grahame r
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Posts posted by grahame r
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Yes, chicago tuning on a tenor banjo (steel strung) is exatly as the top 4 strings on a guitar ie DGBE, whereas a soprano or concert Uke is tuned GCEA which is exactly 5 semitones above DGBE, albeit the G in Ukulele tuning is an octave higher. This means that guitar chords that don't rely on the 2 bass strings will also work on the Ukulele but will be 5 semitones higher ie a D becomes a G and a G becomes a C. So if you can play guitar, playing a Ukulele is easy. Having less strings than the average person has on one hand makes it an easier proposition than a guitar as a first instrument. Ukes have many other good points, especially for boaters.This is the cue for people to post vids of Jake Sambucca (I know) to show what's possible.
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Ukes come in a variety of sizes, even quite big ones
Richard
They do come in different sizes, I'd recommend a concert as it's tuned with a high G where the bass string would be on the guitar and then ascending C E and A which gives the Uke it's bright sound. Baritone and sometimes tenor ukes are normally tuned (and hence played) exactly like the top 4 strings of a guitar. Please don't get bogged down with defining the Uke, it will only end up with people telling you that George Formby didn't play one, just get one that says "my dog has fleas" when it's in tune and have a go, preferably with friends.
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If you can play the guitar, you'll find the Uke easy, the guitar chord shapes (using the top 4 strings) work on the uke but are 5 semitones higher ie a D guitar shape played on a uke makes a G chord, you'll be playing in no time. There are clubs springing up all over the place where you can go and play and sing with other non-musical types.
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Stop it Graham!
This is all too much to take in on a single day. The guy's a genius!
Where was she from, Wigan?
If so, this would explain her 'no nonsense' approach to life. Pie eaters don't suffer fools lightly.
She was quite famous in her own right as a clog dancer before becoming George's manager/wife. You couldn't make it up.
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You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, on the one hand you're advised to fill your tank over winter to avoid condensation (which leads to diesel bug) then you're advised to drain it to avoid diesel bug caused by storing large amounts! I did look into starting a business offering diesel polishing but couldn't honestly convince myself that I wouldn't be selling snake oil. I use no additives, put about a thousand hours a year on the engine, mainly during April to October, fill up completely for the winter and have had no problems, yet.
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seen a guy on sunday [busker] playing motzart on a uke,with a strap on harmonica while cycling a unicycle and wearing a crazy wig now that is talent.crusty the clown eat yer heart out.
is it true that george formby only knew a couple of chords so had his ukes tuned up or down to suit?
lotta uke orchestras over here and every music shop seems to have loads in the windows,some beauts like the martin.they were selling them in lidl a while back,meant to get one but forgot.the reviews of them on the net were not bad and good enough to learn on.
Formby certainly used tunings other than the standard, but whilst not a great player was more than competent. His career was very carefully managed by his formidable wife Beryl who ensured that his reputation on and off the screen remained that of a loveable idiot. He was always in character and never discussed money or business matters for fear of showing how shrewd he really was. If he didn't want to mix with certain people he'd say he'd love to go out for a drink with them but "Beryl only gives me five bob a week pocketmoney". Claiming only to know 2 or 3 chords is typical of this self efacing strategy. Despite being hard nosed Beryl new right from wrong and after being thrown out of South Africa for entertaining black audiences and even embracing a black child who gave her a bouquet, she told the leader of the then National Party "Why don't you piss off you horrible little man" That was in 1946, Good on Yer Beryl.
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Wasn't the sinking of a boat in The Thames recently caused by excessive overplating? I believe the increase in weight made it sit lower in the water to the extent that when it tried to cross The Tidal Thames at Limehouse, on its maiden voyage, the build up of water on the upstream side was such that it flooded the engine room. I guess the boat looked OK in still water so if you know its been overplated then its something to look out for.
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One lock in the Caen Hill Flight has a notice saying it's too narrow to take 2 narrow boats and boats should go through singly. We were held up for the best part of a day by a pair getting stuck at Seend Bottom Lock last week. So if you're thinking of taking something wider than 14 feet please warn us so we can be somewhere else.
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After a little practice, you may be able to play like this guy:
Unfortunately not. A more realistic target may be a recogniseable rendition of "Me Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" late at night after copious amounts of achohol have been consumed by performer and audience. Unless of course you have perfect pitch, which is when you throw a Ukulele and it lands on a piano accordion.
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I'm so glad Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Johnny Cash et.al didn't bump into Bizzard in their formative years. Like Lawrie Booth, I remember a teacher walking around the choir and telling kids of 9 or 10 to mime. Yes, I was one of them and am still bitter.
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A couple of steel jubilee clips on an alloy windlass will allow you retrieve it and shouldn't affect it's performance too much if your racing
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Moonraker boats of Bath have widebeams on the Kennet and Avon. I don't know of anyone other than Sancerre on the Thames. If you've not already done so look at "Canal Junction" website who advertise most hire companies and also give a lot of general information..
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They empty the locks at night so if you're going up, try to be first so all locks will be in your favour they open at 8am. Lots of tourists there so you can pretend to be experts, we do.
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I bought some really cheap hose from Wilkinsons and even posted here saying what wonderful value it was. Despite running water through it initially for a quarter of an hour the water tasted "rubbery" and the hose kinked and refused to recoil from the first using. I've binned it and bought a good quality garden hose, the grey with yellow stripe, as replacement and have no bother with it.
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The Ukelele Orchestra play instruments in a variety of sizes, well above and below your 23" description
Formby was a showman. Curiously, he never cleaned windows either. His use of language was carefully selected for effect rather than information
The bloke who made his banjulele for him knew exactly what it was called
And you seem to be very passionate about this, to the point of being insulting. What's that all about?
Richard
I didn't mean to be insulting, re-reading my post I shouldn't have used the word arrogance and apologise and will try to edit to remove it. However, telling beginners that what they have is not a Ukulele is not helpful as they will deduce, wrongly, that Ukulele tuition is not applicable to their instrument. Yes I am passionate about as many people as possible having a go at making music.
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See my post 22.
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Your views on George Formby are irrelevant to this argument. What is indisputable is that George Formby was hugely successful in promoting the instrument he called a Ukulele, to the extent that even after nearly 70 years his name and that instrument are considered synonomous by millions. The main purpose of language is to convey information, someone (it could have been George Formby but probably wasn't) once said "if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck".
So, to get to back to the main point of the OP. If you have an instrument about 23 inches long, with 4 nylon strings, which, if in tune, seem to be saying "my dog has fleas" when plucked uppermost first, irrespective of the resonator shape, you have a UKULELE. If you want to learn how to play it then get a book or watch a vid called something like "How to play the UKULELE". If you want to meet other people and play along then go to a club which will be called something like "The Local UKULELE Club" and if you want a good laugh and see lots of stringed instruments played well then go and see The UKULELE Orchestra of Great Britain.
Happy struming.
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Never mind the gas, look at the electricity consumption, the last time I had a cup of tea with Bizzard (and very nice it was too, will be back around October for the next) he only had one car starter battery as a "domestic bank". Unless he's joined us power crazed wasters, that's perhaps 100 amp hours assuming it's brand new and perfect (it's neither) if he depletes it to 50% (foolhardy with a starter batery) that's 50 Ahrs, over 7 days is just 7 Ahrs per day. If you've ever done a power audit you'll know just how frugal he is.
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Banjulele
Richard
And what did the man, who even though he's been dead for 50 years and was famous for playing this instrument over 70 years ago and is still by far the most famous exponent of this instrument cal it?
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I thought 4 guitars, a banjo (5 string no arguments), a Uke (guitar shaped so shut up), a concertina (is it a melodian? NO!!!!) and spoons were too much even on our widebeam. We've nothing to eat our soup with now
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So what did George Formby play?
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Only if it "Turns out nice"
I'm fed up with people going on about the saucey image of the ukulele, I blame George Formby, if you wanted a double entendre he'd give you one. Anyway to encourage you to start playing here's a video of a man strumming my girl's pussy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhVILRvy1gA It may take you a little longer than a month or so to play like this.
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With respect to the OP, the definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the banjo but doesn't.
I have just been given this by a good friend and I have promised him I would learn to play it.
I need someone to teach me, so if you know anyone in the Stroud Glos. area please let me know.
Nice Uke, it could change your life!
Lots of free instructional vids about, just google "Ukulele training" or such to find them. Then find your nearest club, enjoy a good night out, practice for a few months, post a vid on here of you playing and then reccommend the club on the pinned subject you are going to post here. Simples.
With all due respect to Aunty_Rinum, that's why I posted that it was A good definition. The definition, I believe, is accorded to piano accordian players. We Ukemen are nothing if not pedantic. The word Banjo covers a multitude of instruments, the 5 string banjo is a fine instrument but it's almost as big as a guitar and more limited in the type of music it is suitable for, 6 string banjos whilst in existence are rare enough to ignore, the four stringed variety when made small enough to be discreet on a boat are called... you guessed...Ukuleles!!
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A thought: If I were to have an electric fridge, and solar panels, how about this for a strategy:
Run the fridge during the warmer months when the electricity provided by the panels should be enough (is that correct?). During the winter months switch it off, keep my milk etc. in the bilges. Any thoughts?
I really love all this talk of frugality! I'm currently in Indonesia for 2 months for a total cost of £1300.00. That's flights, accommodation, renting a motorbike, all meals, a few beers from time to time, rolling tobacco, the lot. I love to get the most out of life, and pay the least.
Frugal? that's profligate, Bizzard could live for 10 years on that and still have thrupence left to get the bus home.
Yes, turning the fridge off in the winter and using the natural cold is a good strategy. We've tried putting the fridge/freezer on a timer and turning off between about 2am and 4am in the summer, but of course you then have to chill it down again, so we tried turning it off between about 6am and 9am because by 9am the engine would be running and chilling it down wouldn't take any signicant extra power, it seemed to be better. By far the best thing we did was to invest in a KW of Solar power, our batteries are showing 100% by 8am this time of year. What will happen in the winter is yet to be seen.
Ukelele Ukulele
in Living Afloat
Posted · Edited by grahame r
If you have a facebook account have a look at "Learn Ukulele Free" there's lots of info and vids for people at all levels.
Of course if 4 strings are too intelectually challenging you could always try a one string Diddley Bo, must be dead easy to sound like this! (Hope the link works)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fKbP1YK62w