Hard Day's Night

A great little song that I've always wanted to play simple due to the fact that so many people know the words to the song. Older people I guess. Anyway, Ukulele Mike's tutorial video is below, I'll write up some tab (Mike's tab is not available anymore) and post it in here as soon as I can.

The part I really like about this tutorial video is that it introduces "hammering-on" and a little solo picking but it is not essential for the song. If you want to skip to the main chords and play-a-long then just head to about 3min40.

Enjoy

Dr Who Theme Tune

Our first request is the theme tune to Dr Who. A classic tune that I believe everyone in the country is familiar with but quite a difficult one to play as it includes both strumming and picking. The fact it's quite fast only adds to the level of difficulty as well as the awe and wonder when you master it.

I'm just figuring out the tabs at the moment, so for the time being here are a couple of videos of others playing it. Do message me if I still haven't worked it out by the end of 2012.

 

Below you will find the tab for the first video by "Uke of Carl". He's transferred quite a few songs onto the Uke and has a great talent when it comes to the arrangement of the songs. Because of this the tab actually looks quite difficult, so I will try it out and attempt to write it up a little more simply so you know how to do the strumming pattern as well. 

In the meantime, give it a go.

 

Basic Chords to Get You Started

The Uke is a smaller instrument than the guitar but works in the same way to create different sounds. It doesn't really take that long to master a few basic chords and then, before you know it, you're able to play many a tune.

My only tip to you is to practice a little every day. You don't even have to strum or make a noise, just practice going from chord to chord. By doing this you actually increase the brain receptors which enables to change chords almost instinctively. This is otherwise known as muscle memory and can be linked to learning anything new, from joined up handwriting to riding a bike to changing gear in a car. It all takes a while when you first start learning but then it happens without you even realising.

Take a look below at some of the basic chords to get you started.

An Introduction to Strumming

When I first started to learn the Uke I really just wanted to play-along to CD's and music videos but I soon found that even though I knew many of the chords it just didn't sound right. The reason for this was I didn't have a good enough knowledge of strumming, timing and rhythm.

Strumming is not so much about how fast or how complicated you can strum. Strumming is a form of rhythm, and the most essential aspect of rhythm is consistency and good timing. If you don’t have these things, your strumming pattern is useless. 

Aldrine Guerrero, from Ukulele Underground, gives a good introduction to strumming, including the fact that it's your wrist that needs to move and NOT your entire forearm from the elbow. I like the fact that he gives you a few ideas about how to create your own strums so do take a look to see for yourself.

Good 'ol Ukulele Mike though introduces some names to the most common strums that you'll come across in many of the songs that can be found on this site. These four strum patterns are:

THE SHUFFLE

THE SWING SHUFFLE

THE CHURCH LICK

THE CALYPSO

Practice them, practice changing between then but don't get caught only playing the one. Do mix it up and your playing will sound even more fantastic.

 

Parts of the Ukulele

When we’re discussing things ukulele, there’s nothing worse than being caught off guard when someone refers to something like the nut or fret on a ukulele, and you have no idea what they mean. So to clarify any confusion, and to get all of us on the same page, let’s look at the different parts of a ukulele.

Whenever you pluck a string on the ukulele, the string vibrates the saddle, which is the white piece of plastic or bone that is supported by the bridge on the top of the ukulele. The energy that comes from plucking the string transfers from the saddle and bridge to vibrate the top of the ukulele. The body of the ukulele acts as a chamber which resonates the sound and then projects it out of the soundhole.

The neck of the ukulele is attached to the body. The top side of the neck is considered the fretboard. The frets are the vertical pieces of metal that lay across the fretboard.
At the top of the fretboard, the strings rest in the grooves of the nut, which then attach themselves in the tuners on the headstock.

The picture above shows a ukulele tuner detached from the headstock.
It’s quite amazing how all these parts work together to produce a beautiful sound. Different types of woods, tuners, nuts, saddles, and craftsmanship and will have a tremendous impact of the overall sound of the instrument. That’s why it’s important to make the investment in a well-made instrument.

Ukulele Tuning

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This is one of the easiest, yet most important skills, you need to learn. If you don't/can't do this then it turns out to be really bad for your listeners and you'll get quickly disheartened.

Different ukuleles will hold their tuning better than others and new strings will always stretch more and go out of tune quickly so it's always worth tuning up before playing, or even part way through it something sounds a little hinky.



GCEA is the most common tuning for soprano, concert and tenor ukes and is also known as "C tuning". In the picture above, you see the notes of each string. The top string or fourth string of the ukulele is tuned to a G. The third string is tuned to a C. The second string is tuned to an E. The bottom, or first string, is tuned to an A.

It’s worth noting that the G string is commonly tuned to the G note above the C and E strings (reentrant/high 4th tuning). If you’re used to playing guitar, the pitch of the strings on the ukulele don’t always go from lowest to highest. This tuning gives you the most even tone because the strings are kept in a smaller range, which makes it a very popular tuning for the smaller soprano uke. 

How To Tune Your Uke

There are two ways you can tune your ukulele: by ear or by using a chromatic tuner. I recommend using a chromatic tuner. Although some people have an extraordinary sense of pitch, a chromatic tuner will always give you the most accurate tuning no matter what. A chromatic tuner is a device that automatically detects the pitch of your strings and gives you a reading so you can adjust your tuning to the right spot.The majority that you'll find in the shops clip onto the head and quite simply indicate what note your string is tuned to, at which point you just twist the tuners to alter and fine tune.

What to do when you have no tuner

If all else fails and you are out and about without a tuner then take a tip from good 'ol Ukulele Mike.

Banana Boat Song

I was first made aware of this song through the film Beatlejuice. The main characters took possession of some 'unwanted' guests and made them sing/dance to the song. Over 20 years later a colleague reminded me of the song and here we are.

  

It has few chords

C - 0003

F - 2010

G - 0232

G7 - 0212

and relies mainly on the calypso strumming pattern

\           \      /     /      \        / 

down, down, up, up, down, up 

Anyway, take a look at the sheet below and watch the tutorial by Ukulele Mike. He'll explain it all far better than I can.

 

Here's Mike