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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I have now been a uker (ukeist?) for two days. In my anticipation I saw this as something akin to "plug & play". The reality is that some serious practice time will be needed.
The first uke song I want to play is Townshend's "Red Blue, and Grey". It's coming along well enough except for one chord change that is driving me crazy. Fellow ukers...try going from an E-minor (0402) to a B-seventh (2322). It's taking me two steps to make the change.
I have a uke stand. It's a little bent wire thing that will let me keep my uke within easy reach. I do have to make a little modification. It seems that my deep bowl uke will not fit a standard uke holder. :D
Other observations:
1)Boy, that is one tiny little fingerboard.
2)Please, please, don't let there be an E chord in the song!
3)The G chord is easy. Just make the shape of a guitar D. (But ya gotta think G) And the D chord is shaped like an A. Yikes!
4)I truly beleive that George Harrison worked out alot of "Something" on his uke. It's a uke natural.
5)I am not used to playing something with a bowl shaped back that has to be tuned up so often.
6)When a few chords come together with the right technique, its magic.
7)Playing a uke and singing is just one small step from accapella.
8)"Raindrops Are Falling on my Head" is hard to play!
Lastly, when I can play 8 or 10 songs with confidence I will concider the project a success. I am not interested in uke "classics", like "Blue Moon", I want to find more modern songs that will work.
Hope I didn't bore you with the long post, but a few of you will understand. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | Slip - You are making it WAY TOO HARD. Your mind and fingers will go CRAZY trying to learn the correlation of chord names to fingering in ukulele terms. FORGET ALL THAT STUFF.
All you need to know is, whatever the music calls for in REAL (guitar) chord names, just subtract FIVE frets from it and finger it like the new chord name in guitar.
For example, if you are playing something and the "guitar" chord is G. Subtract 5 frets and that equals D. So finger the top 4 strings of a D (0232) and strum away.
So for your problem of Em to B7, do this: subtract 5 frets, so the Em becomes Bm and B7 becomes F#7. Finger the Bm (4432) and F#7 (2322). Barre the 2nd fret with your index finger on both chords. Finger the Bm as RPMI (4-ring, 4-picky, 3-middlefinger, and barre all 4 strings with your index. To switch to the F#7 just remove all fingers except the barre index on fret 2 and play the 3 on the 2nd string with your middle finger. Practice going back and forth between the Bm and F#7 chords over and over and it starts to feel almost natural.
Songs with a guitar E chord is no problem. E drop 5 frets becomes B fingering on the uke. Play it like this 4447. Barre the 4th fret with your index finger and use your pinky for the 7th fret on the first string.
Just keep thinking of the 5 fret thing. If your buddy comes over and wants to play "Behind Blue Eyes" on guitar which goes something like Em-G-D-C... On your uke just drop if 5, so the fingerings will be Bm-D-A-G... You'll get the hang of it.
Dave |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Thanks Dave.
I'll work on that.
I've played only my uke for two days.
I put the uke down & picked up my AD-II. It felt like I went from driving a Mini-Cooper to a Mack truck. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | four days later.......
Thanks Dave. I'm getting the hang of the 5th fret thing. I have some music with the proper uke chords and now I know what to do with something written in guitar chords.
The latest thing I've learned is that a death grip on the neck can really sour a chord. Gotta keep as light a touch a possible. Technique...it will come. |
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Ukes: The Fantasy & Reality
