Monday, September 02, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Aaron Keim Tabs and Workshops
Quiet American Aaron Keim has graciously posted a series of tabs and workshops on his site. If you're looking to learn clawhammer style ukulele, this is your ticket.
Link
Link
Sunday, August 25, 2013
A Plug for GoChords
In any event, I started using GoChords about a year ago. It's a super-easy-to-use tool that lets you drop chord diagrams onto a page to create your own arrangements. To arrange a song with lyrics, you simply paste in the text with line breaks and you're able to drop in diagrams between lines and drag them to their proper places to indicate the chord changes. Once your arrangement is complete, you can change key with a single click, which is a boon for ukulele teachers whose students want to learn a pop tune that's written in a decidedly uke-unfriendly key.
I have a few quibbles with GoChords. For example, it currently only offers first position chords, so it's not much help for intermediate or advanced arrangements. You can create your own custom chord shapes (I've created the 2020 Hawaiian D7 chord for my library, e.g.), but custom chord shapes are static, and do not change if you change the key. But these are small complaints, and since I have been using the free version, I felt as though it would be impolite to gripe.
Yesterday I returned to GoChords to print out some music for a student and learned that they've decided to migrate to a subscription-only model. It didn't take me long to do some mental calculation and conclude that the time and hassle that GoChords saves me is well worth $50 a year. (You can also subscribe for $5 a month.)
GoChords has many features that I haven't taken advantage of. (There's a tablet version and auto-scroll capability, among others.) And I hope that by moving to a paid model they'll have deeper pockets for feature development (like a full set of chord inversions). But I'm happy to now be a paid subscriber.
Check it out. GoChords site.
Thursday, August 08, 2013
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Ian Emmerson plays the World's Smallest Uke
Heck, I'd be happy if I could play that chestnut on a standard size soprano. This made my Saturday morning. Enjoy. Link
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Sonya Cotton
Bill "Rock That Uke" Robertson suggested we check out the frequent baritone-uke-playing Sonya Cotton. Lovely voice, but the bari sometimes gets lost in the mix. Still, as Bill "The Deer Head" Robertson says, her voice is hauntingly beautiful...
Link
Kanile'a Ukulele at Lamorinda Music
Join Joe & Kristen Sousa, owners of Kanile’a Ukulele of Hawaii, for a very special ukulele workshop:
- History of Kanile’a and the ukulele
- Learn how the remarkable Kanile’a ukulele is built
- Q&A with the owners
- Brief group ukulele class (bring your uke if you have one!)
- Live music by Joe Souza with a Hula by Kristen
- Dessert and coffee provided
When: Thursday, July 25th
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Cost: $10
81 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette, CA
RSVP: 925-385-0963
See you there!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Martin Ukulele Book
Tom Walsh and the late John King have written the biography of the Martin ukulele. Fun fact: the famous dreadnaught guitar body shape? Created first for a Martin uke prototype.
I'm off to find a copy... Link
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Ho'omaika'i 'Ana, Brittni!
Congratulations to Brittni Paiva, winner of two Na Hoku Hanohano awards for 2013. Brittni received top honors for Instrumental Composition (Tell U What, from the album of the same name) and Ukulele Album (also for Tell U What). Link
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Stars and Stripes Forever
Thinking about Memorial Day, John Phillip Sousa's march Stars and Stripes Forever has been running through my brain.
The march's trio is a ukulele classic, and has been a signature piece for many players throughout ukulele history (composed in 1897, the ukulele's 18th year). The first reference I've found to its ukulele performance is in 1910, by Antonio Abreu Santos (aka "Batata" or "Potato") who played it to great effect at a performance at the Honolulu YMCA. (This, from Jim Tranquada and John King's seminal The 'Ukulele, a History, and, if you don't own a copy, go to your local bookstore and buy/order a copy now.)
Other notable versions have been played and arranged by Bill Tapia (who at 10, played it for WWI troups in Hawaii), Jesse Kalima, Roy Smeck, and Bobby Henshaw, and others.
Here are links to reference recordings, videos and tabs. If you know of any others, please leave a comment and I'll add them here. In particular, if know of a tab for Bill Tapia's Stars and Stripes/Sweethearts on Parade medley, let me know with all speed and I will be forever in your debt. It's my personal favorite among the bunch. (Bonus points if you've worked out Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.)
Bill Tapia
Roy Smeck
(Smeck student Vincent Cortese plays Roy's version)
Jesse Kalima
Bobby "Uke" Henshaw
Jake Shimabukuro
Balsa Bill Yerkes
Dominator
Sunday, May 12, 2013
2013 Ka Palapala Poʻokela WINNERS! | Hawaii Book Blog
If the ukulele is your Special Interest, you must own a copy of this book.
Congratulations, Jim. Wish that John were still here to congratulate him as well. Link
Friday, May 10, 2013
MAKE | How-To: The Panjolele Cake Pan Ukulele
1st Annual Sebastopol Ukulele Festival
Hey, NoCal Ukers. Here's a brand new festival to check out. It's the first evah Annual Sebastapol Ukulele Festival.
Saturday, May 25th, 2013.
Link to Facebook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
