Youtube is littered with videos of stripped down ukulele covers of popular songs. These videos usually run the gamut from awful to kinda cool. I think this cover of the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” is a cut above anything else I’ve seen. Eva Walsh (background info) just graduated from Vandy with a Bachelor’s in Music and is a classical violinist. The normal ukulele cover would have Eva just singing the song while strumming, and that would be pleasant. But the extra dashes make this video special. The fiddle brings a great texture to the song, which is followed up by an organ and then layered vocals. The resulting product is an intriguing almost bluegrass take on a hip hop song that I can’t stop listening to. To check out more videos go to Eva’s youtube channel
We’re proud to announce a new combination Book and DVD designed for people who want to learn how to play the ukulele. This is not just a glorified songbook. This is an actual instructional product designed to teach you proper playing technique. You will learn the parts of the uke, proper playing position, a variety of strums, how to play chords, and more.
The Ukulele Primer starts off with the absolute basics like parts of the uke, tuning (G, C, E, A), left and right hand position, and how to strum. After covering the basics, you will learn how to play chords and different strum patterns in the context of fifteen popular songs. The fifty page book contains written instruction, music notation, helpful tips, chord charts, and detailed photographs. The 86 minute DVD provides video instruction for all of the techniques and songs covered in the book. The video uses split screens so you will be able to clearly see both hands and the music at all times.
Songs include: He’s Got the Whole World, Pay Me My Money Down, When the Saints Go Marching In, Streets of Laredo, Tom Dooley, Worried Man Blues, Banks of the Ohio, Jamaica Farewell, Amazing Grace, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Sloop John B, O Mary Don’t You Weep, Midnight Special
View the Ukulele Primer product page for sample pages, demo videos and more details
- Sure I can name a couple types of moustaches off the top of my head: the “handlebar”, “fu manchu”, etc. But you really need an extensive list to correctly describe the variety of moustaches out there. Luckily Thumbarella has found this ukulele featuring drawings of different soup strainers all over the body of the instrument. On the “Illustrated Guide to the Moustaches of the World” ukulele you’ll find the “the sad cowboy”, “the imperial”, and “the Shirley Temple”. In addition to the moustaches the head of the instrument has the following quote:
“There are three kinds of man you must never trust: a man who hunts south of the Thames, a man who has soup for lunch; and a man who waxes his moustache.” -Sir James Richards
- Guitar Noize has come across a helpful Mac application for guitarists. Capo lets you pinpoint sections of songs you’re trying to learn. You can then listen to that section on loop and even at different speeds.
- Guitar Research has compiled a list of the 50 Greatest Guitar Albums. The list is a little heavy on the metal for my taste but it’s definitely a good selection of material if you’re trying to find good and fun guitar parts to play.
Mental Floss has a collection of youtube videos of chicks playing ukes including a dynamite cover of “Wipe Out”. Combine that with Kate Micucci’s multiple performances of ukulele songs on Scrubs last week and it’s a banner month for women who play the ukulele. Below is “the Gooch” and Ted performing “Screw You” on Scrubs, which you can find the tab for here.
“Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes plays ukulele on “Cleanse Song”, a track on his latest album Cassadaga, while Bill Drummond, the anti-hero of KLF, says he’s so in love with his uke that he takes it to bed with him. The new ukulele brotherhood also apparently includes Pete Doherty, one of an unlikely trail of stars who frequent Duke of Uke, Britain’s only dedicated ukulele shop, which does a roaring business in London’s Spitalfields.”
So I decided to look around the web myself and see what ukulele stuff was out there. The Uke.com was the most informative site I found. Most helpful is probably their chord charts section
I also ran across two ukulele blogs if you’ll believe it. The first is the Uke Club, which features songs and even cartoons. The second, Ukulelia, finds everything ukulele related on the web.
And if you just want to enjoy some good uke playing check out the video below.
