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Chris Wilson

I'm an English as a Foreign language teacher who loves playing the Ukulele and spreading that joy as well. This is my site.

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What’s the Ukulele Stairway to Heaven?

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During the classic film Wayne’s world, Wayne is at a guitar shop and picks up a beautiful white start (shhher-wing) and prepares to bust out a tune to impress his lady friend. He hits the first couple of notes and the store clerk stops him, and points out a sign reading “no stairway to heaven”.

Stairway to heaven was one of those songs that everyone had to learn on the guitar, it was a right of passage and so you could imagine how annoying it was for employees of a music shop to hear the same song again and again and again! But is there a ukulele “Stairway to Heaven”? A song so often played (well and poorly) that is both a right of passage for a ukulele player and annoying for anyone listening. I’m not sure but I’ve got three contenders.

1. Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world (iz style)

somewhere gifIsrael kamakawiwo’s brilliant cover of somewhere over the rainbow which merges into what a wonderful world may have been a key factor in the recent revival in the ukuleles mass popularity but it also has dangerous signs of being the ukulele’s stairway.
It’s very popular, in fact on most ukulele chord sites, it’s the top search result. It’s played a lot (I’ve personally played it at open mic nights a good number of times) and it’s easy to imagine it being a song to test out your brand new ukulele with.

However, it doesn’t seem to have quite the same “here we go again” feel of stairway, most reactions I’ve had to somewhere over the rainbow have been positive.

 

I’m Yours

Jason mraz’s top hit song may have been originally recorded on the guitar but it has truly become a ukulele classic now. It has a few more tricky chords for ukulele players that separate it from somewhere over the rainbow. There is also a very cute video of a little kid learning the ukulele ying and singing along.
Perhaps the most damming piece of evidence for the potential “stairwayness” (trademark pending on that term) is the number of videos on tumblr of people learning to play this song despite its release a few good years back now.

Personally I’m yours has become a “oh no not again” song for me. I’ve just heard it too many times on guitar and ukulele. I’ve heard great versions and terrible versions and I almost expect someone to play it when they pick up the uke now.

Hey, Soul Sister

Another key song in the resurgence of the ukulele, this has to be one of the highest chart songs driven by a ukulele in recent history. If people want to know what a ukulele sounds like then you could probably get away with telling them that it’s in this song, and they’d have some idea.

However, it doesn’t seem to have been adopted by the ukulele faithful. Maybe it was just a summer hit or perhaps it’s just not the sort of thing people want to play. Whatever the reason, it’s not the ukulele stairway.

Riptide

Riptide by vance joy has ripped (pun not intended) the charts and become a ukulele Classic in no time. The chords are simple, the strumming pattern is fun and easy to get to get to grips with and its been featured in a modern classic viral video. If I’m yours is a popular YouTube and tumblr video, riptide is the king (at the moment). Dozens of covers of this song are released every day.
The biggest reason why this can’t be the ukulele stairway (yet) is that it is too modern. It’s just come out and hasn’t proved that it has staying power or worn people down into hollow shells due to its constant repetition. Maybe it will, but probably it won’t. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song but it’s no stairway.

Stairway To Heaven

Well you can play it on the ukulele. Click here to see the tab.

What do you think?

Honestly, it’s a tough choice but personally I’d choose “I’m yours”, it feels more repetitive, I’ve heard it more (both guitar and ukulele and it seems to be a “must learn” song for ukulele players. But that’s my choice and I can definitely see why “somewhere over the rainbow” deserves the crown as well.
what do you think? Which song is the true ukulele stairway to heaven?

Image from coding horror

I remember when I first heard New Slang by The Shins, it was during the film “Garden State” featuring Zac Braff. After that I went out and picked up their first record and I’ve certainly played it on the Ukulele before. However, the solo in this version is a really great touch. The combination of melody and chord patterns isn’t easy to pull off to say the least.

New Slang is from The Shins’s album “Oh, Inverted World” which you can buy here. [Or here for the UK]

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What Size Ukulele Should You Buy?

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If you are planning to buy your first Ukulele (or grow your collection) then you’ll have come across one big problem. Just what size ukulele should you buy? Unless you plan on buying one of each size (an expensive solution to the problem) then you’re going to have to pick one size. But just which one? You might have a strong inclination from what you have seen, but there are some other factors that you might want to consider before you splash your hard earned cash on a ukulele. 

Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone

Just to cover all the bases, I want to make sure you know about the four main types of Ukuleles. There are a few other types of Ukuleles and offshoots which fall somewhere in between these main four, but the vast majority of the time you are going to be playing one of these four (at least to start). In size order they go Soprano, Concert, Tenor, and Baritone.

Okay, maybe this isn’t actually a Ukulele Christmas tree. Maybe it’s really a stand for Ukuleles for either a classroom or music shop. Even if it isn’t really a Ukulele Christmas tree…I’m still going to make a ukulele christmas tree to put up at home!

Although I hate premature christmas stuff, in this case I’ll make an exception as you’re going to have to make one yourself. As such I feel it’s okay to break my “no christmas things till after American Thanksgiving”.

Walk off the Earth have made some amazing Ukulele youtube covers of hit pop songs but this one takes it to another level with the addition of…KAZOOS! Yes “Shake It Off” is a Taylor Swift song and I know that will put some people off straight away but still, It’s worth checking out. (Taylor Swift might just happen to be my guilty pleasure.

If you want to help support Walk of the Earth create more cool videos then you should check out their Patreon page.

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6 Persuasive Reasons Why You Should Use Evernote For Songwriting

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Songwriting can be a difficult process of bringing an idea from nothing into something. Of getting an idea and then turning that idea into a whole song. As such it’s important to have a great tool to help you with the whole process of songwriting. From capturing your first idea to finishing the final version of the song. That’s why I use Evernote for songwriting.

With the #ukesongsday challenge running I thought It would be a good idea to let you know about my favourite tool for songwriting, Evernote, and how I use it to help me capture and develop song ideas.

I’m not saying you have to adopt Evernote, you might have a solution which works better for you and includes some of the benefits and reasons I state below, but for me, Evernote has become the best song writing tool I have found.

1. Evernote is everywhere

One of the key features of Evernote is the ability to access and create a note on any device (as long as you have an Internet connection. This means you can quickly access your song ideas anywhere, or quickly add a song idea while you are on the go which you can easily access later. It is also available on basically any device, android, pc, Mac etc and you can even access your ideas on the web if you are out and about and want to show someone one.

2. Evernote is easy to search

If you’ve ever lost a great song idea you’ve had, you’ll know how frustrating it is to not be able to find an idea once you’ve written it down. With Evernote’s searching tools you’ll be able to easily search through and grab the idea you want. You can search by location where you wrote down the idea, date, name, tag, notebook and more. There are plenty of options to organise your notes but ever notes search box will help you find your idea.

3. Evernote has multiple file types in one place

For the longest time I would write a song, be pretty pleased with it and then come back a day later and have no idea how to play one part of the song (or occasionally the whole song!) the problem is I had no audio record of how the song went so I’d have to try and recall from memory how it went.

Now, with Evernote, I can save a written note with an audio record of how the song goes (and include a picture with the chords that I’m using. In fact, if I wanted to brainstorm a song idea and created a mind map to help me think along the way, and then save a picture of the mind map with anything else you want.

4. You can draw chord charts

Speaking of which, in android you can “hand write” a note, so if you are using some strange chord, or you have created your own unique one, then you can write it into a note. Even if you don’t use android, you can use the sister app “penultimate” and sketch in that app but save it to Evernote.

5. Evernote is shareable

If you are song writing with a partner you’ll want them to be able to look over your ideas. In Evernote, you can share your notes with them via a shared note or notebooks. You’ll need a premium subscription to let them edit them as well but letting them view them will at least give them the option to give you feedback. This makes Evernote for songwriting with a partner a great tool.

6. Evernote likes paper

With Evernote, you can use the built in camera of your smartphone, tablet or computer to scan in a piece of paper. This might seem against the spirit of Evernote (as it is digital) but I think it is just part of the whole package with Evernote. I love using paper to get initial ideas down, or sketch out ideas with mind maps and using the Evernote camera to save those ideas means that I can access them later with little effort and without the need to keep my notebook with me and I know that I won’t lose that pei e of paper.

One reason not to use Evernote

Although I love using Evernote for songwriting, sometime I need to step away from it. You see, I find songwriting really difficult with the distractions of the internet. The temptation to “keep researching” (though I’m not sure how twitter counts) or the easy of getting caught up in something else which is very “important” means that having any form of connection to the internet can lead to me putting off songwriting. Not every time, but more than I care for. I’m sure I’m not alone there but I’m also sure there are other people who don’t have this issue at all.

As such I do still love using a good old fashioned piece of paper and pen, at least for the first draft. And just see where it goes.

What about you?

How do you like to write songs? Do you use a traditional paper notebook or one of these fancy songwriting apps? Leave a comment below.

Ukulele for Dummies by Alistair Wood (For Dummies, 2011)

If you’re like me then you probably check out the “For Dummies” series when you want to learn a new skill. They are written by experts, are easy to understand and cover a lot of material. Ukulele for Dummies is no exception to this pattern. It is written by Alistair Wood who runs the great site Ukulele Hunt and knows a thing or two about clearly explaining how to play the ukulele. Unlike some teach yourself ukulele books, it won’t run out quickly. It will really take you up to intermediate at least.

This book is so good that my mum leant it the headmaster of my old primary school, he taught himself ukulele with it, and then started teaching the ukulele to pupils there. I can think of no higher praise for a book that it can make you want to (and be able) to teach the skill you set out to learn.

It’s also a great book to keep around as a reference book, so if you come across a technique, style or musical phrase that you don’t know or can’t really do then just look it up in the book and you’ll be on your way, especially as it is priced at around $20 (see lowest price). Perhaps one of the most useful parts of the book is the section on buying and taking care of your ukulele. It’s great to have advice from someone who you know isn’t just trying to get you to buy their product but is offering impartial advice.

I know that with all the resources available online for learning an instrument, it can seem silly to buy an old fashioned book to work through. However, there is something useful about having a paper book (they’ve been shown to be more memorable than reading information from a webpage) which you can work your way through.

I’ve bought a couple of copies over time (as they often get given away) and I can think of no better book for someone who wants to learn how to play the ukulele.

Buy Ukulele for Dummies
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Write a Ukulele Song Everyday for November

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Earlier this year I found out about the amazing Jonathan Mann (aka song a day man). For the last 2129 days (since I last checked) he has released a song a day (and this is why I’m challenging you to write a ukulele song everyday for novemeber).

A pretty impressive achievement, but as he says they aren’t all fantastic. Some are brilliant and have been featured in things like Apple’s response to “antennagate”, some are theme songs to podcasts and a few are even part of a Harry Potter opera. Others don’t have many views and are…okay. But that’s the point, to create good songs, sometimes you have to get the crap songs out of the way.

So I’m setting myself (and you if you’re up for it) a challenge. For the month of November, let’s write a ukulele song everyday.

Why November?

Because I’m playing off NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) which is in November, plus I’m finally settled in my new house so it’s the first opportunity I’ve really had to do it.

How should I take part?

That’s up to you, I suggest you get a nice paper notebook or maybe use an electronic solution like Evernote or Dropbox, (I prefer Evernote as you can have audio, text and even handwritten notes in one file. Great for recording a sample and sketching the chords out).

When you write a song then you’ve done your days task. If you don’t write a song that day, no problem just try and catch up later. Whatever happens don’t feel guilty if you don’t make the mark, this is to encourage you to write more songs. I know that I won’t be able to do a song for the first day or two as I’m traveling without a ukulele but I’ll try to make up for it later.

If you want to share it on tumblr/sound cloud/other then add the hashtag #ukesongaday and we’ll be able to follow each other.

Can I continue after November?

of course, in fact that’s why I have chosen a hashtag with an open title like that. It’s also worth considering that 30 days is supposed to be enough to get your average habit started (the difficulty of the habit and the person can make this vary). So if you want to continue after the month finishes, then please do. I’m certainly hoping I will, even though I know I won’t be able to start properly.

Are you in?

The Daily Ukulele by Jim and Liz Belof (Hal Leonard, 2014)

The Daily Ukulele is the number one best selling book on Amazon for Ukulele’s and for good reason. In the book are the chords for 365 songs on the Ukulele (see lowest price). Some of these are traditional folk songs, some are kids songs, some are from classic groups like The Beatles and of course you have a selection of classic Hawaiian songs such as Mele Kalikimaka. The book is also strong and resilient and with the plastic comb edge it is very easy to flick to your page and keep that page open! Honestly, if you buy one song book for the ukulele, buy this one.

Buy The Daily Ukulele

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4 Surprising Tricks To Learn New Ukulele Chords Quicker

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Learning a new chord on the ukulele can be a painful experience. After first seeing your new chord, you’ll often find yourself looking it up for months before you can recall it at will. But luckily there are four simple and surprising tricks you can use to learn new ukulele chords quicker.

Let me know if this is familiar, your learning a new chord, at first it’s almost impossible to get your fingers into the right positions and once they are you hear a dull sound from muted strings. After a while you can hold the chord down but every time you have to spend a while remember exactly which chord it is and where your fingers need to go on the fretboard. And don’t even get started about the excruciating pauses between chords when you try to switch between them.

The good news is that you aren’t alone (it happens to everyone) and the even better news is that there are four simple tricks you can use to help you progress through those uncomfortable stages quicker and reach a proficiency where you can seamlessly switch between a string of obscure chords.

1. Learn at the right time

Did you know that your mind remembers technical physical skills better when you practice late at night? It’s true, practicing just before you go to bed will help you learn a technical skill much better than practicing first thing in the morning. Another good reason to practice just before you go to bed (rather than watching TV or staying up all night on the computer) is because looking at a screen (with its bright blue light) makes it harder to get to sleep. If you get away from the screen and practice at night, you’ll speed up your learning and get a better nights sleep. Win Win.

2. Lift your fingers on and off the fret board

When you come across a new chord, get your fingers into the right position and then gentle lift your fingers off and reapply them to the correct positions again. This is practicing the movements that you have to make with your fingers to get them into the right position rather than practicing just the chord IN the right position. This will help you speed up your transitions between chords. This also helps you to teach your fingers how to move correctly and builds up their dexterity. This is really important if the Ukulele is your first instrument as they won’t be that efficient. However, just be careful to insure that you are putting your fingers on correctly, strum a chord each time to make sure that you are correctly applying your fingers.

3. Practice common transitions

Moving from some chords to others are more difficult that others. In some cases you just have to add one extra finger on, no problem. With others you have to take every finger off and then reapply them in a different order. By practicing common transitions you can help yourself get better at the chord transitions which actually happen in songs.

A good tip is to download our list of Ukulele key charts. These show you the chords which are most likely to be used in the same songs. Try changing between these chord patterns and you’re off to a winner.

4. Practice with things you like

Here’s a big secret about motivation, there are two types of motivation. Extrinsic, where you do things for the benefits you get for doing them (for example you study for the exam so you get a promotion and pay rise at work). The second is Intrinsic motivation where you do things for the value of doing it (for example you cook because you enjoy the process of mixing ingredients and experimenting with flavours).

Of course, many activities have elements of one or the other but studies have shown that intrinsic motivation (where you play ukulele for the pure joy of playing it) is more motivating than extrinsic.

The practical application of this is that if you have to learn songs that you don’t really like, your not going to be that motivated (and may lose motivation). BUT if you learn songs which you love to play then your motivation is going to grow and make practicing feel like a lot more fun and less like work.

Get learning!

Learning chords takes time, even with these tricks, but at least with these four tricks you can make sure that you learn quicker and can get better at playing songs. In no time you’ll be seamlessly transitioning between chords and if you learn the most frequently occurring chords first, then you’ll be sure to maximise the effectiveness of your learning.

What chords do you have difficulty playing?