Keep on the Sunny Side is an American folk song that I describe as being "relentlessly optimistic." The composer, Ada Blenkhorn, tells us that there is a silver lining, no matter how dark our storm cloud.
Read MoreJennie Jenkins is one of the songs included in my newest book, Americana: 15 Easy Folk Tunes for the Ukulele, which is AVAILABLE NOW. Go check it out!
Read MoreWildwood Flower is a beautiful ballad that uses just three chords. In this tutorial, I show you how to play it in the key of G with a beginner-friendly fingerpicking pattern. Play along on your baritone uke (like the one I’m playing) or on your uke in standard tuning—I show the chords for both!
Read MorePlaying along to a metronome is a great way to build up your sense of timing, but hearing the “click-click” for minutes on end can get a little tiring! You can accomplish the same goal, and have a little more fun, by playing along to a backing track. Here I’m sharing a very basic rock beat for 4/4 time signature set at four different tempos: 60 bpm, 80 bpm, 100 bpm, and 120 bpm. Play along with them, won’t you?
Read MoreIn my newest video, I build on what I covered in my first clawhammer tutorial and show you how to play the clawhammer strum with Cindy, a jaunty folk tune that’s probably hundreds of years old. When I share these American folk songs, I'm frequently conflicted as to how much history to share. I want to properly give credit when I can, but I'm not a music historian and worry about spreading incorrect information. So here's a little of what I do know:
Read MoreClawhammer strumming is typically associated with the banjo, but it's a great option for the ukulele as well. In this video tutorial, I break down the clawhammer strum into really manageable steps and share an easy play-along for Li'l Liza Jane, my favorite song for practicing new techniques.
Read MoreShoo-Lie-Loo is one of my favorite American folk songs, and its simple lyrics and call-and-response format make it an easy and inclusive song for groups to sing and strum. The hope and optimism in this song make it a joyful choice to sing any time, but especially this Juneteenth, as we celebrate the emancipation of all enslaved people in the United States.
Read MoreThere is a grand tradition of folk singers and musicians repurposing a melody to create a new song, and This Train is Bound for Glory is just one example. This Train shares a melody with The Crawdad Song, though the songs feel very different. The Crawdad Song has an easy-breezy quality to it, but This Train has much more of a raucous, rock-and-roll energy. Even though we’re using the same combination of chords and the same melody, we have two very different songs!
Read MoreToday I have a very easy song to share with you! It uses only two chords, it’s really short, and it has very simple lyrics. I’ll show you how to play it in two different keys, and then I’ll show you how to turn this into a holiday song so you can sing about your own family traditions.
Read MoreOne of the things that appeals to me about Christmas music is that it is, essentially, a type of folk music. Each year we hear many of the same songs, and we often have our own favorite versions of those songs. And of course, new versions of those classic carols and pop songs get recorded every year. Today I'm sharing a song that was written three hundred years ago—it’s sung by artists and choirs around the world, and it’s one you may already know by heart.
Read MoreHappy holidays! This is a wonderful time of year to be making and sharing music with loved ones, and even brand-new players should be able to join in on the fun. Here are play-along videos for the three easiest songs from my holiday songbook, Oh, What Fun! Christmas Songs for the Ukulele. Play them using just the C, F, and G/G7 chords, then use the guide in the book to learn how to play in different keys.
Ready to start making merry?
Read MoreWhat is it about sad songs that make them so fun to sing? “Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky” is a three-chord ballad that packs a lot of melodrama and melancholy into its chorus and three verses, and it was one of the very first songs I memorized the chords and lyrics to.
Read MoreDown in the Valley is a two-chord song in 3/4 time, so it's a great choice for experimenting with different waltz strums. And because the lyrics are so simple, you can probably memorize the first verse after playing it just a few times!
Read MoreOften times, we ukulele players start our musical journey by learning how to play a few songs with a basic down-up strum. Then we might learn a more complicated strum pattern only to find we’re having little trouble matching the strum to a song. Often times this is because a song has pickup notes. And the good news is that this is something you can make sense of even if you’ve never had a formal music lesson or learned any music theory before.
Read MoreDuring overwhelming times such as these, we can take comfort in strumming songs that have been played by generations of humans who have survived their own hardships. Spirituals in particular tend to help us cope with life when it feels like the sky is falling, and I'll Fly Away is an easy three-chord folk song that sparks my hope for the future.
Read MoreSummer is the perfect time to take our ukuleles outdoors and find a place to strum in the sun. My latest play-along song is a fun one to play indoors or out, and it gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of choosing our tempo. I normally like to play it pretty fast, but for this video I chose to play it at a more relaxed speed.
Read MoreSinging The Battle Hymn of the Republic reminds me that there have always been people willing to sacrifice for what is right.
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