Recorded in Nashville for his new album, Jake Shimabukuro performs “Kilauea”. Classic Rock played by a master. The look on the Bass guitarist’s face says it all.
Category Archives: Ukulele Players
Some Afternoon Delight
To relieve post Federal Election blues in Oz, here is fun video from our neighbours in New Zealand, the delightful Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra.
Some Hot Ukulele for Winter in Melbourne
It has finally turned cold in Melbourne, so this should help to warm you up on a cold wintery night.
Bayside Ukes
Taimane Gardner at Waikiki Beach
As we approach Winter in Melbourne and contemplate a cosy fire, would’t it be nice to be on the beach like Taimane Gardner at Waikiki, then in sunny Queensland, Australia for the Cairns Ukulele Festival from the 25-28 August?
Bayside Ukes
Two Fundamental Ukulele Strumming Patterns
Two of the most common strumming patterns for ukulele are the Church Lick and the Calypso Strum. Many beginners may have come across these strums before but know them by no name or different names. If you wish to play with others or play more difficult songs it is important to know the name of the strum pattern being used.
Ukulele Mike has two good videos to demonstrate both of these strumming patterns and they are both in 4/4 time. He also stresses that you must practice both using a straight strum and a swing strum, to the extent that your “muscle memory” allows you to play them both ways automatically. Repetition is the key.
The Church Lick:
Can be written as:
- down-down up / down-down up down-down up /
- d.du / d.dud.du /
Ukulele Mike demonstrates this as a Straight 8th note strum and as a Swing 8th note strum. This is also useful for changing chords within a bar (Ukulele Hunt).
The Calypso Strum:
Can be written as:
1. / down-down up-up down up / down-down up-up down up /
2. / d.du.udu / d.du.udu /
The Calypso strum is also known as the Island Strum or for guitar players the Rock Strum. It is widely used in popular music and as Ukulele Mike explains in his video, can be played as a Straight 8th note strum or a Swing 8th note strum.
Both songs, He’s Got the World In His Hands and Jamaica Farewell, that Mike mentions as suitable for learning the Calypso strum are in The Ukulele Club Songbook.
Happy Strumming.
Zilla
Bayside Ukes member.
A Ukulele Version of Creep
The wonderful Ooks of Hazzard play an up tempo version of Creep at the Swallow Hill Music Denver Ukefest in 2014. Hope they come to Australia in the not too distant future.
Bayside Ukes
Ten Good Reasons for Playing the Ukulele
- The Uke makes even a sad song sound cheerful
- You can own many Ukes and they won’t take up a lot of space
- Because it is so light, you can play the Uke for hours without getting backache
- You can play the Uke in the middle of the night without disturbing your neighbors
- You can take a Uke on a plane without needing to book an extra seat
- A Uke is easy to hide before playing in a Flash Mob and while fleeing the scene
- You can play a Uke anywhere: up a tree; on a raft; while dancing; even in Space
8. If you are bopping to the music you won’t whack the person next to you in the face because the Uke has a short neck
9. You can do a speech as a Uke song. It makes this less painful for both you and the audience
10. If you play the Uke you belong to a worldwide community of fellow ukers and you need never play alone
So make the most of your Uke. It is such a versatile instrument
Kat
Bayside Ukes member
Taimane Gardner
Taimane Gardner demonstrates her ukulele skills and some moves at the Kamaka stand, NAMM 2016 in Anaheim, 5th February 2016. For those lucky enough to be going up north, she will be performing at the Cairns Ukulele Festival in August.
Bayside Ukes
Happy Holidays
Now the Easter break is upon us it is time to get in the holiday spirit and kick back, relax and play your ukulele. Gracie Allen had the right idea in the 1939 movie Honolulu. In this clip she is playing her ukulele and singing the song “Honolulu” to Eleanor Powell. It then gets really crazy and they go “tapping” all over the deck. So Hollywood but great fun.
Happy Holidays.
Bayside Ukes
Bosko & Honey at the BrisAsia Festival 2016
Enjoy the very talented and versatile Bosko and Honey singing their beautiful song The Universe Will Provide. They performed at the “Cosmic Closing Event” of the BrisAsia Festival in Brisbane on the 26th of February 2016.
Kat & Zilla
Bayside Ukes Members
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