Sunday, August 14, 2011

Things You Never Knew You Could Do With a Ukulele--Jake Shimibukuro

Visited my sisters this last week, and one of them has a growing interest in the uke. This is one of the many reasons why. As she said, do watch it all the way through before judging it as merely a nice instrumental arrangement...



11 comments:

  1. I know!

    The difference between me and my sister is that this inspires her to take up the instrument, while for me, it would have to be something remotely attainable.

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  2. Well, I had been thinking of learning to play piano Cuban-style, but I may have to throw those plans over in favor of becoming a wandering ukist, a kind of latter-day Orpheus or Robert Johnson who sells his soul to learn to play the uke.
    ======================
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  3. I'm not entirely sure that it is possible to make a uke sound noir, Peter, but other than that, it would be nice to have a portable instrument to take to all these crime writing gigs you go off to.

    The ukelele is definitely in vogue now, which might be a turn off, but I think it's only in vogue with highly likeable people.

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  4. If a zither can sound ominous, so can a ukelele.

    I already have a Martin Backpacker guitar, which is about ukelele-size. I could take that, but except for planned events, music does not seem to be a part of Bouchercons. The hotel bars generally lack pianos, for instance, and no one seems to gather spntaneously for a song. This isn't Ireland, you know.

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  5. It sounds like a tradition that's waiting to start happening.

    I'm sure someone told Jake that While My Guitar Gently
    Weeps wasn't written for ukelele easier.

    Things are only wrong until they're right.

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  6. He's one bad ukist, that's for sure.

    I keep thinking the Bouchercon music tradition needs a certain critical mass of Irish adn Scottish authors. I did see one crime writer warbling intentionally off-key country and western at another in the bar at a convention once. Both authors were Irish.

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  7. You may be right, but I'd start practicing now.

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  8. Yep, I should borrow a piano and start working on my montunos.

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  9. According to Wikipedia, montunos are usually played on pianos, but sometimes on guitar. I'm sure the Wikipedia people just aren't up to speed about what you can do on a ukelele.

    Well, what Jake Shimibukuro can do.

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  10. Here’s a basic montuno lesson, at 1:35. And here’s an entertaining example.
    ======================
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete