Category Archives: Ukulele

Final Countdown Collaboration

Here it is folks! The first ever Adventurous Ukuleles Collaboration Video attempt. The Final Countdown…

Basic instructions:

Video yourself playing / singing / dancing along with one of the guide tracks – and send it to me using the dropbox link below.

Detailed instructions:

Film yourself in landscape, with the best audio quality you can. Play along with the backing track (in headphones). You can play the rhythm part, the lead part and/or the solo part, and you can also do a singing part as well if you’re up for it! Kazoos, bass and other instruments also welcome! I will try to use everything you send, but no guarantees. Please just send me ONE take (per person) of each part you attempt.

Send your finished videos to me using this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/hs1vRNmQvon4Kwk8PoF9

Tips for recording:

  • Clap or tap along with the clicks at the start of the track so I can sync your video to everyone else’s.
  • A smartphone camera and mic will work fine – but if you have any better mics/cameras feel free to use them – you can record and send separate video and audio files if you want to. Record audio and video at the same time if possible.
  • Use a tripod or stand to hold the camera steady.
  • Film in landscape please!
  • Try to have a neutral(ish) background behind you. Have the light source in front of you, not behind you (don’t play in front of a window, unless it’s dark!)
  • Try to make sure there are no other loud audio sources (baby crying, washing machine, etc) when you’re recording.
  • Use headphones so you can hear the backing track but the microphone can’t!
  • If you can’t hear yourself singing or playing with the headphones on, try taking one ear off/out.
  • Have a practice first!
  • It doesn’t have to be a perfect take! I can fix many things in post-production…
  • For a video, sometimes your attitude and visuals are more important than the perfect tuning or timing… send me the most fun take, even if it’s not the best!
  • Record one part at a time – e.g. one video for vocals, one for ukulele rhythm, one for lead and solo attempts – this makes it much easier to mix together and balance later.
  • Ditto, record one person at a time as far as possible.
  • Please just send me ONE take (per person) of each part you attempt – otherwise my dropbox will die and I won’t finish mixing till the end of 2021…
  • Lastly, enjoy it! It makes a better video, and you get to have fun…!

Sheet Music

Full Backing Tracks

Solo backing tracks

Livestream Tutorial (old!)

Starlight – Muse

At the very least you can clap along with this one. It’s Muse at perhaps their most radio-friendly, and another song that works surprisingly well on the uke (so long as someone has a bass) – a really strong riff, and great melody and not too many chords make this one a great uke choice.

You will need some sort of bass and rhythm section to make this sound convincing though, as several of the verses are really just drums, bass and melody. However, there are lots of parts to get involved with, including a catchy clapping rhythm, a cool riff, some simple chords (and some more adventurous options), and even a wailing backing vocal – so it can be fun for the whole family!

Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

Keane’s nostalgic hit, from a piano based band, works actually pretty well on the uke. The original key of A might force you to learn a few chords that we don’t use all that often on the uke, and you’re gonna have to make peace with some barre chords to play this.

You can follow the chords in the chord chart if you want a slightly simplified chord progression, but if you listen to the piano in the original, almost none of these chords stay in one play for long, there are sus4s and maj7ths all over the shop. Check out the tab for the full progression details.

Here’s the tutorial
And here’s the full arrangement

True Colours – Cyndi Lauper

I’ve based this arrangement on the original Cyndi Lauper version, but there are numerous other excellent versions out there. I’ve moved the key to Em, in an attempt to find a way to play the opening piano riff on the uke. That’s the trickiest bit of the song, although the strumming patterns might give you a few hesitations, as there’s lots of anticipated chords in the chorus.

Fly Me To The Moon

A gem of a melody and chord sequence from 1954, originally in 3/4 but put into 4/4 for Frank Sinatra’s version. This arrangement of mine puts it into Dm (it just fitted my voice better!) and will give you a few new chord shapes to think about…

Performance Video
Tutorial

Hotel California – The Eagles

Consistently voted best guitar solo of all time, this was harder than I thought to adapt for the uke. The chords work better by stepping everything down a whole tone to Am, and the solo is possible on the uke with a few modifications – but the harmony parts really suffer from lack of sustain – and you need a large group of ukesters to pull this one off live!

https://youtu.be/pmDqm1j0oOs