Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Busking with your Uke

I recently started doing this a local farmer's market and its fun and I even make a few Euro and get free stuff from the people running the stalls! I thought I'd list my kit here to help anyone out who'd like to do the same thing.

1. Something to sit on



This is the one I got, it suits me, it is small and low, but I find that good. It's also light and folds up small, If you are lugging all your stuff to where you will busk, that is essential.

2. A music stand




This one can be set low as well because if you're sitting you'll need that. Quite heavy, but it has little wire things that stop the music blowing away, you might need to bring pegs or something though.

3. Stuff to play, and something to keep them in

I've printed out songs from sites like www.chordie.com I don't play many from memory mainly because I want to know too many and can't memorize them quickly enough! I put the music in folders with clear plastic pockets, keeps everything together for me. I get them cheap in Tesco in Ireland, I'm sure you can find the same thing wherever you are.

4. A playlist?

I generally play what I feel like playing rather than have a planned list. I'd never just play the same list over and over. Id rather chop and change, and I take requests. I can find the chords on my iPhone. The muffin man asked me to play "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones last week. For which, I received a free muffin!

5. An Amplifier

Playing in a crowded outdoor place, you'll need it. But be careful not to be so loud people can't ignore you if they choose to. Be considerate. But also not so quiet you can't be heard at all!




I got this one because it has a strap, can take batteries, is loud enough, and you can attach a mic and a uke pickup. It's also not too heavy to carry over one shoulder. It has effects and stuff but I don't use them.

6. A microphone

I got one like this:



It had an adapter to make the jack that plugs into the amp bigger, you'll need that too.

7. A mic stand?

I stick a wire coat hanger over my head, put a kazoo on the straightened hook end, then duct take the mic to the bottom of the kazoo, so it doubles as a mic stand and kazoo holder.

8. A pickup for your uke or a semi-acoustic uke

I got one of these initially:



But it occasionally fell off, so I eventually bought a Korala soprano ukulele with a built in pickup that was about €150, plus 20 for the cable. Can't find much about these online, but I really like it, the quality is very good for the money: http://www.koralaukuleles.com/

I wasn't planning to spend that much! But the few hours I spend in the market on a Saturday Morning/Afternoon does make me €20 or so. I also get free stuff and discounts from the stall holders in the market who appreciate the music. Not to mention to the smiles and happy reactions I get from passers by, little dancing kids (I also keep a pocket of cheap kazoos to give away) not to mention just enjoying playing for a real audience.

It doesn't feel as high-pressure as playing at an open mic even: I go when I want, play what I want, for a long as I want. It's more relaxed. I find I am learning though, and getting better, or at least trying to. It's a good way to see what songs work as well: some sound OK sitting at home, but not great in public and vice versa.

Also, I bring my daughter, and a friend of hers sometimes, and it's nice to have time with her at the end of the week and give my wife a break. So, it works out all round. My daughter happily chants and browses with her friend, or just wanders around asking for requests and browsing the stalls. She swoops on any money I get and buys bits and bobs with it, but I don't mind.

OK, I'll update this post if I think of anything else to add to this!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Erie Canal Song

Erie Canal Song

The canal connects New York to the Great Lakes and was hugely important for trade. Mules used to tow a barge 15 miles a day until steam power came in.

Suzanne Vaga's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT78NL34k0c
Bruce Springsteen's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhHWAyFFv9s

Dm F Gm A
Oh, I've got an old mule and her name is Sal
Dm Bb7 A7 Dm
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
F Gm A
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Dm Bb7 A7 Dm
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
F C7
We've hauled some barges in our day
F Gm A
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
Dm F Gm A
And every inch of the way we know
Dm Bb7 A7 Dm C7
From Albany to Buffalo

Chorus:
F C7
Low bridge, everybody down
Dm Gm7 A7
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
Dm C
And you'll always know your neighbor
Bb A7
And you'll always know your pal
Gm7 Bb7 A7 Dm
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal

We'd better look 'round for a job old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
'Cause you bet your life I'd never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Git up there mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo

Chorus

Oh, where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Oh, I'd like to see a mule as good as Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a busted jaw,
'Cause she let fly with her iron toe,
And kicked him in to Buffalo.

Chorus

Don't have to call when I want my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She trots from her stall like a good old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I eat my meals with Sal each day
I eat beef and she eats hay
And she ain't so slow if you want to know
She put the "Buff" in Buffalo

Chorus

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Enjoy yourself!

You can sing any of these verses in whatever order you like, I've not really decided which I prefer.

The song can be performed so many ways!
Country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKthSbpnjYU&feature=related
Big band samba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHKCPorcBvk&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Doris Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OOX7OOqZco
Ska: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iibpewIA_ik&feature=related & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH3QNSsWoeg&feature=related

Either way, enjoy yourself!

Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself It's later than you think.

Another birthday's here and gone,
you've turned another page,
And suddenly you realize you've reached middle age,
Just think of all the fun you've missed,
it makes you kind of sad,
It's better to have had your wish than to have wished you had.

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

You're gonna take that ocean trip,
no matter come what may
You've got your reservations made,
but you just can't get away
Next year for sure, you'll see the world,
you'll really get around
But how far can you travel
when you're six feet underground?

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

You worry when the weather's cold,
You worry when it's hot.
You worry when you're doing well,
You worry when you're doing not.
It's worry, worry all of the time,
You don't know how to laugh.
They'll think of something funny
When they write your epitaph.

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

C
You work and work for years and years
Dm
You're always on the go

Never take a minute off
C
Too busy makin' dough

Some day, you say, you'll have your fun
C7 F
When you're a millionaire
C
Imagine all the fun you'll have
Dm G7 C
In your old rockin' chair


C C#dim G7
Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
C
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
C7 F
The years go by as quickly as a wink
C
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
Dm G7 C
It's later than you think.

Your heart of hearts, your dream of dreams
Your ravishing brunette
Has left you now and she's become
Somebody else's pet
Lay down that gun, don't try my friend
To reach the great beyond
You'll have more fun by reaching
For a red-head or a blonde

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

You never go to nightclubs
and you just don't care to dance;
You don't have time for silly things
like moonlight and romance.
You only think of dollar bills tied neatly in a stack;
But when you kiss a dollar bill, it doesn't kiss you back.

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

You love somebody very much
You'd like to set the date
But money doesn't grow on trees
So you decide to wait
You're so afraid that you will bite off
More than you can chew
Don't be afraid, you won't have teeth
When you reach ninety two.

Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink

Monday, June 13, 2011

Swinging Hula girl

Swingin' Hula Girl

Strum is basically country/syncopated: sounds like Boom, chicka Boom, chicka Boom, chicka Boom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhNnCkE_b3s

Em
Out on an island in the middle of the sea
B7
There's a swingin' hula girl that waits for me
Em Am
Her eyes are softer than the moonlight on the sand
B7 Em
I want to be her swingin' hula man

Chorus
Am Em
My swingin' hula, I'm actin' like a fool-a
B7 Em
Where did you go to school-a to learn to dance that way
Am Em
Your moves excite me, I want you I mean nightly
B7 Em
Do you think I might be your hula man some day?

Up a semitone - That means one fret dude. If you feel like it that is, but it adds a dramatic sense of 'ai kapu about the whole thing, ya dig daddy-o?

Fm
I heard the pounding of the drums not far away
C7
Her father told me that I really shouldn't stay
Fm Bbm
We said goodbye because they said our love was wrong
C7 Fm
We were two swingers, swingin' right along

Chorus
My swingin' hula, I'm actin' like a fool-a
Where did you go to school-a to learn to dance that way
Your moves excite me, I want you I mean nightly
Do you think I might be your hula man some day?

I heard the pounding of the drums not far away
Her father told me that I really shouldn't stay
We said goodbye because they said our love was wrong
We were two swingers, swingin' right along

Chorus
My swingin' hula, I'm actin' like a fool-a
Where did you go to school-a to learn to dance that way
Your moves excite me, I want you I mean nightly
Do you think I might be your hula man some day?
Your hula man some day?
Your hula man some day?

Monday, May 30, 2011

Jammin

| Em | A7 |
We're jamming
C | Bm7 |
I wanna jam it with you,
Em | A7 |
We're jamming jamming
C | Bm7 |
and I hope you like jamming too.
Em A7 | Em A7 |
Ain't no rules ain't no vow we can do it anyhow
C | Bm7 |
and I Jah know will see you through,
Em A7 | Em A7 |
'Cos every day we pay the price with a loving sacrifice
C | Bm7 |
jamming till the jam is through.


We're jamming
to think that jamming was a thing of the past,
We're jamming
and I hope this jam is gonna last.
No bullet can stop us now we neither beg nor will we bow
neither can be bought nor sold.
We all defend the right that the children us unite,
your life is worth much more than gold.

Em A7
We're jamming jamming jamming jamming
C Bm7
We're jamming in the name of the Lord.
Em A7
We're jamming jamming jamming jamming
C Bm7
We're jamming right straight from Jah.
Em Am
Holy mount Zion
Em Am
Holy mount Zion
Em Em
Jah sitteth in mount Zion
Em Em
And rules all Creation, yeah we're,
Em A7
we're jamming.


We're jamming
I wanna jam it with you.
We're jamming jamming
I'm jammed I hope you're jamming too.
Jam's about my pride and tryth I cannot hide
to keep you satisfied.
True love that now exist is the love I can't resist
so jam by my side.

Em A7
We're jamming jamming jamming jamming
C Bm7
I wanna jam it with you.
Em A7
Jamming jamming jamming jamming
C Bm7
hope you like jamming too.

Don't Worry Three Little Angry Birds

Don't Worry, Be Happy.
Chords are C, Dm F

Strum is Reggae:

DOWN up-down-up

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy

Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got not girl to make you smile
But don't worry be happy
Cause when you worry, your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Don't worry, be happy; Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry, you make it double
Don't worry, be happy




Angry Birds Dm, F, G

Three Little Birds

C
Don't worry, about a thing

F C
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright

(C)
Singin' don't worry, about a thing

F C
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright

Verse:

C
Rise up this mornin'

G
Smile with the rising sun

F C
Three little birds pirch by my doorstep

(C)
Singin' sweet songs

G
of melodys pure and true

F C
sayin', this my message to you-oo-oo


Chorus:

C
Singin' don't worry, about a thing

F C
Cause' every little thing, (is) gonna be alright

(C)
Singin' don't worry, (don't worry) about a thing

F C
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright

When the saints go marching in

All the end of world talk made me think of this one:


D D7 G7
We are trav'ling in the footsteps
D A7
Of those who've gone before,
D D7 G7
And we'll all be reunited,
D A7 D
On a new and sunlit shore,

D
Oh, when the saints go marching in
D7 A7
Oh, when the saints go marching in
D D7 G G7
Lord, how I want to be in that number
D A7 D
When the saints go marching in

And when the sun refuse to shine
And when the sun refuse to shine
Lord, how I want to be in that number
When the sun refuse to shine

And when the moon turns red with blood
And when the moon turns red with blood
Lord, how I want to be in that number
When the moon turns red with blood

D D7 G7
Some say this world of trouble,
D A7
Is the only one we need,
D D7 G7
But I'm waiting for that morning,
D A7 D
When the new world is revealed.

D
Oh When the new world is revealed
D7 A7
Oh When the new world is revealed
D D7 G G7
Lord, how I want to be in that number
D A7 D
When the new world is revealed

(optional verse)

D
Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
D7 A7
Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
D D7 G G7
Lord, how I want to be in that number
D A7 D
When the trumpet sounds its call

D D7 G7
I used to have a playmate
D A7
Who would walk and talk with me
D D7 G7
But since she got religion
D A7 D
She has turned her back on me.

Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in
Lord, how I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

Contact ukegnome

Just email me: ukegnome@gmail.com or DM me: @ukegnome. I'll get back to you as soon as gnomishly possible.