Talking Bird - Death Cab for Cutie

Could we possibly sustain the slow tempo all the way through? Here are the chords and audio.

Bonnie Tyler - It's a Heartache

Inspired by the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra cover over on YouTube. Enjoy the chords.

First Lesson-ish Type Post

OK, so first and foremost, if you're coming here looking for uke instruction - ha! But, I will share some thoughts here from time to time. Today's thought is on the Em chord.

When I first started playing I was very happy to see the C F G songs. These were relatively simple chords to both learn and switch between. These songs made me feel good about myself.

Then there were the songs in G. Many of them used an Em chord, and especially the ones that I liked the sound of. But it was very depressing, because playing that damned 4-fingered Em was hard, and I didn't think I was ever going to be able to do it.

Well, lucky me, I soon happened upon a chord chart which showed me that one did not HAVE to play the Em that way, but could instead play a 3-finger, or even a 2-finger, version. And suddenly my spirits were lifted again.

The 4-finger Em is played 4432 (from 4th to 1st). The 3-finger version leaves the 4th string open, so is 0432. And the 2-finger version leaves both the 2nd and 4th strings open, so is 0402. They all sound slightly different, but they are mostly interchangeable.

What's the point? Well, if you didn't know that Em had some "easier" versions, now you know. Perhaps it will get you over that C F G hump that I experienced in my early going.

Finally, most chords have multiple fingerings available. If you're so inclined you can check out a previous post to get information about how to find these different fingerings.

Beirut - Hallelujah

Another one from Ukulele Hunt. As usual, the chords are at the red link below the youtube clip.

Two notes:
- First, as he notes in the opening paragraph, the Jeff Buckley version is vastly superior. But, it's not on a uke, which I'd assume is why it doesn't get first billing.
- Second, the Am variation used during the C/Am alternation is well worth trying.

Same Old Lines - Rod (not Rob) Thomas

Courtesy of Ukulele Hunt. Click the red link below the youtube clip to get the chords.

Froggy Went A Courtin - Laurie Berkner

There are many versions of this song. The more common ones have too many verses for Uke Jam (IMHO). I chose this version because it has a minimal number of verses. Also, it happens to have the simplest chord structure.

Chords and audio.

Midnight Communion - Delbert McClinton

A song about booze and religion.

Chords and audio.

Falling Slowly - The Frames

From the movie Once. I believe that this song won a Oscar. Chord-wise it's easy, but the singing does pose a slight challenge (we've still got TIIIIII-IIIIIIME). Take a look and let me know what you think.

Chords and audio.

Lean On Me - Bill Withers

Here's a new possibility for Uke Jam. It's mostly C, F, and G. But there are a few Em, and sometimes it's a quick-change from Em to G. This is probably an 8:00 song.

The chords and the audio.

A Different Kind of Chord Book

I just found something neat. It's a different kind of chord book. It's got a really great concept. It shows you (a) what notes are in a given chord and (b) every place that any of those notes is found, up through the 14th fret. This lets you see all of the different ways that a chord could be played. For instance, the typical A major chord is played 2100 (A,C#,E,A). In this different kind of chord book you can see that 6400 (C#,E,E,A) also works, and yet provides a completely different feel. An example of a song that uses both of these A's is on Uke Hunt.

The PDF can be found here.

He'll Have To Go - Jim Reeves

This is a proof of concept post for a song that's already in the binder.

This is the song:
He'll Have To Go

And this is what it sounds like:
He'll Have To Go

Hello World

So, this is what a blog looks like!