Then and Now: Songs that motivate you to learn

Joyful Uke

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2014
Messages
3,506
Reaction score
2,571
At the beginning of my ukulele journey, one of the songs that inspired me to learn to fingerpick was Ken Middleton's version of The Water is Wide. Since links are hard to post these days, it's out there on YouTube for anyone who is interested.

One on my wish list right now is Brittni Paiva's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I just started to work on that.

I'm still learning Jake's versions of Here, There, and Everywhere, and also In My Life. I'll never sound like he does, but I sure am having fun with those.

What are some of the songs that got you started, and what are some of the songs that keep you wanting to learn new things now?
 
The very 1st song I played on my 1st uke was "The Devil In The Deep Blue Sea", the George Harrison arrangement. It's still one of my favorites. I've gone on to arrange a fingerpick version.
 
I'm simpler, the other night I watched the video of George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo doing "Ain't She Sweet" and it inspired me to learn to strum and sing it for my group's next open mic, which I haven't done before.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
As corny or cliche' as it might seem, Over the rainbow by Izzy. This was when I was a raw beginner and that em chord was a killer. But the burning desire to play and sing that song made me keep at it. Always a good life lesson, get a burn for something and you can accomplish it

Now it is John Mayers Heart of Life arranged by Corey and ya I will never sound like him either Joyful Uke
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't say it inspired me, but Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes Benz. My wife is a huge Janis Joplin fan and I wanted to impress her. It looked easy too. A few others at the time, Ghost Riders In The Sky and Gilligan's Island. I learned the C,G,G7, and F chords and just looked for two or three songs that weren't the standard method book public domain songs, and those were the three. I remember adding the Am to my three tried and true chords and I really thought I was going some place.
 
What got me interested in Uke was SOTR by Iz. A fantastic version of the song IMHO.
For the last 3 years I´ve been working on Formby style banjo uke, and now it is all starting to come together.
I absolutely adore the George Formby style of playing. It ain´t easy, but I´m getting there!!
Cheers
Gary
 
Mine isn't so much a song, but a means for songs. It is my pentatonic shapes. That was then and now the thing that I work on is the key of E, all its modes and all its possibilities.
 
My first song I learned by heart was To You Sweetheart Aloha. Still use the chord progression to warm up before the bar chords and such. I now like song with walk ups or down. My Dads favorite Mississippi Mud has some.
 
The intro to Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles. For some mysterious reason, it came fairly easily to me - easier than things that are technically much simpler - but it was probably the first and last thing that I was really excited to learn. To this day, it's the coolest thing I can play well and it's the first thing I play when I want to fool somebody into thinking that I actually know what I'm doing.
 
At the beginning of my ukulele journey, one of the songs that inspired me to learn to fingerpick was Ken Middleton's version of The Water is Wide.

Funny you should mention that song. That's one that our group plays - picking. Picking is still hit or miss for me. I never know what strings to pick and when.
 
Last edited:
When my wife and I decided to give up on our futile attempt to play guitar, our first ukulele song was Moe Dickson's "Whole Lotta Saturday Night". This simple two chord strum and lyrics opened up a new world of musical fun for our "Golden Years". I even wrote a new verse to personalize it. We're so, so happy that the "Jumpin' Flea" found us 6 years ago.
 
Hmmm... "then" and "now"....

Well, "then", it was just the desire to play all the things already in my Bach repertoire, only using my fingers instead of a flatpick.

And "now" that I'm able to do that, I've become rather surprised that one of the things I really enjoy that I wouldn't have expected nor anticipated is just sitting on my patio at night amongst the windchimes, improvising whatever comes into my head. I was never an improviser before on any of my other instruments, but somehow the ukuleles have unleashed that in me. Go figure.... (I do still play Bach, too.)

bratsche
 
Funny you should mention that song. That's one that our group plays - picking. Picking is still hit or miss for me. I never know what strings to pick and when.

Did they provide tab or music for it? I'm wondering how you get a group of people all fingerpicking together?
 
Top Bottom