Talk me out of (or into) a ukulele

I had hopes I could get by with tab alone, but it doesn’t seem to have enough information.  It's like a short hand for people who already know what the song aounds like.

For example,



The tab line alone (bottom line) misses the length of the notes, the numbers above the bars, is the dot on top or beside the note or both?  

If I only had that bottom line I would have to play by ear and know the song perfectly already, or I would need to read the music to know how to play.


It feels like the right time to learn basic music reading.  

It seems more basic then "theory" which the library has lots of books about.  I don't know the word for basic phrase book for reading music.  One has to know the vocabulary to learn the vocabulary.



Also, not all songs are written for ukulele yet. Ghasp and horror.  I like the idea I could look at music music and with a bunch of effort work out how the tab would go for ukulele.

Again the eagle
Again ukulele practice outside
Again the same goose was memorized

Many of the chickens came to say hi, they liked the playing a bit.

My wrist doesn't like this extra hour practice two days in a row.  So if I do outside practice, it is good to skip evening practice.

r ransom wrote:...
The tab line alone (bottom line) misses the length of the notes, the numbers above the bars, is the dot on top or beside the note or both?  

If I only had that bottom line I would have to play by ear and know the song perfectly already, or I would need to read the music to know how to play.
...

You're right about the tab not showing the timing, although having five notes depicted in a four beat measure is a strong clue that two of them are eighth notes. But I'm going to push back on the idea that you need to know the song perfectly to work from tab alone. Yes, you need to have at least a semblance of the tune in mind, but the sounds you make on the uke will give you helpful feedback in making adjustments.

Rather than go for fingerpicking such a piece right away, I recommend getting some chords and progressions solidly under your belt first. If straight strumming is unsatisfying, try thumb-strum, that is, pick one string with your thumb and strum the rest with your fingers. That's a time-honoured style that serves well as a base from which to get more "sophisticated". You can play around with the timing, strum direction (e.g., down, up, down-up), and emphasis. There are many ways to make good music, but they all require building on the basics.

It's also important to listen to your body, which I know well as an oldster. Learning to place your fingers with care and not more pressure than needed takes some time but yields maximum fun for minimum effort. (I think that's what Iz said was his goal.)

having five notes depicted in a four beat measure is a strong clue that two of them are eighth notes.  

That i understood less than 20% of that sentence fragment, tells me I need to dedicate some effort to learn how to read music.  Also, i often can't see on the tab how many to count between the bars (vertical lines).  

I can also see other musical instruments in my future that work from music music notation.

...

After today's practice, I feel I'm ready to take the above "beautiful finger style for beginners " or whatever it was called... take that song and combine with the metronome to get my timing more regular and then faster.  Cord progression was very smooth when i can set my own pace.  Can't wait to hear what it's like when I follow the metronome.

Also metronome is such a cool word to say.

That song has simple finger plucking and was a lot of fun playing with different plucking patterns and the same cords.

...

Focus for the next few days
- finish Bernadette 30 day class
- choose next collections of lessons
- practice more to the metronome
- teach hand to do from F to G. Although, I think i get worse the more I practice.
- experiment with first 8 sections (bars? Barts?) Of stairway to see if it can combine with a metronome so it doesn't sound so much like while my guitar gently weaps.

Also, note to future self.

Bar cord was easier with side of middle finger.

It seems to have the most contact and easier to get to the next cord.

r ransom wrote:...teach hand to do from F to G. Although, I think i get worse the more I practice.

If it seems to get worse, it's a sign that you're trying to go too fast. That's a common problem and one that I occasionally face before I remember to slow down. Speed comes naturally with mastery. Crawling comes before walking and running.

the song from here, which I now call "goose song", I can keep up at 60% speed.  Even the fancy finger work in the second half.  I feel like i "learned" the song and it is simply more playing that will improve the speed.  We will see if that is true.

Time to learn a new song and put that one in my warm up pile.

This one looks good, but the tab is behind a pay wall (which is fine, but I'm saving up for a spare set of strings).  So I am going to dedicate some time today to write the tab out by hand.



There is some sort of pattern to the fingers that reminds me of scales.  Scales confuse me, so later I want to seek out some scale warm ups. I think i need to seek out "why" scales are a thing to give me motivation to learn them.

First pluck through of the song, I find it difficult to use my index on the A string,  i still want one finger per string as is my instinct.   Is there a musical reason why so many tutorials have primarily thumb and index playing all the strings?

r ransom wrote:...
First pluck through of the song, I find it difficult to use my index on the A string,  i still want one finger per string as is my instinct.   Is there a musical reason why so many tutorials have primarily thumb and index playing all the strings?

You might notice that there Is some difference in finger mechanics among the various fingers. That affects strum motion more than plucking, and there's nothing wrong with favouring the ring finger on the first string, which is the classical guitar style. Some musicians favour what's called two-finger picking, thumb and index, and can play fairly complex pieces that way. Other folks just start out that way because it feels easier.

Ledward Ka'apana is a Hawaiian master of both slack key guitar and ukulele. Somewhat unusually, he is a two-finger picker on both instruments. Here's an example of what he can do on uke:  

The geese did not enjoy the new song. They don't like the high notes.

I'm still stuck on this.  It's a personalty thing, but I need to figure this out before I can move on to learn the next thing.

Dot on top means curt note.  Short and to the point like a chicken pecking.

Dot on side means a longer note.

My brain says these are not compatible ideas.

Listening to the song.  
Could the dot on the side mean a slight pause, but not one long enough to deserve it's own pause squiggle?

r ransom wrote:The geese did not enjoy the new song. They don't like the high notes.

I notice the same with the dogs--anything too shrill and they might leave the room. But they have gotten used to my singing voice under the right circumstances, which is nice. Same with the banjo--maybe start off quietly and gently and the geese will get more used to it?

The dot on top, the staccato, doesn't affect how much "space" the note takes up. The dot to the side is saying it takes up a quarter note and then another eighth in terms of space. So the next note comes three quarter notes after, even though the note sounds short.

Oh.  So it's like a social distancing dot.  That makes sense.  If not dot on top, I could leave the note alone to do it's thing (ring), but because of the dot hat, it's a short note wth space around it.

Hmmm... how to remember?  
Chickens on a roost?  Some cuddle up so close, we can't tell where one hen stops and the next begins.  But some hens space out between the chickens.  

It sounded better in my head.

Staccato = stacked onto

Looking back at the first song that started it all on the first post.  I feel ready to try it.  

If I can do that, I can do the intro to stairway to heaven.

Then the Renaissance book should be a walk in the park.

In theory

Help

I got it in my head, I could try translating a simple song into tab for ukulele.  

So I got a picture of the fret bord with letters.  Simple,  match letters to every good boy deserves favour.

Only, this can't be right. There are five letter A on the fret board.   They can't all be the same a. Can they?  They don't sound the same.

r ransom wrote:Help

I got it in my head, I could try translating a simple song into tab for ukulele.  

So I got a picture of the fret bord with letters.  Simple,  match letters to every good boy deserves favour.

Only, this can't be right. There are five letter A on the fret board.   They can't all be the same a. Can they?  They don't sound the same.

They're not exactly the same--some of them are an octave apart, thus the frequency of one A is twice that of the other. And remember your ukulele does not have perfect intonation.

People use labels like A1, A2, A3, A4, etc. to denote the octave of these As. The next octave is the eight note ("octave") diatonically (i.e. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do) from the original, or the twelfth chromatically (your frets are chromatic--meaning it includes all the sharps and flats).

According to wikipedia, tenor ukulele is tuned G4 C4 E4 A4 for high G. I think that the number changes at C? So the As on the 2nd and 3rd string are equivalent to the open A4 of the first string. And the A on the 2nd fret of the 4th string. But the other A on the 12th fret of the first string should be A5.

Is my c string open, middle c?

This is about the Renaissance ukulele book and a sample of ine of the songs (number 30, i think).

I looked through it again last night and feel i now understand about half of it.  So I can start working on the songs any time now.

r ransom wrote:Is my c string open, middle c?

Yes, as far as my research says, A4 is middle C.

So interesting to hear the parallels between renaissance guitar and ukulele!

We talked about ukulele set up, action and intonation above.  

Action- distance from top of fret to bottom of string.  Generally less than 2.5mm at the 12th fret on a ukulele.

Intonation- if the string is in tune, how well does it play the note it is supposed to when we press it to the fret.  At 12th fret, it should be exactly the same note as open string.  It's usually a little bit off.  But the the wring action can make it very off.  Too high is most common

Set up-  Making action, Intonation, and other little things go happy so it matches well with the player.

My ukulele needs set up, but if I mess it up, I won't be able to play ukulele for days!  My family member promised to buy me another one if I break this one, so please stop being precious with it, you can't even buy pre made take out lunch from a supermarket for as little as they paid for my ukulele.  So stop worrying and make the instrument your own.

I worry anyway.

But I did find something fun at a thrift shop.  I decided to practice set up and see if I can make this tourist tat ukulele playable .  

Spoilers. It worked.

Fretted instrument intonation is a subject worthy of textbook level analysis, which has of course been done, some might say done ad nauseum. So there’s plenty of informal and formal data out there for the fascinated. Here’s a representative web page for those wishing to take a deeper dive: https://guitargearfinder.com/guides/guitar-intonation/

It’s a funny thing… as a player of fretted instruments and the owner of an OCD set of ears, various intonation “faults” have plagued me forever. Notably, the effect of imperfect intonation in the mandolin, banjo, and ukulele is easily ignorable (for me) but on the guitar, it’s a continual, annoying, mini-problem. I manage it somewhat by making subtle tuning changes for different keys and while playing with a capo, but it never goes away entirely, even on my few very-high-quality instruments.

So... when “true temperament” guitars (they have wiggly frets to compensate for intonation faults) showed up a couple years ago, I thought, “Finally! A solution!” Found a true temperament guitar at a music store and gave it a good go. Turned out to be no bueno for me. Hard to explain why… Short on texture?? Loss of valuable overtones?? Basically it was too perfect. Not natural. Like an AI supermodel, with not even a tiny flaw to prove she’s human.

There’s a permaculture moral to this little tale, having to do with how adapting to nature tends to put controls on the demand side of the equation...

I often wonder if a violin would be easier as we aren't confined by frets.  But also it looks harder because the human would have to think and know how each instrument behaves.

Renaissance ukulele book begins today.

I know, one song at a time... but, the only other one I'm learning right now is a warm up and I am ready to take it to the metronome.

The book has some wonderful history about guitars at the time and how much like ukulele they were.  I wonder if Renaissance guitars are still a thing.  Probably too expencive even if they do still make them.

The book says there is a progression of difficulty or something.  I stored it in my brain as learn the songs in order.

For once, the audio files worked that go with this book.

Step one, i listened to the song a few times until I could follow along with the notes,  

As I've already had my Bernadette lesson and didn't get much sleep, I think the next step is just play around with the fingering and see what sounds it makes.  

I notice it uses G cord finigering a lot which is my official nemesis.   This will be good practice.

Note to self

Watch this for part of tomorrow's lesson

Goose feather plectrum! I know where you can find those!

Please allow yourself the pleasure of learning to play the ukulele! I bought my first one in 2012, just got a cheap one because it's what I could afford, and I wanted to be sure that I would follow through and prove to myself that a more expensive one wouldn't be a waste of money for me.

I now own three ukuleles, not including the first one, which I gave to my sister.  It's been a lot of fun, not only for myself, but for those who get to enjoy the music I play when I play for others -- including my cats!

It's a lovely and fun instrument, which happens to be easily portable.  I'm a tiny adult (4'9") with small hands, and my fingers were already rickety when I started playing (at over 40 years old), but I have enough skills for it to be a really fun hobby.  AND I get to play music with others at Song Farmers jams.  Look them up -- songfarmers(dot)org.  They may have a chapter in your area, or you can start one.  I've seen retired folks go from being "audience" members at Song Farmers gatherings to becoming active members of the group, collecting and playing multiple instruments, including ukuleles, which have become VERY popular.

Kind Regards,
Emily L. in Lee, Florida

Note to self.  Find this for ukulele or switch to banjo. Great song

I think that's a ukulele tab? The instrument shown is a banjolele, a banjo/ukulele hybrid. It looks like a small banjo but is strung like a ukulele, lacking a fifth shorter string. There is a local band here which uses a lot of banjolele...

I have yet to figure out whether I could actually use their tuning without breaking a string. I did tune it to DADA, but dADA seems a little much.

I never actually heard the words to that song though I've heard the tune a few times!

The more I play with that tuning though (DADA), the more I love how it sounds! Especially if one is more into melodic or modal playing than chord strumming.

I have one of these I found in a thrift shop a few years ago:



I JUST looked this up today and did NOT realize you could use mallets!!! Now I have to pull it out and try again!!  I was looking for pics and came across this vid!!

It is called a zither!!  So sorry!! just finding this out.  I just love the sound and never did any research on it.  Now my interest in piqued again!!   Anyhow, I love strings.  Thought I'd share.  It's from Russia, before it was Russia.  Too cool!!  You never know what you got 'til you do some research!  --Tess

Wow, great find.  

I've been obsessing on all the different kinds of instruments that have strings.   This ukulele thing has awakened strange things in me.

r ransom wrote:Wow, great find.  

I've been obsessing on all the different kinds of instruments that have strings.   This ukulele thing has awakened strange things in me.

Right??  Now I have to share the history with my grandson and maybe I can find a way to learn to play it, even if just for fun.  I don't see myself learning to get really good at playing an instrument.  Altho' if this zither awakens something in me... just never know where it may lead!  --Tess

Today was first attempt at plucking the Renaissance book first song.  I got the first three bars okay so long as the metronome isn't in the room to judge me.  The chickens liked it.   Then it starts doing weird stuff like plucking three strings....but.... one of the strings is a quarter note while the other two are half notes. And a couple of bars later, there is a rest directly above a note.  

I'm tempted to learn the time by listening instead of trying to understand the notations.   The books says it's as close to Renaissance notion as he could get and still make sense.

Bernadette class went too fast for me, so I practiced what I could understand and will repeat it tomorrow. F to G is slightly easier today. But I'm too tired to figure out what changed.

I also noticed my strumming skills are decreasing,  so I might add a song or to to my warmup notebook I'm writing.   Fingerstyle is increasing noticeably, but not fast.

I should have painful fingertips but I don't.   I seem to have skipped that stage and am in the smooth skin, first layer of calluses stage.  The edges of the calluses catch on everything. A bit of zinc cream at night softens them just enough.

r ransom wrote:Today was first attempt at plucking the Renaissance book first song.  I got the first three bars okay so long as the metronome isn't in the room to judge me.  The chickens liked it.   Then it starts doing weird stuff like plucking three strings....but.... one of the strings is a quarter note while the other two are half notes. And a couple of bars later, there is a rest directly above a note.  

I'm tempted to learn the time by listening instead of trying to understand the notations.   The books says it's as close to Renaissance notion as he could get and still make sense.

Bernadette class went too fast for me, so I practiced what I could understand and will repeat it tomorrow. F to G is slightly easier today. But I'm too tired to figure out what changed.

I also noticed my strumming skills are decreasing,  so I might add a song or to to my warmup notebook I'm writing.   Fingerstyle is increasing noticeably, but not fast.

I should have painful fingertips but I don't.   I seem to have skipped that stage and am in the smooth skin, first layer of calluses stage.  The edges of the calluses catch on everything. A bit of zinc cream at night softens them just enough.

In renaissance guitar & lute music, there are often multiple voices or lines of harmony/melody happening on the same staff. It often looks like a chord but it is not really a coherent "chord" because these lines are just occurring simultaneously; the full chord isn't necessarily being expressed the way it might with strumming in popular music. You can think of it like multiple voices singing in a choir, squished into one staff and played on one instrument--I think that is how they thought of it back then.

Maybe the callusing process is more painful for someone who is not used to working with their hands at all?

Note for future self.
How to take a song and combine strumming and finger plucking melody



Maybe come back to it ina week or two.  It might make more sense then.

Multiple voices seems like a good way of thinking about it.

Something to keep working on.  But it's in addition to my main classwork.  It is hard to keep focused

I'm angry at my gadget.  I told it not to update.  It decided to start updating when I was bringing my coffee over to it. Update took 30 min.  Ukulele lesson time for second coffee is 20 minutes.

I reviewed yesterday lesson and worked on old materials.  

But it's got me all out of whack having my ritual ukuleoe time disrupted like that.  Maybe I will try again with 3rd coffee to compensate, but my brain isn't in retaining new knowledge that late in the morning.

Stupid electronic stuff letting me down,  got to migrate to books for learning Ukulele as soon as possible.

Also my metronome speeds up two minutes before running out of wind.  

Sometimes I don't enjoy the songs in the lesson much.  20 times playing it through is okay, but 200 or more... a lot of songs, I just can't.   So I try to figure out the goal of the lesson and find a different song that can do the same.

Piano man becomes house of the rising sun.  They are both sort of 3/4 time and use simple cords.

House of the rising sun is an old song and there are lots of options for which cords and strumming pattern and even long arguments if it should be 3/4 or 6/8 time.  And the conversations about how many beats per minute are even more heated.


Anyway, I feeling chuffed that I managed to sing and fancy strum several verses with little to no error all while obeying the metronome at 80bpm.

And then I discovered this



Is this possible on ukulele?

Edit, i think I'm doomed as I'm pretty sure that's two string instruments.

Going to try this one tomorrow.   Looks like it will be simple in the same cords, but sounds complicated enough to be what I want