Tag Archives: ukulele

Tales of the Uke – Part 21

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The last song I performed on YouTube was French. This time out everything is quite British. I write “everything” because it’s a medley of five songs from the Fab Four with a fun 10-track mixed reprise of one of the songs at the end. Woo Hoo! A Beatles hit from each year between 1964 and 1968.

This is not a songbook medley. I actually picked the tunes I wanted from sheet music and then did the basic arrangement of the parts I wanted to play, the transitions, and the sequencing. The last song was a free-for-all of ideas, and during the summer I recorded a couple different audio-only versions for testing purposes. So, you have to stick around until the end to hear and see how things turn out! I’m not giving away the names of the songs. The fun is in the recognition:

On a random note, it’s coincidence but interesting that this project is finished right before the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at a time when the United Kingdom has been the focus of news for the last week.

Up next, it’s a love song and jazz standard made famous by Frank Sinatra.

Tales of the Uke – Part 20

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The last non-holiday piece I recorded was in the fall! I get asked, are you still taking ukulele lessons? Yes, I am. I just haven’t been recording everything and now there is a backlog. Today, I start clearing that out.

Let’s go to post-World War II France. La Vie en Rose was written in 1945 by É dith Piaf, Louiguy, and Marguerite Monnot. Piaf’s recording (this was her signature song) was released in 1947 and has been covered by many artists. In English, the title is Life in Pink. It is also loosely translated as meaning life in rose-colored glasses or life in happy hues. It’s a sweet love song.

I play two verses here. The first is arranged for ukulele and is more traditional in its approach. The second verse uses the same arrangement but in a style I heard played on guitar. I wrote a simple C scale to G7 chord bridge to join the two verses:

I have a big project on the way next!

2021 “Uketide” Tunes – Part IV

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From the serious to the not-so-serious we go. Every year, the grand finale for the holiday season is Robert Alex Anderson’s Mele Kalikimaka. My daughter and FooFoo are back, and for 2021, Aria does the kazoo solo:

This was our fourth year together. Mahalo for watching, and best wishes for a happy holiday season. May jolly Saint Nicholas bring you a musical instrument and perhaps lessons to go with it. Aloha!