes involved. It doesn’t really matter if a chord has an official name or not, though I suspect any chord can be given a name, no matter how obscure and difficult to decipher. The important thing is that it accomplishes what you want it to.

Midnight Special is set up with short statements or phrases ending with single words. These single words stretch over a full measure, which gives us four beats to play around with. Below is the basic structure. Begin by treating the song with a simple down-up strum in 4/4 time. Then try adding progressions in places. You don’t have to use the full progression or the order of chords I’ve given. See what combinations you can come up with. Notice that each line begins with a one-beat rest indicated with a +.

C7 F
+ Well you wake up in the | mornin’, |

C
+ hear the ding-dong | ring, |

G7
+ Go marchin’ to the | table, |

C
+ see the same damn | thing. |

C7 F
+ Well, it’s on a | table, |

C
+ knife, a fork, and a | pan, |

G7
+ And if you say anything about | it, |

C
+ you’re in trouble with the | man. ||

Chorus

C7 F
+ Let the Midnight | Special |

C
+ shine its light on | you; |

G7
+ Let the Midnight | Special }

C
+ shine its ever-lovin’ light on | you. ||

Later,
-- Al

10 – Time’s A-Getting’ Hard

2009-06-21T22:26:00.004-04:00

In this post: Time’s A-Getting’ Hard

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Here’s a good song to get started with. It’s a traditional song. I was able to find lyrics on the web, but had to work out a set of chords and a tab to go with it. If you want to hear a recording, try this YouTube video by Lew Dice. If you have a subscription to Rhapsody, you can here recordings by Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton.

I’ve sketched out the chords used because I wanted to call attention to the second version of F, indicated F(2). Both are F chords. The difference is the second one adds a high C on the first string. This works with the melody.
My inclination is to play this in arpeggio style using my thumb and index finger primarily on the first three strings as shown in the tab. Ignore the bottom line; the uke only has four strings. You can play the arpeggio with equal length for each note or give a lilt as the performers generally do. T indicates Thumb; I indicates Index finger. You may want to just give it an easy strum till you get familiar with the chord changes.

Note that the first line of the verse repeats itself.

Since I’ve traditionally been a single-note instrument player, it’s taking a bit of effort to learn to play an accompaniment that may not follow the notes or meter of the rhythm. This song is fairly easy in that regard and is slow enough to give you (and me) a fighting chance. I find it easier to just whistle the melody at first rather than have to worry about words as well as melody as well as rhythm all at the same time.

Later,
-- Al

9 – YouTube Inspiration for the Uke

2009-06-20T15:11:00.006-04:00

In this post: YouTube ukulele videos

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

It's time to relax a little and see what others have done. Check out these videos at YouTube.

ukulele master Ohta-san performs HAWAII

ukulele master Ohta-san performing "Waipio"

Jake Shimabukuro "Orange World"

Jake Shimabukuro "Let's Dance"

Ukulele weeps by Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Simabukuro - Bluegrass Ukulele - Byron Bay 2008

The Washington Post March: John King ukulele

Bach Prelude: John King ukulele

He'eia (Ukulele, Traditional Hawaiian Song) - Carl Ray VillaVerde

Ain't she sweet-McCartney&Harrison on ukulele+Ringo(1994)

Takashi Nakamura (TTCafe) Jazz ukulele Solo (ALL OF ME)

Cripple Creek - Ukulele

Later,
-- Al

8 – How Do I Tell You

2009-06-17T15:11:00.006-04:00

In this post: Tablature, or tab

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

So far I’ve used words to describe playing the ukulele. You may have noticed it can be cumbersome. It’s time now to learn a better way. One way is the standard musical notation you are probably familiar with, even if not in detail. For people playing fretted instruments, such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and so on, there’s a very direct and convenient form of notation called tablature, or tab for short. It goes back in Europe to about 1300 AD, and even earlier in other parts of the world, though to be honest, the true origins are murky at best.

In any event, tab is a visual representation of when and where to place your fingers for each note or chord. Unlike standard notation, which is generic to all instruments, tab is specific to a single instrument and its tuning. Here’s an example of the tab for an ukulele with high G tuning. The tab shows one measure of four beats, each a quarter note in length. The first two beats are played in the Dm chord; the second two in the A7 chord. Notice the tuning is given at the start on the left. The G is shown lower case because it is the high G. Each horizontal line represents a string; each number represents the fret to be played.

Dm    A7
A | - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - |
E | - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - |
C | - 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 - |
g | - 2 - 2 - 0 - 0 - |
|   | |   |

The next tab shows a measure with four beats, but beats two and four broken in half to produce pairs of eighth notes. The extended lines below are used to distinguish eighth notes versus quarter notes.

Dm    A7
A | - 0 - 0 0 - 0 - 0 0 - |
E | - 1 - 1 0 - 0 - 0 0 - |
C | - 2 - 2 1 - 1 - 1 1 - |
g | - 2 - 2 0 - 0 - 0 0 - |
| |_|   | |_|

One nice thing about tab us that it can be created, as here, on a computer or typewriter using a mono-spaced font such as Courier. You can also make your own ukulele tab paper with your computer by makes sets of four horizontal lines and printing out the sheets for hand entry (I use PowerPoint or the presentation module of OpenOffice). If you do, try to make the lines thin and unobtrusive, perhaps in gray instead of black. Another possibility is to use standard music manuscript paper and just ignore the bottom line.

There are also computer programs that make all this easy. Some even have the ability to save the files in midi format, which can be “played” by the computer to give you an idea of what the composition sounds like.

I’ll be using tab notations more in the future, so this is a good thing to brush up on. The Wikipedia has an extensive section on tab. There are also two computer programs I’m familiar with: TablEdit (payware) and TABrite (freeware) that let you write and edit tab. The first is more capable; the second is for Windows only. There are other programs available as well, though I have not tried them.

Later,
-- Al

7 – Puttin’ on the Style

2009-06-16T22:50:00.005-04:00

In this post: Strum vs. pick, rhythm vs. melody

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

If you’ve been watching ukulele videos on YouTube and elsewhere, you no doubt are aware that there are different ways to play the uke.

You can simply strum chords, changing chords when the harmony changes or you can play a chord for each note in the song. This second way is called melodic strumming. A completely different approach is to finger pick the instrument, playing arpeggios (patterns of notes) as a rhythm or picking out the melody. These basic choices are like points on the compass – North-South and East-West. There are also styles that combine the elements above, giving us an endless variation in between. Let’s look a little more closely.

Strum Rhythmically

This style is usually the first one a person tries when learning to play the ukulele. It may be the only style a person ever needs or uses. It can be as simple as using a down stroke with the index finger every beat or every measure, or as complex as a samba beat. I’ll keep it simple here.

Many traditional songs have a 4/4 or 2/4 rhythm. That means there are 4 or 2 beats, respectively, to a measure, and each beat is a quarter note in length. In 4/4 time, the first and third beats receive an emphasis. In jazz or swing, the second and fourth beats receive the emphasis. Normally we would use the down stroke on the first and third beats and the up stroke on the third and fourth. There’s no law that says you can’t do the reverse.

Waltz rhythms are usually written as 3/4 or 6/8. In the first instance the down beat (and emphasis) is on the first beat; in the second it is on the first and fourth beast. These rhythms are normally played in down-down-up fashion, but you can use other patterns if you like.

Strum Melodically

If you’ve listened to jazz banjo players you’ve probably noticed that they strum a lot, but when given the spotlight they like to use the chord that corresponds to each note of the melody. Thus they are really playing melodically, but with chords. This can be quite challenging. Not only will you want to know all the various chords associated with a given note (e.g., C, Cm, C7, etc.) but also the various instances on the fret board. In order to make it clear you are playing a melody, there are times when you will need to play a higher version of a chord than the one to which you are accustomed.

Pick Rhythmically

Picking is done with the thumb (down) and index and/or middle fingers (up and down). If this sounds vague it’s because there are many styles of picking.

A good picking style to begin with is an arpeggio style. (An arpeggio is a repetitious sequence of playing notes in a chord.) Since the uke is usually tuned with a high G, I find it best to just use the first three strings (A, E, C) for arpeggios. In a 4/4 rhythm, for example, I might play thumb (third string), index finger (first string), thumb (third string), index finger (second string) in sequence. Keep repeating while changing chords as the song dictates.

If the uke is tuned to a low G, you can try alternating the thumb between the fourth and third strings.

Pick Melodically

It’s not often that someone only picks the single notes of a melody, but that would represent the ultimate purity in picking melodically. Most of the time we take advantage of the instrument’s ability to play several strings at a time to combine melody and harmony. A good approach here is to know the melody a note at a time, but also know the associated chords and combine chords at regular intervals. For example, use single notes for runs, lead-ins, transitions and generally for all moving sequences. Use the chord strums for keeping some sort of rhythm, whether every second beat or fourth beat or some other pattern.

Next Step

That’s more than enough to keep anyone busy for quite awhile. Take advantage of the many videos on YouTube and at places like Ukelele Underground to see how these principles are put into practice. Don’t be afraid to learn from the banjo players as well.

Later
-- Al

6 - Sad and Lonely

2009-06-15T14:51:00.007-04:00

In this post: Minor chords; St. James Infirmary

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Why do sad and lonely songs make us feel good? Maybe it’s because misery loves company or because we’re glad to know we’re not alone in our troubles. Whatever the reason, sad and lonely is the domain of the minor key. What I said last time about I-IV-V7 chords in the major scales applies to minor scales as well. A minor scale differs from the major (the scale we normally think of) in the placement of the half steps. The major scale places a half step between the third and fourth note in the scale and between the seventh and eight notes. The minor scale places the half steps between the second and third and the fifth and sixth notes.

With that in mind, here are some groups of minor chords with V7s thrown in. These chord groups are fun to play and practice on a regular basis. They’re grouped in the way you will likely find them in songs, and they almost sound like songs in themselves. As a matter of fact, the first group Dm, Gm, A7 and back to Dm are used in St. James Infirmary, a well known traditional American sad song. The chords are placed in brackets at the point where they begin.

St. James Infirmary (from Song Fest, ed. Dick and Beth Best)

[Dm] I went down to the [A7] St. James [Dm] Infirmary;
To see my [Gm] baby [Dm] there,
She was lyin’ on a [A7] long white [Dm] table,
So sweet, so [A7] cool, so [Dm] fair.

Went up to see the doctor,
“She’s very low,” he said;
Went back to see my baby;
Good God! She’s lyin’ there dead.

I went down to old Joe’s barroom,
On the corner by the square;
They were servin’ the drinks as usual,
And the usual crowd was there.

On my left stood old Joe McKennedy,
And his eyes were bloodshot red;
He turned to the crowd around him,
These are the words he said:

Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
Wherever she may be;
She may search this wide world over
An’ never find a better man than me.

Oh, when I die, please bury me
In my high-top Stetson hat;
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So my friends’ll know I died standin’ pat.

Get six gamblers to carry my coffin,
Six chorus girls to sing me a song,
Put a twenty-piece jazz band on my tail gate
To raise Hell as we go along.

Now that’s the end of my story;
Let’s have another round of booze;
And if anyone should ask you, just tell them
I’ve got the St. James Infirmary blues.

Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
Wherever she may be;
She may search this wide world over
An’ never find a better man than me.

There are, of course, other versions of this classic.

One thing I’d like to suggest is a way to pick/strum this song. Try using a One-Uh Two rhythm in which the One is a dotted eighth, the Uh is a sixteenth and the Two is quarter note. Play it by picking the One with your thumb on the fourth or third string, the Uh with an upward flick of the first two strings with your index finger, and the Two with a downward stroke across all strings with you index finger. Play slowly and deliberately. As a variation, you can treat the Two with the same rhythm as the One-Uh by using an upward pick of the first string with your index finger for the Uh.

I plan to talk more about strumming and picking in the future, so I’m getting a little ahead of myself here.

Later,
-- Al

Correction

The chord chart above incorrectly shows the Bbm chord as a B7. Here is the correct configuration for both chords:

5 - Let Me Entertain You

2009-06-14T15:21:00.008-04:00

In this post: Major chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

If you’ve looked through some songbooks you’ve probably noticed songs with chords other than the three we used for Go Tell Aunt Rhody. It’s usually a matter of the tune being written in a different key to accommodate the singer or the range of an instrument.

So let’s expand our repertoire. I’ve sketched out some more groups of chords below. The scheme is the same for each row. The only difference is that we’ve moved to a different scale for each row. There are more scales out there, but these will do for now. You may also note that some chords appear as many as 3 times, so you really don’t have to learn as many as you might at first think. In fact, there are only 10 unique chords here and you already know 4 from before.

The first chord in a row matches the scale of the group.

Two chords deserve special comment. For most people, B-flat (Bb) is easier to play when the first finger is laid flat across all four strings. This is called a bar. Learning to use the bar is essential, and a LOT easier on the uke than on the guitar.

The D chord is shown two ways. The first, on the third row, is probably easier. Just use a bar at the second fret and place your pinky at the fifth fret. BTW – did you notice that this is just a C chord raised two frets (ie, one full interval)? Notice that the D7 is just a C7 slid up two frets. Do you begin to see the value of the bar?

The second D chord, shown on the fourth row, omits the bar and the pinky. You will find it awkward to place three fingers on each of the last three strings, so what we do is place the first finger flat across the last three strings at the second fret. This takes some getting used to, but is actually much easier than it first seems. The open string note is actually the same as the note being played on the fourth string, so no worries here. (That’s another thing to keep the back of your mind. The second fret of the fourth string plays A, the same A as the first string.)

Are you confused about which string is first and which is fourth. I sometimes am. Here’s a site with uke terminology. The uppermost string when playing right-handed is the fourth string (for instruments that tune low to high, we could call this the low string). The string that’s down when are playing right-handed is the first string.

Now for a tiny bit of music theory. And I mean TINY!!!

The groups of chords I’ve shown are all based on the same scheme. For any given scale, we use the first (root or I), fourth (subdominant or IV) and fifth (dominant or V) chords of the scale. We arrive at these numbers simply by counting notes as we go up the scale. For example, the C scale has the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B and back to C. Numerically that’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (the octave of 1). When used to refer to chords in the scale, we use Roman numerals. Thus the first chord (aka root) is I, the fourth chord is IV and the fifth chord is V.

Many songs use the V7 chord in place of the V chord. This adds interest because the V7 chords are “unstable” in the sense that they need to resolve to something settled (unless you are after a special effect, of course). Commonly, the V7 chord resolves to the I chord. In fact, many songs end on the I chord, which makes it relatively easy to figure out what key a song is in even if you don’t have the written music. Just hum the last note and find it on your instrument. Then you know what key you're in (usually!)

The nice thing about learning and practicing chords in groups, such as the ones above, is that each group holds well together and represents the chord changes you are likely to encounter in a song. You may want to omit the V chord or the V7 chord on a given pass-through, and you will probably want to end with the I chord after repeating the row a few times. In any case, the groups above are good to practice, even as a warm up exercise.

Next time we’ll make some minor changes.

Later,
-- Al

4 - Play a Simple Melody

2009-06-12T10:02:00.009-04:00

In this post: First chords; Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I wish I had the music to this great song, although if I did I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a starter. Instead I’d be looking for a familiar tune that uses two or three chords. Ideally those chords would be C, F and G or G7. These chords are easy to play and easy to switch between. I sketched them out here on music manuscript paper. You say you don’t have manuscript paper? I recommend you get some or get a spiral-bound book of them or at least make and print your own with your computer.

In case you need a chord chart, there’s a useful one here. Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of chords shown. We’ll deal with that in the future.

Do I need to explain how to tune up your instrument? If you have a tuner or a piano handy, tune the strings – top to bottom as you are holding the instrument - g, C, E, A. The g is actually an octave higher than if the strings were tuned in ascending pitches. (Baritone ukes are normally tuned D, G, B, E). For more on tuning, see here.

There are a number of sources for tunes with chords, including the web and things called fake books. The latter are great. They contain the melody line, chords, and words of all verses. That’s all you need. Traditionally fake books came in paper only. Now, of course, they are available electronically on CD-ROM.

My first source is still a book first published in the ‘40s and named "Song Fest", edited by Dick and Beth Best and still available at Amazon. I found it while in college 50 years ago. It was used as part of a course on folk music, which everyone loved – and not just because it was guaranteed A.

I was never able to fit the course into my schedule, but I did buy the book and still have it and use it. Just looking through the book I immediately found some songs that meet my criteria: There is a Tavern in the Town, Smoky Mountain, Frankie and Johnny, John Peel, and others. Still more are suitable, but in another key, such as Go Tell Aunt Rhody, which I’ve written out below but in the key of C so we can use the starter chords above. I put the chords in brackets at the points where they begin. Just use a simple Down stroke at first, or Down-Up if you prefer. Later you can get more complicated.

----------------------------------------------------
Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Verse 1:

[C] Go tell Aunt Rhody. [G7] Go tell Aunt [C] Rhody. Go tell Aunt Rhody. That the [G7] old gray goose is [C] dead.

Verse 2:

[C] The one she’s been savin’. [G7] The one she’s been [C] savin’. The one she’s been savin’. [G7] To make her feather [C] bed.
----------------------------------------------------

While you’re practicing Go Tell Aunt Rhody, I’ll go looking for more simple songs.

Later,
-- Al

3 - Hey Good Lookin'

2009-06-11T10:26:00.007-04:00

In this post: Ukulele designs and styles

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

In keeping with its free spirit image, the ukulele comes in a great variety of shapes, ornamentation and finishes. At one end there are the mass produced figure-eight shaped instruments from Indonesia and China, priced at under $30. At the other end are custom made instruments with expensive inlays and hand ornaments valued in the thousands of dollars. In between are instruments at all price levels distinguished by their choice of wood(s) and finishes, shapes, and materials other than wood.

Just to mention a few, there are the cigar box ukes, the pineapple-shaped ukes, triangular-shaped ukes and others. One unique design is known as The Flea. It has a rounded back side made of injection mold ABS plastic, making it a great choice for taking along on hikes and camping trips where it can be stowed in a backpack without fear of damage. The Flea is made by the Magic Fluke Company, which also makes a beautifully shaped model called the Fluke. (See Flea review and Fluke review.) Both have flat bottoms, enabling them to stand upright.

One design I particularly like is the pear-shaped Vita by Ohana. The company also makes a bell-shaped uke.

The cigar box designs often boast interesting illustrations on the body, either from the original covering of the box or as an added painted on design. For some examples, see here.

I can't help but wonder how the instrument acoustics are affected by the different materials and shapes. The only way to know for sure is to try them. Many of the web sites describing and/or selling them have sound clips, which is a start.

One thing for certain: the ukulele can be a thing of beauty, no matter what your preferences are.

Later,
-- Al

2 - All in the Family

2009-06-10T20:39:00.006-04:00

In this post: First uke

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

Many instruments belong to families of instruments. For example, there are seven common saxophones (not to mention the uncommon ones) that range from sopranino (tiny) to contra bass (huge). Each is half an octave apart in its tuning. Fiddles range from violin to viola to cello to bass. The list goes on.

Ukuleles also have a family: sopranino, soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. What’s unique about the ukulele family is that the first four are tuned AND pitched identically to each other, though you can tune them any way you like. The “standard” tuning is by no means standard. The difference between the four is size of the body and length of the neck. Musically, the small sopranino has a brighter, perkier sound whereas the large tenor has a more mellow sound. The soprano and concert, of course, are in between. Functionally, the sopranino may be small for people with large hands and the tenor large for people with small hands. I went for the concert – not because I have middle-sized hands (which I do), but because the sound was most like what I had in mind.

On the subject of sound, one ukulele variant is the banjo uke, which is intended to sound like a banjo while retaining the qualities of the uke. It kind of does these things, though it doesn’t begin to replace a banjo, if that’s what you really want.

The baritone is special. It’s really a small guitar with 4 strings. It’s tuned like the highest four strings of a guitar. The other ukes are most commonly tuned to the familiar “my dog has fleas” tune, or g’C’E’A’. The lower case g is not a typo. I used it to indicate the G as being tuned an octave higher than if the strings were tuned low to high, as they are on a guitar or fiddle. Some people, especially with tenors, like to tune the G as low rather than high.

I’ve pretty much skimmed the topic. You can find greater detail in the Wikipedia and elsewhere, and even find some audio samples.

Obviously the best way to decide which is best for you is to try them all out. Another approach, which some people recommend, is to just get an instrument – preferably an inexpensive one - and start playing. Then, when you have become familiar with the instrument, decide where you want to spend some serious money.

One thing I found right away was that changing the strings on my Oscar Schmidt OU2 beginner’s concert model made a big improvement in sound clarity and strength. I got the tip from poking around on the various ukulele forums and listening to samples on a YouTube video. I went for the Acquila Nygut strings.

So far I am very happy with my setup, and it didn’t cost me a whole lot. By the way: did I mention that the larger instruments cost more than the smaller ones? It probably goes without saying.

Later,

-- Al

1 - Up a Lazy River

2009-06-09T14:55:00.011-04:00

In this post: Introduction

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

One of my all-time favorite songs is Up a Lazy River, written by the great American jazz composer, Hoagy Carmichael, and Sidney Arodin. Its lighthearted lilt and catchy melody recalls memories of long-forgotten sing-a-longs at summer camp, a time of growing up, a romantic notion that all is well and forever will be. Up a Lazy River is a perfect match for the ukulele, an instrument that most anyone can play and – best of all – not have to take seriously. Yet we can take it seriously and become virtuosos if we have the dedication and ability.

For most of us, the ukulele is an instrument we can pull out on whim and play a few chords or songs with and immediately feel the stresses of life recede. We don’t have to worry about waking a sleeping spouse in another room or incurring the wrath of neighbors next door. There are few bad notes on the uke and there is no one who’s expectations are so high that our feeble attempts will leave them disappointed. Quite the opposite – any success we have will be roundly applauded.

My first encounter with the uke goes back to my college days in the late ‘50s. I bought an inexpensive plastic model and played it with a pick. I soon went on to more serious things – like a guitar – and eventually studied flute and more recently clarinet and saxophone. About a month ago I decided to give the uke another look. I “sprung” for a beginner’s concert size model, but this time one made of wood (well, all right, plywood). What a step up!!!

I also decided to really learn the uke this time. I now have the benefit of having pursued music more recently with a real desire to learn what it’s all about – as opposed to my very early years when I played the violin more out of my father’s will than my own.

I’ll be using the wonders of modern technology – the Internet and Google blog – to chronicle my experiences in learning this 19th century, cheerful, “please don’t take me too seriously” instrument, the ukulele, which by the way, means “jumping flea.”

I’m not going to engage in a discussion of what instrument to buy. There are many such discussions in the various forums and I’m more unqualified than most to be giving out buying information. I will say that as far as learning to play goes, almost anything that is in tune and has a straight neck and properly spaced frets will do.

Meanwhile, just Google “ukulele” (note the spelling) and follow your mouse to YouTube, Ukulele Underground, Top 50 Ukulele Sites, and so on. There’s loads of information and inspiration out there.

Later,
-- Al