Taimane

Al of www.ukulelehunt.com is tops! Taimane gives a BigTop like circus performance!

Humble Uker Ramblings is in a race to Overcome the Ukulele Strap

I recently added a HTML device to the blog. It is the TOP 50 Ukulele Sites. About a week ago I started at 126 of the Top 50 and now have had a meteoric rise to #90 in the Top 50. HU sits directly behind the Ukulele Strap at #89. The cool thing about the Top 50 is that it is a resource for finding more of that essential ukulele stuff. [Scroll down & click on their icon to get there.]

Ukulele Hunt is pretty solidly entrenched in the number one spot. Followed by Ukulele Underground. #10 is Dominic the Dominator TAB site, followed closely at #11 by Richard G's Ukulele Songbook. If you haven't looked at Richard G's Ukulele Songbook be sure to give it a good look -- I am continually impressed with his arrangements and the attention to detail. Each song also has a video link for playing along.

But besides me desperately wanting not to be "strapped down" I think the Top 50 (or 128) Ukulele Sites give you an opportunity to do some more exploration. Incidentally, baritone ukulele players please take note of Humble Baritonics at #119.

When Al (Uke Hunt) says ADORABLE... Darren Hanlon

Alistair Wood has a detailed description as well as the song, chords, strumming and the ADORABLE twiddley bits...

http://ukulelehunt.com/2010/07/27/darren-hanlon-all-these-things-chords/

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Ah shucks, while I'm at it, there's a post on the Ukearist blog that has Cigar Box Didley Bows!

http://ukearist.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/diddley-bows/

Uke Hunt Alistair Wood || Pizzacato Ukulele

Well done Al.

GUGUG || Low Rider

Yes, I know Alistair Wood of industrious Ukulele Hunt site posted this video of GUGUG playing Low Rider. It is a song that I wanted to do but haven't been able to pull off. My buddy Rhan Wilson's ROMP band did a rendition on the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz album produced by Sandor. Since it was on the uke club album they sang, "All my friends know the u-ku-le-le..."

But I posted this here, piggy-backing on Al's find because I like the fact that Gus took us on a bike tour of Glascow. The street scenery was mostly traffic but I like the way he mixed in videos of himself playing with his bicycle ride. Nipper has another trail bike ride on his "Bicycles and Ukuleles" blog of his doing a ride thru an English country village that has some spectacular views too.

Nipper's North Curry ride, (so good, here's a rerun!)

UKULELE HUNT UKULELE LESSONS for ALL LEVELS

This Humble Uker always bows to the Prolific and Talented One, yes -- Alistair Wood the creator of UKULELE HUNT is now breaking things down for learners in every stage. That's what I am all about here - learning how to play music on the little instrument. Al shares a dose of his thoughts on musical topics and he generously shares CHORD and TAB arrangements almost daily.

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I also put a link in my MUSIC STUDY, TOOLS section. Thanks Al, HU

Alistair Wood UKULELE HUNT smashing interview with MICHELLE BLADES

Fantastic Interview... I love Michelle's instructions for creating music! Thanks Al!!!

[Click blog entry title to go to UKULELE HUNT]

Michelle's YT page http://www.youtube.com/user/michelleblades

Here she plays and uses the Low D? String to enhance the song...


Hey another Baritone!

Fine print for me ONLY (Go to Ukulele Hunt and read the interview)
Since I usually improv the stuff, I think Kerouac said it best when he created the “rules” for spontaneous prose. Here’s a few that would answer the question:
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
19. Accept loss forever
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You’re a Genius all the time

Tiny McItchyFace? Ukulele Video Contest

This little character of YouTube fame it listed on Alistair Wood's Ukulele Hunt challenge to find the best ukulele inclusive video from 2009. This little guy has gone in for his world famous rendition of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" and is aptly monickered as Tiny McItchyFace. Go to www.ukulelehunt.com to submit you FAB 5.

Doogey Makes a Simple Pitch: Ukulele Hunt Tees

Hey, I like the ukulele aspect of the this advertisement. Besides, Alistair Wood's Ukulele Hunt, being the most prolific daily ukulele on-line magazine, it is just a really solid place to go for information. So Doogey is Todd Baio. I do love the simple rhythm which he executes so sweetly.

UKULELE HUNT / MATT KRESSLING / Beast Video

Alistair Wood finds the best again...

http://ukulelehunt.com/2009/06/01/matt-kresling-monday-exposure/

A great music video... "The Beast that Swallows it's Young"

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NOTE: ALSO I HAVE ADDED SOME GRAPHICS TO

SHOW KEN MIDDLETON's LEONARD COHEN's STRUMS

(SEE POST ABOUT 6 PRIOR, OR SEARCH "picking")

Midsomer Murders

BBC Midsomer Murders - Inspector Barnaby

This British series has been running for 12 seasons now. My wife and I love this show. British shows have so much on American TV. The characters are deep and are not all models. The theme song from MM is haunting and addicting. Alistair Hunt of Ukulele Hunt put the song in TAB, here...

http://ukulelehunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/midsomermurders.pdf

Jake & Bonnie / Music, Art & Creativity

CREaTIViTY. Rhan Wilson told me that when he created his "Altared Christmas Show" that he intentionally under-rehearsed certain parts of the show. He just gave a guideline to certain participants and welcomed the unrehearsed moments as opportunities to be open and trust in the creativity of the art. He says in his Rhan's World blog that... "I wanted us all to rely on our professionalism and skill to be "in the moment" and to react accordingly. To make a few mistaken notes here and there was worth it to me to be able to create magic that no one could have predicted..."

I like to take the long way sometimes. To explore and to enjoy. This is an unusual post for me in that there are musical, artistic, nostalgic, aspects to this little journey. I'm not sure where I'm going but I continually find something new, and something old but new to me.

Those that have read chunks of my blog will know that Alistair Wood’s Ukulele Hunt site is a great inspiration to me. http://www.ukulelehunt.com/. Alistair makes great use of search tools to provide us readers with many avenues to search. Recently, he posted some favorite YouTube videos and I looked into a multi-instrumentalist and vintage instrument repairer named, Jake Wildwood and found out about a family living in Vermont

Jake's music and handiwork are very interesting to explore. His wife, Bonnie. also has a blog where she has some of her skilled craft work is displayed. If you have a nostalgia for handicrafts, old furniture, Hoosier cabinets, and vintage instruments then pull up a chair and sit a spell in beautiful Rochester, Vermont:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jakewildwood
http://www.jakewildwood.com/work.html
http://www.thewildwoodflower.blogspot.com/
http://littlewhitepaw.blogspot.com/

[Jake has many songs posted as mp3’s on his “music” section of this “work” page. ]


At the end of May 2008, my wife, Wendy, and I were in Ketchikan or Juneau, Alaska and we came across an unusual 2-story indoor shopping mall that had a music store in the very center. I think is was about 8 feet wide and 15 feet long. Full of different instruments, comfy chairs, and a welcoming vibration. I saw an inexpensive Gold Tone banjo there and thought that one day I want to try a banjo or a banjolele. I’m going to keep an eye on Jake Wildwood’s work in the future. I'm also curious about those old pot bellied mandolins.

http://www.jakewildwood.com/instruments/uke_1920s_maybell_banjo.html

I was also intrigued with Bonnie’s work. I noticed some Scandinavian aspects to her craft work. For those that are interested in things rustic and handmade the Wildwood Country Store may be worth an e-visit or more.

THE DITTY BOPS || ALISTAIR'S UKE HUNT BLOG

I like the sweet sound of these talented, young and sexy musicians. They have some creative videos on YouTube that combine their music with interesting sets, images, and tasteful but minimal clothing. C'est la vie, qui, I am a man.

Besides the uke, I have always loved to travel by bicycle. They made a trek across the USA via bicycle. I'm impressed.

The 2 videos below have some small ukulele sequences in them. I have one of their CD's, the Ditty Bops. Which is a great little production and includes an old-time favorite, "I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate".

I have a beat up sheet music of the song. The words and music are by A.J. Piron. Alistair Wood just posted the chords for the song on http://www.ukulelehunt.com/, you can click here to get the song directly...

http://ukulelehunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sisterkate.pdf

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Besides his Ukulele Hunt and his How to Play Ukulele books he has also started a blog as another way to follow up on the loose ends of his many contacts, conversations, and e-mails of all things ukulele, http://ukuleleonline.com/ , so that now everyone can read them.