suggestions for a good beginner chord solo?

L

liverlipsyyz

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2008
Messages
119
Reaction score
0
Location
Toronto
hi! i've been playing for about 6 months and i'm getting pretty competent at basic strumming songs. i want to try my hand at some chord solos/instrumentals/picking stuff.

can anyone recommend a good beginner's chord solo? something where i could find the tab and an example of somebody playing the exact tab online (youtube, etc.).

i'm in to all kinds of music so the genre doesn't really matter.

i gave dominator's "no woman no cry" arrangement a shot but it was way too advanced for me.

thanks for any help!

~joel
 
I"m watching this because I need the same thing. I've just been playingg along to songs I already know by picking the chords. I use my thumb and middle finger to pick the 1 and 4 string together, then use my thumb for 2, pointer for 3 and middle for 4... if that makes sense.
 
The tab is correct, it's not in the right order or notated incorrectly, but all the notes are there. If you watch the video and follow along with the tab, you can figure it out. I was going to make a pdf of with the correct notation and the parts in the right order, but got sidetracked trying to tab out his version of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile". A UU member tabbed out a simpler version of Here Comes the Sun here. The "Sun sun sun here it comes" part is kind of tricky because it's fast and moves around the fret board a bit, but the rest is easy.

Here's a little midi file I made for a reference.
 
Thanks! I think I found some homework for this weekend. :)

Edit - Murphy's Law: I prefer high g, but my favorite superconcert is low G'd at the moment. Doh! It's either new string time, or use a different uke.
 
Last edited:
oops sorry for the late reply. yeah it's not in the right order it starts in the middle, took me a while to figure that one out:eek:

i've got the picking down, its that triple strumming of Bb and F; the funky changing chords in the middle from Gsus4 to Gsus2 to G that's still a problem. If any of you guys have some tips it would be much appreciated :D
 
For $7.95 you can get Mel Bay's "Songs and Solos for Uke," by Edison an Cherednik. Most are pretty simple solos, but some are challenging, especially for a beginner. About 35 old favorites, with both standard and tab notation, plus melody and chord arrangements too. I have it and for the price its decent. Most of the arrangements are different than many of the chord solos I hear on YouTube, where you basically play a chord at the beginning of each measure or chord change, then pick a single note melody in between. Many of those you can figure out in an hour or two. Instead the solos in this book are often two note harmony parts interspersed with some single note picking and chords. Still good practice if you want to transition to something more advanced.
 
Last edited:
Here's what I got for the intro run in Ukulele Mike's version of Here Comes the Sun. I don't think it's exactly how he plays it but it sounds close, closer than the original tab at least. The alternating g note on the C string and G string make it confusing.

I'll work on it more later today. I think the original tab is fairly accurate after the intro anyway, just missing some repeats.
 

Attachments

  • herecomesthesun.zip
    45.9 KB · Views: 34
Thanks!

And as for No Woman No Cry, that was also too advanced for me when I first had a go. About a month or so ago, I tried again. I don't think I finished reading the tab past a quick glance to make sure I had the general idea, because halfway through it, I felt I had the idea of what he was going for. We all have our different ways of playing, and maybe you come up with something that you feel is easier to what the tab has - and that becomes your version of the song. :) I just played it when my husband got from work, to have another pair of ears check me to see if I was right.

The trick with that one is, bar the strings and let the pinky do the work. Try it after you've been playing a while, and it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. :)
 
FourChordWonder said:
The tab is correct, it's not in the right order or notated incorrectly, but all the notes are there. If you watch the video and follow along with the tab, you can figure it out. I was going to make a pdf of with the correct notation and the parts in the right order, but got sidetracked trying to tab out his version of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile". A UU member tabbed out a simpler version of Here Comes the Sun here. The "Sun sun sun here it comes" part is kind of tricky because it's fast and moves around the fret board a bit, but the rest is easy.

Here's a little midi file I made for a reference.
Click to expand...

did you ever tab out "smile"? i'd love to see that!
 
i originally learned "here come the sun" on guitar, but it uses practically only the last three strings, so it works well on ukulele too.

fiddle around with G(here come's the sun, it's been a..) than C(cold and something) and to D(winter...) you have to take off fingers and stuff, but it's fun.
at the chorus it's: G(here comes the sun doo doo doo doo) E min (here come's the sun, and i say) G (it's all right)

try to figure it out, it's a good challenge.
 
I'm a bit too "special" to play this song apparently. I've just been really sucking a lot when it comes to uke lately. It's not an easy song by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to my fingers. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

YooperGirl
Beginner ukulele book suggestions
2 3
Replies
56
Views
3K
YooperGirl
YooperGirl
S
Suggestions for beginner fingerstyle/picking songs
Replies
12
Views
3K
artwombat
A
Maive
Any Baritone Uke Players have Suggestions for Beginner?
Replies
7
Views
2K
Lori
Lori
steel rider
Song Help Request Beginner/Intermediate Hawaiian Instrumental Suggestions?
Replies
6
Views
581
Newportlocal
Newportlocal
HBolte
Beginner Hawaiian Song Suggestions
Replies
7
Views
1K
HBolte
HBolte
Top Bottom