This is a blog for the uke enthusiast and the budding uke player. When I started playing, there wasn't a clear path to follow in terms of learning, history, etc. This blog is meant to fill that need. I hope it is of some use to you.
There are lots of handy-dandy little chord charts on the market, but for my money, I like the Hal Leonard book the best. Tons of chords in different positions. An invaluable resource when you are trying to learn chords and the notes they consist of.
posted by Paul Overton @ 9:42 PM
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Off the Uke topic momentarily, I just found a great site with tons of useful tips on making your blog more dynamic. Check out Mandarin Design. Great stuff. All kinds of things about making your web page better. For instance, I didn't know how to left justify this picture and make my text wrap until I visited their site. Well worth the time.
posted by Paul Overton @ 2:00 PM
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As you may have noticed after picking up the uke, there's not exactly a goldmine of information and sheet music available to the average player. Enter Jim Beloff. The pied Piper of the modern Ukulele movement. Jim has done more for the instrument in the last ten years than just about anyone else, including publishing a dearth of great songbooks with arrangements that are specifically for Ukulele. I have been slowly working my way through "Jumpin' Jim Goes Hollywood" for the last few months and thoroughly enjoying it. All the Beloff books are available on Amazon and they all come highly recommended. Here is the link to the "Hollywood" book.
posted by Paul Overton @ 6:11 AM
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BBC article and sound bytes about the Ukulele renaissance and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Link here
posted by Paul Overton @ 3:33 PM
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Want to learn about the history of the most sought after vintage ukulele on the planet? Trip on over to Bruddah Bu's site and take a tour of the Martin legacy.
posted by Paul Overton @ 4:52 AM
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Can't afford a flea? Well, then make one out of tupperware. What? Yep. You heard right. The darned thing actually sounds good even though it looks like hell.
Plans here
posted by Paul Overton @ 2:20 PM
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Few ukes come with strings that you'll be happy with, but changing them can be a daunting proposition if you've never done it before. Check out the Kawika website for full instructions on the art of the string change.
posted by Paul Overton @ 1:09 PM
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Even though there’s no Uke in this band, I still love these guys and think you will too. Proper records has just put out a terrific boxed set called "everybody Stomp" with 100 great Hotshots tunes that is really well thought out and retails for under $25. Who could ask for more?
Here’s some history of the band quoted from Hoosier Hotshots.com
"The story of the Hoosier Hot Shots begins on a farm near Arcadia, Indiana, about 20 miles north of Indianapolis. It was here on September 13, 1903, that Kenneth Trietsch first saw the light of day. He was to be one of a family of four girls and five boys, children of parents with musical inclinations that included a banjo-playing father.
About 18 months after Kenneth's birth, Mrs. Trietsch, on April 11, 1905, gave birth to another son who was given the name Paul. It was these two brothers, Ken and Paul, who, because of their love of music and entertaining, eventually formed the nucleus of the Hoosier Hot Shots.
Except for a brief period when the family lived in Georgia and Alabama, the Trietsch brothers spent their formative years in rural Indiana, not far from where they had been born. By the time he was five years old Ken was coaxing melodies from a tuba which, since it was almost as large as he was, had to be placed in a chair before he could play it. In high school he won prizes for his corn crops and played in a 65-piece concert band. While still a young man he went off to New York where he played in the Paul Whiteman and Vincent Lopez orchestras.
Meanwhile, younger brother Paul was developing a taste for music which, due to household circumstances, took somewhat of an unorthodox turn…."more
Here’s a link to the boxed set:
posted by Paul Overton @ 11:03 AM
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Another Ukulele luminary that everyone should know about. I discovered Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards about a year ago and since then, his music has been in heavy rotation on my cd player. Actor/singer Edwards appeared in over 100 motion pictures and sold over 74 million records. For the best Biography information on Ukulele Ike you should check out David Garrick's excellent site and also make sure to visit The Red Hot Jazz Archive.
Here are my top three Cliff Edwards albums:
posted by Paul Overton @ 8:18 AM
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"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." -Henry David Thoreau
