My goal is to go busking - advice please on getting me up to speed

I've had my uke for a couple of months i think. Yep my calendar tells me i bought it on 20 May 2016.

My original intention was to go busking. I bought the uke because its small enough to carry on my bicycle tour which will last a year. I wanted to learn this and the guitar to accompany myself singing. Singing is my first thing. But the uke and guitar have many charms and I appreciate the need to become accomplished with them.

My progress is fairly slow and I'm in a moderate hurry. I am in my early 50s so i don't feel i've got all the time in the world and I don't want to spend my time learning and mastering a lot of songs which i don't much care for though i appreciate some are essential. For instance i found it valuable learning to play Oh When the Saints with a particular strum pattern early on. That song was good because I know how to sing it already. I don't want to spend a lot of time on songs i don't know how to sing and don't particularly like. Which is a bit of an issue in my song uke songbook. I mean i don't any interest in Hounddog. But i forced myself to learn Get up Stand up which i like but dont' think i'll sing in my repertoire. I forced myself to learn Three Little Birds for the same reason but i would have preferred other beginner songs. On the other hand, i didn't mind learning from scratch I'm Yours though i've still not mastered it.

I've made good progress with Dream a Little Dream. Be My Baby though these are not ultra beginner songs. I've got bogged down with Don't Know Why because of the chord issues.

I'm not sure how long its going to take me to get enough songs under my belt to start. Can anyone suggest a suitable number? And give me some tips on how to whip myself into shape more smoothly.

Of course lots of practice and work will speed this up but i'im looking for tips about process and gradual increase in technical expertise and stuff.

Its hard having to dig about all over the net for what i want at any one time and so far I haven't found a teacher than i can follow soley. I thought i had but I find neither of them on their own is a perfect fit.

Just at the moment, i'm having a bit of down time because of some other stuff but hope to get back on track soon. When i'm on tour i think i will find it easier to be a bit more focused but then i'll have the problem of more difficult internet access so i've been trying to prepare for that by recording lots of stuff.

Until now, i was trying to start learning a new song every week. I did that for about a month and was going fine for a little while.

Anyway I need help. I'd love to sign up to underground site and pay for it but as i wont have net access all the time, i am not sure i will get my money's worth by doing it and i don't have a lot of spare money. Feel free to try to talk me into it but make a good case in the light of my limitations if you can.

Anyway this post is long enough already so i might as well let the conversation get started.

Thanks.

Hi Andie,

As for learning a lot of songs in a short space of time and staying focused, I can highly recommend the Seasons of the ukulele threads on this forum. You can find them here -> http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/forumdisplay.php?47-Seasons-of-the-Ukulele The idea is that someone sets a theme each week, and you record yourself playing songs that fit the theme. That's why I had Get Up Stand Up handy for your introduction thread. (The theme was 1 or 2 chord songs.)

As for the trickier songs you mentioned, I just had a quick go at "Don't Know Why" and it certainly is tricky. I transposed it down a half-step which makes it easier, but it's still a lot of chords and includes an E chord if you do that, which I wouldn't have been able to manage in my first few months of uke playing. If you like Norah Jones, Come Away with Me is an easier song to play. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYB_m3_00TY - the theme was songs about travel or modes of transport . Sorry about the lack of polish on this one, but we didn't have a lot of time to practice together.)

I guess my main advice would be to get comfortable with transposing into a range that suits you and finding chords (as well as alternative variations of chords). I find having a capo is incredibly handy for this, and I also use the following sites:

https://ukebuddy.com/ukulele-chords/C-chord
http://www.transposechords.com/
http://musictheorysite.com/namethatkey

Also, I'm probably stating the obvious here, but if you are looking for chords, just type the song name and "chords" into google and you will get something. It's fine to use guitar chords. A chord is a chord no matter what instrument you play it on.

Hope that helps.

Robin

Actually, about Don't Know Why - Transpose it into C, which is 2 half steps up and it becomes a lot easier to play. Then it's just a matter of whether it fits in your vocal range. It totally works for me because I sing it an octave low anyway.

I recall trying to talk my buddy, a very good banjo player, into doing some busking in Port Hope. The downtown business merchants would put $50 in your case if you'd play in one spot for two hours. He said, "I don't know two hours worth of tunes." I told him that probably no one would stay for more than one or two songs and he'd be fine with the tunes he knew.
It's always a good idea to have a number of tunes that appeal to kids. They will stay for a number of tunes and ask you about your instrument and, if they like what they hear, they'll go to their parents and ask for some money to put in your case.
Even if you consider yourself a good songwriter, busking is probably not the best place to feature original songs. Choose humorous songs, songs that tell a story, songs that show off your instrumental or vocal strengths.
I have tried busking with a number of instruments, and found the one that earned me the least amount of money was the one I play the best, the guitar. There are so many "guys with guitars" busking that folks don't play much attention when they see one. I found the Autoharp to be a super busking instrument. Perhaps a ukulele is different enough from the guitar to work for you. Maybe add a kazoo for instrumental breaks.
Finally, a hat or an interesting outfit may help make your act interesting.

Here it is in the key of C -> https://ukutabs.com/n/norah-jones/dont-know-why/?transpose=+2#point

And here I am giving it a quick whirl -> https://youtu.be/UBCr4k2-EMY

Jim,

My issue at this point isn't about how to go busking but how to get up to speed fairly quickly. But there are still some interesting points you make, i want to take up here.

I intend to do some upbeat songs like "Happy" and "Dont' Worry Be Happy" just for the reasons you mention as I'm aware that these songs have a strong immediate affect on some passers by. So i will have a few of that kind mixed in with songs I choose because I love to sing them but i must admit, Happy is a song that i love myself and i'd actually like to be able to perform it so that i can get the audience to participate.

Its interesting what you say about the guitar not being so interesting to punters. Are you a good singer? My main instrument is my voice and that's ultimately what i want to focus my attention on but the uke is good too because of the picking and fancy gizmo elements. I would like to learn Over the rainbow becuase its so pretty. That's an other one that i think has wide appeal. Won't be doing any of my own songs as i'm not a songwriter.

For me its not so much about the money as about singing and having opportunities to perform. I do have a use for the money though so it all ties in together. In my hometown we have an excellent sunday market and a thriving tourist trade for half the year but on my travels, i will probably have only very small audiences most of the time but it will be nice to try it in some country towns where buskers and musicians are far and few between.

AndieZ said:

Jim,

I intend to do some upbeat songs like "Happy" and "Dont' Worry Be Happy" just for the reasons you mention as I'm aware that these songs have a strong immediate affect on some passers by.

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"Happy" by Pharell Williams? That is one of the most insanely difficult songs I've ever attempted... Just saying...

Thanks for the big effort there Robin. I really appreciate it even though the chords you came up with for me won't work. They are too high in the chorus and i need to avoid having to switch into my head voice. Its too low if i sing it the same as you. So its just going to be tricky chords I'm afraid. PIty as those chords you showed me a lovely easy chords.

I've been learning the E chord: yes its tough and over time i will get it. I don't really mind having difficult chords to learn. What bothers me more is when the chords in the tab are wrong.

I'll follow up those links you suggest.

Here is me singing the song on sing snap. http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b8a562bef

Here's another song i want to sing but when i looked up the chords for it, yikes, super hard. Meanwhile the chords are super easy for I'd rather go blind but i haven't mastered the singing of it yet and it could be a while before i get there becuase of the high belt. http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c39a4a981

One song i'd really love to do, another hard one is by Lulu. Its not hard to play but singing it the way she does is tough but i think i can do it. I haven't done any work on it for a while but its on my list. I never heard this version of this song before and I love it. So have a listen to Lulu do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9aFGTuzS1g. Of course wihtout all that backing band it would be hard to sound so good even if i can sing it well.

Also I want to learn this - you might like to learn this one yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWNJURWdy0g I saw the film when I was up in Kunnunurra near where it was filmed, just after I had been to Wyndum. So i love this song.

Oh by the way there is a woman on youtube who does a lovely uke version of don't know why. I just can't figure out her chords from watching that's all.

robinboyd said:

"Happy" by Pharell Williams? That is one of the most insanely difficult songs I've ever attempted... Just saying...

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Ok good to know. I've got it in my uke songbook. I"m not sure if there's a video lesson to go with it. Ah yes you might like to see it. Look up Justinguitar, ukulele and he has a video lesson. I love justin's site but he doesn't do a super lot on uke. He's mainly a guitar player and i think actually he originates from Tassie too.

I don't know why but i wrote a long post to you robin with links and its not here i'll have to do it again....

AndieZ said:

Ok good to know. I've got it in my uke songbook. I"m not sure if there's a video lesson to go with it. Ah yes you might like to see it. Look up Justinguitar, ukulele and he has a video lesson. I love justin's site but he doesn't do a super lot on uke. He's mainly a guitar player and i think actually he originates from Tassie too.

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Thanks. I've only had a quick look, but it looks handy.

About 15 years ago I spent a couple summers hanging out with a guitar player friend of mine in a jazz trio at the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade busking. It's a three block stretch of closed streets that has stores, movies, restaurants, and is a weekend destination. At that time the city issued performance licenses which required that the performers only stay in a location for 20 minutes, then move to another location. That made it easier to put together a set and it worked out well because most people only spent about 10-15 minutes watching a performance.

My uke group does Happy, it did take a few weeks of rehearsal for many people to get it, I picked it up fairly quickly, both on uke and on bass uke. Give it a try, lot's fun for an audience. We also do "Over the Rainbow" the Iz version with the correct lyrics. Always goes over well. Here are a couple of videos of a flash mob we did in the plaza in front of the Culver Hotel in Culver City, CA where the Little People playing the munchkins stayed during the filming of "The Wizard of Oz" (I'm in the white hat).

Rainbow video.

If you want to get up to speed quickly, I would certainly stick to songs you already know AND like. I would not force myself to learn any song I didn't like. Life's too short, plus you say you are in a hurry, so don't waste your time on them. I also don't think you can do your best performing by playing songs you don't really like. There are plenty of good 3 and 4 chord songs, so stuff doesn't have to be tricky to go over well, especially if you have a nice voice. You can certainly just google 10-20 songs you like by name plus the word chords and you will get plenty, but if you are looking for a quick one stop for song help, I'd suggest flipping through a uke group's song book to find those that suit you. A good one is from the UK. It's "Ukulele Wednesday" and it's a big, free, downloadable book of popular tunes. My only other tip is to be sure you are comfortable with the key that the song is in. I see too many folks struggling to sing in a key too high for them. Tweak songs by finding the key that is easy to sing and play in. Capo or transpose as needed. I think the biggest challenge in busking is to memorize the chords. I have an iPad clipped on my mic stand. I don't have to stare at it, but without it I might blank out on chords. Obviously, songs with a repeating 4 chord progression are the easiest to commit to memory. Just watch "The Axis of Awesome" on YouTube and see how far you can get with learning one progression. Good luck and enjoy your journey!

bunnyf makes many good points. Unless you are a skilled and seasoned musician "getting up to speed quickly" on a stringed instrument is not going to happen. Like any skill you start with the simplest of basics, master those and then move forward, progressing at your own speed. Everyone will improve but at different speeds.

As bunnyf said find songs you like with 3 - 4 chord that you already know how to play. There are hundreds of songs out there like that. Then practice those over and over and over and over......you get the idea. Actually focused dedicated practice like this will get you results fairly quickly. You then add songs with more chords and more difficult chords and do it all over again

Bunny,

I've got a pretty long list of songs i like but the tricky part is that i don't have the tutorials for them so i have to do some other stuff to help me figure out the strumming patterns and so on. But if i can find 20 easier songs then this could be good. So perhaps i need to spend a bit of solid time looking into suitable song choice and push the real favourites that are a bit more difficult down the list a bit more.

I don't actually know a huge amount of songs since I never really paid as much attention as most people to following music over the course of my adult life. I'd like to have some more contempory songs and not just a load of old stuff so i will have to learn some new ones. But that's ok. If i like them i won't mind. I mean I don't know why is only a song i've heard fairly recently but it was instant love. There's a lot of lovely songs out there.

Totally know what youa re saying about the right key. As a singer, i know this.

My race to get ready isn't super quick. I can start when i'm ready. Its just that if i am slack, i'll never be ready so i need to focus and keep some discipline and strategy. I'll need ot learn this transposing thing.

Thanks for your tips.

I'm really disappointed my other posts have not been approved. I can't see what was wrong iwth them to be honest. I looked again at the rules and dont' think i've breached them with the links i included. Two were of me singing on a karoake site and two were originals from youtube. Maybe they just need time in the queue or something. But im hopeful the posts will end up here at least one of them.

AndieZ said:

Bunny,

I've got a pretty long list of songs i like but the tricky part is that i don't have the tutorials for them so i have to do some other stuff to help me figure out the strumming patterns and so on. But if i can find 20 easier songs then this could be good. So perhaps i need to spend a bit of solid time looking into suitable song choice and push the real favourites that are a bit more difficult down the list a bit more.

I don't actually know a huge amount of songs since I never really paid as much attention as most people to following music over the course of my adult life. I'd like to have some more contempory songs and not just a load of old stuff so i will have to learn some new ones. But that's ok. If i like them i won't mind. I mean I don't know why is only a song i've heard fairly recently but it was instant love. There's a lot of lovely songs out there.

Totally know what youa re saying about the right key. As a singer, i know this.

My race to get ready isn't super quick. I can start when i'm ready. Its just that if i am slack, i'll never be ready so i need to focus and keep some discipline and strategy. I'll need ot learn this transposing thing.

Thanks for your tips.

I'm really disappointed my other posts have not been approved. I can't see what was wrong iwth them to be honest. I looked again at the rules and dont' think i've breached them with the links i included. Two were of me singing on a karoake site and two were originals from youtube. Maybe they just need time in the queue or something. But im hopeful the posts will end up here at least one of them.

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Busking, open mics, and doing the coffee house gigs was my goal as well when I first started. Find ten song you can play well and make it your list. No one is going to stand there listening to you for more than a few songs anyway. The first time I went out on a street corner I had ten songs and was out there two hours playing them over and over. As time goes on, add and subtract to the list. I have about twenty songs in a folder, and that is my busking play list. Most of them I know by heart, but I still like to have the music in front of me. My mind wanders some times while I'm busking and I lose my train of thought, so it is nice to have the music there to get back on track. By the way, "Don't Worry, Be Happy has been on my list since the first day I hit the streets.

If you want to speed up, you should make your own key. F/Dm was my own key but lately C/Am is my key. I play most of the songs on the key of C/Am lately. We can transpose keys very easily with on computer. If you have trouble with high notes, you can shift your tuning one or a half step down. I hope you will have a very nice busking trip.

Just another quick point. Busking is half presence and presentation. You can be a really good player, and still be a boring player if you don't have an engaging presence. You have to perform to the audience, or they walk by and not even give you a glance..