The title of this blog is kind of a pun. "Ukulele Country" means both "a country with lots of ukulele stuff" as well as "country music on the ukulele." This post has nothing to do with ukuleles.
My favorite songwriter is Tom T. Hall--an easy guess for anyone familiar with my YouTube channel. Songcraft: Conversations With Great Songwriters Podcast has an interview with the great Storyteller. Go here to hear it: Tom T. Hall.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
Alligator Man
This is a cover of a song written by Jimmy C. Newman. This was the first time we had played this song together, and I was the only one who was actually familiar with it. This time, you can hear my ukulele at the beginning as I set the tempo and started the song.
Jole Blon
This is me singing the bilingual lyric version of "Jole Blon" as recorded by Doug Kershaw. At the local nursing home on July 17, 2017.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
No update today
Due to technical errors. The recording app on my phone failed to save the files again. I do have a few other things to mention, however.
I have been learning to use a program called MuseScore. This is an open-source (freeware) program for composing music. I am going to use it to write up some decent lead sheets for various songs I do, on the off-chance that anyone is interested. In any case, I'll be able to use them myself, at least. They will be stored at box.net. Here is the link for the directory: Chord Sheets, Lead Sheets, Tabs. I have also been using the old PowerTab to learn to write tabs, and as soon as I get any worth sharing, they will be in the same directory.
Yesterday I wrote a lead sheet for an old gospel song by Hank Williams called "Jesus Died For Me." It is accessible at this direct link: Jesus Died For Me.
We did have a good day at the nursing home, although there were some problems with the sound system, but we eventually got it working well. Mac, the fiddle player, was there this time and I was able to photograph his sheet music for "Ashokan Farewell" and one other piece that I really liked. I am going to work on a tab for them both, most likely chord/melody arrangements. I have already worked up such a tab for "Ashokan Farewell" from some other already existing tab, but I want to compare it to his sheet music so I can make sure they are both the same.
I know there are already ukulele tabs for this piece, but I have been able to find them only in C and F. The original was in D, and both fiddle players I know who play this piece, play it in D. So I need a tab that's in D.
One other change I recently made was that all the gospel songs on my YouTube channel are now public. I had previously kept them unlisted because I didn't think there would be much interest in them, but apparently there may be some interest in them, after all. My YouTube channel is UkeintheHeartofTexas. The playlist for all the gospel songs is here.
I have been learning to use a program called MuseScore. This is an open-source (freeware) program for composing music. I am going to use it to write up some decent lead sheets for various songs I do, on the off-chance that anyone is interested. In any case, I'll be able to use them myself, at least. They will be stored at box.net. Here is the link for the directory: Chord Sheets, Lead Sheets, Tabs. I have also been using the old PowerTab to learn to write tabs, and as soon as I get any worth sharing, they will be in the same directory.
Yesterday I wrote a lead sheet for an old gospel song by Hank Williams called "Jesus Died For Me." It is accessible at this direct link: Jesus Died For Me.
We did have a good day at the nursing home, although there were some problems with the sound system, but we eventually got it working well. Mac, the fiddle player, was there this time and I was able to photograph his sheet music for "Ashokan Farewell" and one other piece that I really liked. I am going to work on a tab for them both, most likely chord/melody arrangements. I have already worked up such a tab for "Ashokan Farewell" from some other already existing tab, but I want to compare it to his sheet music so I can make sure they are both the same.
I know there are already ukulele tabs for this piece, but I have been able to find them only in C and F. The original was in D, and both fiddle players I know who play this piece, play it in D. So I need a tab that's in D.
One other change I recently made was that all the gospel songs on my YouTube channel are now public. I had previously kept them unlisted because I didn't think there would be much interest in them, but apparently there may be some interest in them, after all. My YouTube channel is UkeintheHeartofTexas. The playlist for all the gospel songs is here.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Arnett Cobb
I played alto sax in school band beginning in 6th grade. Later in high school I also played bari sax. In college, I played bari in the #1 jazz band and alto in the #2 band. I haven't played sax in years, however, and I'm sure all the necessary muscles are completely out of shape. It's still my favorite wind instrument.
Arnett Cobb was from Texas, born in Houston. He died in the same city in 1989.
You may expect to hear more about both Texan musicians and the saxophone on this blog.
Arnett Cobb was from Texas, born in Houston. He died in the same city in 1989.
You may expect to hear more about both Texan musicians and the saxophone on this blog.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Ukulele Podcasts
I listen to a lot of podcasts. My job is such that I can often listen to podcasts for 6-7 hours every day, or every weekday anyway, and it greatly helps me from dying of boredom. So I thought I would list the ukulele-related podcasts that I listen to. These are in no particular order. Click on the podcast name to go to their website.
Ooktown - Primarily hosted by Stuart Yoshida, who is also the founder of the Colorado School of Ukulele, with a varying number of different co-hosts, each episode featuring a guest who is a prominent name in the ukulele world. Each episode discusses a variety of topics that should be important for ukulele players as well as musicians in general. This podcast began in 2011 and all past episodes are archived and available for download at the website.
Ukulele Underground - Unfortunately, this one seems to have gone on an indefinite hiatus, but the archived episodes are very well worth listening to. The previous link will take you to the first version of their podcast, called The Adventures of the K-Town Heroes, in which you will be taken on a long, very entertaining and informative journey about how Aldrine, Ryan, and Aaron grew up, met each other, and eventually founded Ukulele Underground. I binge-listened to all of these in a just a couple of days, and listening to them all was so much fun, I might do it again sometime. Their feed is http://ukuleleunderground.com/feed/. Put that in your RSS reader and you should be able to access all of their shows, including the more recent ones that were put out last year.
Unplug the Wood - This is not specifically a ukulele podcast, but is instead a podcast dedicated to acoustic performances. However, the host, Krabbers, is a ukulele player and he frequently does include ukulele music in the podcast. There have been only 10 episodes so far and they are all available for download at the website.
UkeCast - This show is no longer being produced. It ran for 4 seasons from (I think) 2006-2009. It may have been the first ever ukulele-focused podcast, and it's great! Each episode is almost all music and little commentary, running about 20-25 minutes each, with an occasional special episode going up to about an hour. Almost all original ukulele music, and I highly recommend it! It is also interesting to me as a part of history. This podcast was before Jake swept the world with his incredible playing, before Aldrine made a name for himself, and for that matter before many of the big names in ukulele had become famous. One of the co-hosts, who goes by the name of Nipper, was interviewed in one of the recent Ukulele Underground podcasts. All of the episodes are still available to download in one big zip file at the website. Lots and lots of great original ukulele music here, and every episode stands up to repeated listening.
That's it. Happy listening!
Ooktown - Primarily hosted by Stuart Yoshida, who is also the founder of the Colorado School of Ukulele, with a varying number of different co-hosts, each episode featuring a guest who is a prominent name in the ukulele world. Each episode discusses a variety of topics that should be important for ukulele players as well as musicians in general. This podcast began in 2011 and all past episodes are archived and available for download at the website.
Ukulele Underground - Unfortunately, this one seems to have gone on an indefinite hiatus, but the archived episodes are very well worth listening to. The previous link will take you to the first version of their podcast, called The Adventures of the K-Town Heroes, in which you will be taken on a long, very entertaining and informative journey about how Aldrine, Ryan, and Aaron grew up, met each other, and eventually founded Ukulele Underground. I binge-listened to all of these in a just a couple of days, and listening to them all was so much fun, I might do it again sometime. Their feed is http://ukuleleunderground.com/feed/. Put that in your RSS reader and you should be able to access all of their shows, including the more recent ones that were put out last year.
Unplug the Wood - This is not specifically a ukulele podcast, but is instead a podcast dedicated to acoustic performances. However, the host, Krabbers, is a ukulele player and he frequently does include ukulele music in the podcast. There have been only 10 episodes so far and they are all available for download at the website.
UkeCast - This show is no longer being produced. It ran for 4 seasons from (I think) 2006-2009. It may have been the first ever ukulele-focused podcast, and it's great! Each episode is almost all music and little commentary, running about 20-25 minutes each, with an occasional special episode going up to about an hour. Almost all original ukulele music, and I highly recommend it! It is also interesting to me as a part of history. This podcast was before Jake swept the world with his incredible playing, before Aldrine made a name for himself, and for that matter before many of the big names in ukulele had become famous. One of the co-hosts, who goes by the name of Nipper, was interviewed in one of the recent Ukulele Underground podcasts. All of the episodes are still available to download in one big zip file at the website. Lots and lots of great original ukulele music here, and every episode stands up to repeated listening.
That's it. Happy listening!
Saturday, February 4, 2017
New uke: the Duke banjo ukulele
A video about my newest acquisition: the Duke tenor scale banjo ukulele.
The "happiest instrument in the world"
Does anyone else get somewhat annoyed by chirpy people who are always proclaiming that the ukulele is "the happiest instrument in the world"? Or how about "you can't be sad and play the ukulele"? Or even the extreme "you can't play a sad song on a ukulele"?
I have news for people who say those things. It is not news that they will ever believe, because they have already decided to live by their established prejudices, but here it is:
THE UKULELE IS JUST ANOTHER INSTRUMENT.
That's right. It doesn't have any special happy magical powers or anything like that. It's an instrument, just like a guitar or a saxophone or a bagpipe. Well, maybe not a bagpipe.
I once very pointedly told someone that if I couldn't play sad songs on a ukulele, I would never have wasted my time on it.
Okay, I love this instrument. It's something that I can get my head around and my fingers to more or less work with. I can strum chords as I sing. That's all I ever wanted. But no sad songs?
Do you have a favorite sad song that you like to play on your ukulele? Leave a comment and tell me about it!
I have news for people who say those things. It is not news that they will ever believe, because they have already decided to live by their established prejudices, but here it is:
THE UKULELE IS JUST ANOTHER INSTRUMENT.
That's right. It doesn't have any special happy magical powers or anything like that. It's an instrument, just like a guitar or a saxophone or a bagpipe. Well, maybe not a bagpipe.
I once very pointedly told someone that if I couldn't play sad songs on a ukulele, I would never have wasted my time on it.
Okay, I love this instrument. It's something that I can get my head around and my fingers to more or less work with. I can strum chords as I sing. That's all I ever wanted. But no sad songs?
Friday, January 27, 2017
Questions
I was reading this post: The Most Common Questions Every Beginner Ukulele Player Ask. I don't entirely agree with everything said, so I thought I'd throw in my own 2 cents worth, which, adjusted for inflation, is probably worth a lot less than that.
1. What is the best ukulele for beginners?
Get the best ukulele you can afford. And by "afford," I don't mean use up your savings or take out a loan or do anything to financially stress yourself. By "afford," I mean spend as much money as you are willing to spend, but let's face it, you're going to have to spend a certain amount to get a decent instrument. Do not buy any nameless yet colorful uke from eBay because it only costs $20. There is a very high probability that if you do, you won't like it. As a rough guide, expect to spend between $50 to $100 for a budget soprano uke. Also: Do not buy your first ukulele from Amazon. Make sure you buy it from a reputable ukulele dealer who does setups on the instruments they sell. A "setup" means the instrument is examined for flaws and the action is checked and possibly adjusted so that it is almost always improved over factory condition before they ship it to you. A few dealers that I know do setups are: Hawaiian Music Supply, Uke Republic, and Mim's Ukes. Related to this, make sure the dealer can tell you what kind of strings are on the instrument. If it comes with some kind of generic, no-name strings, they will probably need to be changed to better strings. You should always try it first, of course, and if you like the sound, don't worry about it. Just be aware that better strings usually improve the sound, and changing strings is something that you will need to learn to do anyway, because strings don't last forever.
2. What is the best size ukulele for a beginner?
The only way for you to know this for sure is to go to a store that stocks all sizes of ukuleles and test play them all. The idea that sopranos are easier for people with small hands or that people with large hands have trouble with sopranos is pretty much nonsense. Even the largest uke is smaller than a guitar and someone would have to have abnormally tiny hands for that to be an issue. On the other hand (har har) I have seen videos of people with fingers like sausages deftly playing a sopranino uke.
3. What is the best wood for a ukulele?
This is an unanswerable question, because there are as many different answers as there are types of wood and the players who prefer them. Mahogany is so common because it is less expensive. If you are a first-timer who is looking for a budget uke, you will likely end up with a mahogany uke by default because it will be less expensive.
4. What are the best strings I should get?
Another pretty much unanswerable question for the same reason as above. But as I said before, some ukes come with some unnamed strings that the factory put on there because they were cheap. Many new ukes come with Aquila Nylgut strings and they are perfectly fine strings. If you get a uke with these, keep them and play them for a while before exploring other possibilities. Different strings have different characteristics that will give them all different sounds and different feels. The nice thing about almost all uke strings is that they are not expensive and you should be able to afford buying many different kinds and trying them all until you find what you like.
5. What is the best place to buy a ukulele?
Already covered above. However, I would also add that if you have a local store that sells ukuleles, that would be the best place to buy it because you can try it out before you buy it. If you know a local store that will do a setup for you, that's even better.
6. I'm a beginner / have small hands -would a larger ukulele be better for me?
Sigh...I think I already covered this, but no, the best size is not the soprano unless it is the best size for YOU. There is no such thing as a universal best size. I guess if someone really pressed me on this regarding their first ever uke, I would say try a concert first.
7. I have been playing for a couple of weeks and my fingers hurt / I can't form this chord - what am I doing wrong?
Nothing. You are trying to train your finger muscles and your brain to do things they have never done before. There is going to be a learning curve, no matter what you've heard about the ukulele being "easy" to play. Just keep practicing. Some people can pick it up faster than others. That's just how it is.
8. Can you recommend some good tuition videos?
YouTube is full of great videos, and many of the best videos you can learn from weren't meant for that purpose--you can still learn from them. Go to YouTube and look up The Ukulele Teacher, Ten Thumbs, and Ukulele Mike just for starters. Also search more specifically for things you want to learn like "finger picking the ukulele," "different ways to play the E chord," "how to do that strum that Brudda Iz used on Over the Rainbow," etc.
9. I am finding it hard to hold my ukulele. Is it ok to use a strap?
Yes, I use straps on almost all my ukes, including the sopranos. I like the Uke Leash, but you can find or devise on your own numerous kinds of straps.
10. What is the best place to play ukulele?
Okay, so I moved this question to the last on the list because this one will be the most fun to answer. The best place to play is wherever you can. There are many opportunities on the internet to play. Just create a YouTube account (or Vimeo, if you prefer), or any other video platform that allows you to share your videos. If you use Facebook, you can also upload them straight to Facebook. However, if you do upload direct to Facebook, you won't be able to share your videos to anyone outside of Facebook. Of course, you will also need a webcam or some kind of digital video camera--or even just your smart phone--to create your own videos. Some Facebook groups you should check out are Ukulele Covers International, Soprano Ukulele Lover's Group, Original Ukulele Songs...there are many more. My own personal favorite forum for doing this is the Seasons of the Ukulele sub-forum at Ukulele Underground. The main forum there will also be a great place for you to find answers and opinions to many of your questions.
As to playing "live," this is something that you should do as soon as you are comfortable doing so. In fact, I think it may be a good idea to do it before you are sure you are comfortable with it. As a beginner, it would probably be better to be part of a group. This will relieve you of some of the stress that comes with playing before a live audience, and allows you to experiment with different things "on the fly" without having to worry too much about messing up so badly you have to stop the song.
Some people busk with their uke--I have never done this and don't really want to. If this is your goal, you'll have to figure it out on your own, or find information elsewhere. Many cities have laws regarding public busking, some restricting it to certain areas and others requiring a permit or license.
The first time I ever played in "public" was at a family reunion, so that of course meant that I was playing for a bunch of people who knew me. I'm not sure that made it any easier. Later, I was invited to play with a group who plays on Saturday afternoons at our local nursing home. I have done this fairly regularly for a couple of years now. Most nursing homes (or rest homes, or retirement homes, or whatever you call them) are always looking for new things to help entertain the residents. Just go in and ask the manager. If you do this, you may find that you need to tailor your repertoire to songs that the residents are more familiar with. But I can tell you from experience that residents of nursing homes are very grateful for anything you do, even if you make mistakes.
Many large cities have ukulele clubs that you can join. Some music stores and restaurants have open mic nights that you could try. Some ukulele players play it in their churches.
In closing, I want to emphasize that you need to eventually play for other people, somehow, for someone, even if it's just for your family or friends. If you thought playing your uke in the quiet of your own room was fun, you will be amazed at the new possibilities and just plain joyfulness that you will find in playing for others.
1. What is the best ukulele for beginners?
Get the best ukulele you can afford. And by "afford," I don't mean use up your savings or take out a loan or do anything to financially stress yourself. By "afford," I mean spend as much money as you are willing to spend, but let's face it, you're going to have to spend a certain amount to get a decent instrument. Do not buy any nameless yet colorful uke from eBay because it only costs $20. There is a very high probability that if you do, you won't like it. As a rough guide, expect to spend between $50 to $100 for a budget soprano uke. Also: Do not buy your first ukulele from Amazon. Make sure you buy it from a reputable ukulele dealer who does setups on the instruments they sell. A "setup" means the instrument is examined for flaws and the action is checked and possibly adjusted so that it is almost always improved over factory condition before they ship it to you. A few dealers that I know do setups are: Hawaiian Music Supply, Uke Republic, and Mim's Ukes. Related to this, make sure the dealer can tell you what kind of strings are on the instrument. If it comes with some kind of generic, no-name strings, they will probably need to be changed to better strings. You should always try it first, of course, and if you like the sound, don't worry about it. Just be aware that better strings usually improve the sound, and changing strings is something that you will need to learn to do anyway, because strings don't last forever.
2. What is the best size ukulele for a beginner?
The only way for you to know this for sure is to go to a store that stocks all sizes of ukuleles and test play them all. The idea that sopranos are easier for people with small hands or that people with large hands have trouble with sopranos is pretty much nonsense. Even the largest uke is smaller than a guitar and someone would have to have abnormally tiny hands for that to be an issue. On the other hand (har har) I have seen videos of people with fingers like sausages deftly playing a sopranino uke.
3. What is the best wood for a ukulele?
This is an unanswerable question, because there are as many different answers as there are types of wood and the players who prefer them. Mahogany is so common because it is less expensive. If you are a first-timer who is looking for a budget uke, you will likely end up with a mahogany uke by default because it will be less expensive.
4. What are the best strings I should get?
Another pretty much unanswerable question for the same reason as above. But as I said before, some ukes come with some unnamed strings that the factory put on there because they were cheap. Many new ukes come with Aquila Nylgut strings and they are perfectly fine strings. If you get a uke with these, keep them and play them for a while before exploring other possibilities. Different strings have different characteristics that will give them all different sounds and different feels. The nice thing about almost all uke strings is that they are not expensive and you should be able to afford buying many different kinds and trying them all until you find what you like.
5. What is the best place to buy a ukulele?
Already covered above. However, I would also add that if you have a local store that sells ukuleles, that would be the best place to buy it because you can try it out before you buy it. If you know a local store that will do a setup for you, that's even better.
6. I'm a beginner / have small hands -would a larger ukulele be better for me?
Sigh...I think I already covered this, but no, the best size is not the soprano unless it is the best size for YOU. There is no such thing as a universal best size. I guess if someone really pressed me on this regarding their first ever uke, I would say try a concert first.
7. I have been playing for a couple of weeks and my fingers hurt / I can't form this chord - what am I doing wrong?
Nothing. You are trying to train your finger muscles and your brain to do things they have never done before. There is going to be a learning curve, no matter what you've heard about the ukulele being "easy" to play. Just keep practicing. Some people can pick it up faster than others. That's just how it is.
8. Can you recommend some good tuition videos?
YouTube is full of great videos, and many of the best videos you can learn from weren't meant for that purpose--you can still learn from them. Go to YouTube and look up The Ukulele Teacher, Ten Thumbs, and Ukulele Mike just for starters. Also search more specifically for things you want to learn like "finger picking the ukulele," "different ways to play the E chord," "how to do that strum that Brudda Iz used on Over the Rainbow," etc.
9. I am finding it hard to hold my ukulele. Is it ok to use a strap?
Yes, I use straps on almost all my ukes, including the sopranos. I like the Uke Leash, but you can find or devise on your own numerous kinds of straps.
10. What is the best place to play ukulele?
Okay, so I moved this question to the last on the list because this one will be the most fun to answer. The best place to play is wherever you can. There are many opportunities on the internet to play. Just create a YouTube account (or Vimeo, if you prefer), or any other video platform that allows you to share your videos. If you use Facebook, you can also upload them straight to Facebook. However, if you do upload direct to Facebook, you won't be able to share your videos to anyone outside of Facebook. Of course, you will also need a webcam or some kind of digital video camera--or even just your smart phone--to create your own videos. Some Facebook groups you should check out are Ukulele Covers International, Soprano Ukulele Lover's Group, Original Ukulele Songs...there are many more. My own personal favorite forum for doing this is the Seasons of the Ukulele sub-forum at Ukulele Underground. The main forum there will also be a great place for you to find answers and opinions to many of your questions.
As to playing "live," this is something that you should do as soon as you are comfortable doing so. In fact, I think it may be a good idea to do it before you are sure you are comfortable with it. As a beginner, it would probably be better to be part of a group. This will relieve you of some of the stress that comes with playing before a live audience, and allows you to experiment with different things "on the fly" without having to worry too much about messing up so badly you have to stop the song.
Some people busk with their uke--I have never done this and don't really want to. If this is your goal, you'll have to figure it out on your own, or find information elsewhere. Many cities have laws regarding public busking, some restricting it to certain areas and others requiring a permit or license.
The first time I ever played in "public" was at a family reunion, so that of course meant that I was playing for a bunch of people who knew me. I'm not sure that made it any easier. Later, I was invited to play with a group who plays on Saturday afternoons at our local nursing home. I have done this fairly regularly for a couple of years now. Most nursing homes (or rest homes, or retirement homes, or whatever you call them) are always looking for new things to help entertain the residents. Just go in and ask the manager. If you do this, you may find that you need to tailor your repertoire to songs that the residents are more familiar with. But I can tell you from experience that residents of nursing homes are very grateful for anything you do, even if you make mistakes.
Many large cities have ukulele clubs that you can join. Some music stores and restaurants have open mic nights that you could try. Some ukulele players play it in their churches.
In closing, I want to emphasize that you need to eventually play for other people, somehow, for someone, even if it's just for your family or friends. If you thought playing your uke in the quiet of your own room was fun, you will be amazed at the new possibilities and just plain joyfulness that you will find in playing for others.
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