Don't know how to do my own thing...

So I have been playing the ukulele for over 2 years now, and I've been finding OTHER PEOPLES versions of my favourite tunes and plucking them to myself being perfectly happy.

I had recently bought Jake Shimabukuro's songbook, "Peace, Love, Ukulele." I had managed to learn half of Jake's version of Bohemian Rhapsody, when I suddenly felt like I wasn't doing anything new, or anything personal to me. I felt as if I needed more freedom in playing some of my favourite tunes and songs.

So my question for all of you Ukulele Gods at Ukulele Underground, "How do you make your own versions of songs and tunes?"

Your not alone brother. There are a lot of us like yourself out here including myself. I've been doing While my guitar gently weeps and about halfway thru. Bohemian rhapsody is next on my list. I'm fairly happy with where I am at this point which is probably no further then you. I feel that if I am able to do their versions of the songs then that's pretty good since that's the way they are meant to be done.
Are you wanting to change the version of the songs you are doing or wanting to do them Differently then the way they were originally done?

I replied to this thread but am in no way a ukulele god and will probably never be but I am happy with playing the ukulele.

Change the way its played but still keeping the "feel" of the tune or song that the artist made when writing it in the first place, as that is the thing that makes me love the song in the first place. But adding my own personal flare...

I can't help you as I'm about as far along as you are but there will be others that do know that will reply to this thread that will have answers for you.

Good luck and I'll of course will be watching this thread myself to learn more from the replies.

Thanks for your input Mark! It's reassuring.

Hi
I have had similar moments: I had the sensation of just learning party-trick chord changes and playing off song sheets.

I'm certainly no expert at this, but the path I'm on involves choosing a tune, learning the chords, learning the single note melody, then trying to combine the two into something that resembles an instrumental version/chord melody.
It's the best way I've found to really tear a song apart to see how it works.

It's a little like taking apart flashlights when I was a kid though. I'm not so good at reassembly, there's usually a spring missing somewhere.

I've also found it's more rewarding for me to pick obscure songs that haven't been arranged by 500 youtubers already.

Mostly the melody line ends up in the intro or a mid-song break. I don't have the arranging skills to go beyond the existing single note melody + chords at this point. I still am terrible at chording out a song by ear though, and am a total cheater when it comes to that.(chordie.com)

hope this helps

That's excellent! Thanks peewee. I think I see what you mean when you say that picking obscure songs is more rewarding, and plan on doing this as I cannot find good versions of my favourite songs. Thanks again!

One way to start adding your own flair to songs is to change the rhythm or style of an existing song.

Say, for example, you want to arrange "Eight Days a Week" by the Beatles. You shouldn't have any problems finding the chords online or in a songbook. But to keep from playing it like everyone else does, try it as a ballad. Then as a reggae. Then maybe as a blues. Mix it up.

Next, realize that when you learn other people's arrangements of songs, you aren't just learning songs - you're learning principles. Pay attention to how chord shapes are formed around melody notes up and down the neck. This will help you when you try to arrange a different song in the same key.

Wow, I haven't thought about it that way, Thanks RevWill!

hmmm, it's the $64 question. My answer: I have absolutely no idea!!! As someone who has been entirely self taught, I somehow end up with my own versions by default, not choice. But there is a great sense of freedom that comes in being a rogue! I don't like the inhibition of trying to be too formulaic or simply copy other already existing arrangements either which is why I don't read tablature. So my advice would be to resist looking at tabs for starters. Once you have the chords, try training your ear to hear the melody and then transfer it onto the fingerboard...not saying this will be easy...this is something that will take a lifetime to develop and hone, but the process is the fun part. Ultimately there's something very satisfying in playing your own arrangement of a song that you know is unique, so I can totally relate to where you're coming from. All the best with it mate.

Oh, and +1 on the obscure songs; very hard to create your own sense of space and individual musical identity by choosing songs that have been done to death!

I am also someone who is completely self taught! That is why I enjoy ukulele so much, I can play whatever I want without a teacher telling me how to do it! Learning to play my own versions will just increase this sense of freedom

When some of you mention changing the songs up a few songs come to mind after I thought about it. How about the 2 different versions of Layla by Eric Clapton. He completely changed the feel of the original himself and I think both are great. Another is Revolution by the Beatles. I never knew there was a slow version until about 10 years ago that was also done by them. I think the slow version was called Revolution #9. Another is George Harrison, My Sweet Lord the regular version and then the acoustic version which has a different feel to it. I'm sure there are many others out there also that I haven't mentioned.

I always make my own arrangements, well almost always, because it's fun, but also because I think I learn a lot more about mu own musical sensibilities doing so than playing others' arrangements.

Just to say the thing that hasn't been said:

CHANGE THE CHORDS!

Any melody can be harmonised a buzillion different ways. You can use your ear. Play a chord with that melody note, then shift your fingers around, but always keep that note. From a theory perspective, look at it this way:

I have the note C.

Possible chords:
C, Cmaj7, Cm, Cm7, C7, Cm7(b5), Am, Am7, Ab, Ab7, Abmaj7, Abaug, Adim, Adim7, Am7(b5), F, Fm, F7, Fmaj7, Fm7, F7, F#dim, F#m7(b5), Dm7, D7, Dm7(b5), D#dim7

That's 27 chords. Each of those has a C in it. There are some others, but those are most of the straightforwardish ones. In the world of jazz, when you arrange a song, it's pretty much a given that you throw some different chords in. So, working out "the chords" by ear is good, but don't be afraid to wander into the woods. You might enjoy where you end up!

Write down arrangements by starting with the melody and adding notes, hammer-ons, hammer-offs, bends and chords.

I have a somewhat opposite problem: I can't do covers to save my life. Whenever I start sitting down to learn someone else's song, and the chords that go with it, I start experimenting with these new-to-me chords and progressions. You know the dogs in the movie Up? "Squirrel!" That's me. I lose focus. Soon, I end up on a tangent leading to a new, original song that sounds nothing like the cover and may or may not include the chords from it.

Now, I enjoy coming up with my own material. Songwriting has never been all that hard to me. All I need is a little inspiration and a theme. But there have been times where I've been asked to do covers for a band, and I just can't. If I didn't write it, I have a really hard time playing it.

Maybe for those looking to put a spin on covers, instead of just replaying an existing song, think about reimagining it in a different genre. Play the "What if?" game. What if the Beatles "Revolution" was redone as a Bob Marley-style roots reggae song, or Elvis' "A Little Less Conversation" as a Beastie Boys hip-hop track, or Metallica's "Unforgiven" as a Charlie Daniels twangy country song?

In other words, keep the song's soul but change its skin.

s4ndyUk said:

So I have been playing the ukulele for over 2 years now, and I've been finding OTHER PEOPLES versions of my favourite tunes and plucking them to myself being perfectly happy.

...

So my question for all of you Ukulele Gods at Ukulele Underground, "How do you make your own versions of songs and tunes?"

Click to expand...

Oh, I love this question on so many levels. The first thing I would say is that even if it is not new, it is cool if you can play Jake stuff and it is a great exercise, if nothing else, and people seem to appreciate it, so don't feel bad at all about playing other people's things.

However, if you want to do some stuff on your own, find a song you love and DO NOT get any tabs for it, but get the chord chart and find out what the chords are. Then try doing things like playing notes connecting one chord to the other, or changing a G major to a major seventh or something like that. Try changing the strumming patterns or breaking it up some other way. Play it in a different key than written. The more you play and the more chords and chord changes you collect, the more fluent you will be with making your own music.

My problem is the opposite of yours. I can never do any songs truly the way they are played, I always put my own spin on this. Part of that is due to playing by ear and part of it is due to just hearing differently, which is either a blessing or a curse, but I take it as a blessing and try not to quetion it too much. But really, just change the things you can and the more you do it the better you will be. The more chords you know and the more scales you collect, the more tools you will have to make your stuff different, if even just a little.

All the best to you, man.

By the way, for an example, take a look at what I did with Tiptoe:



I changed the intro and the bridge and some people don't even recognize it, but I think it's a bit different from Tiny Tim, no?

All the best to you and the fact you are thinking is this direction shows you got the music in you!

Mike

Thanks everyone! All of your comments have given me a different ways of going about doing my own thing and I plan trying to find the one that suits me best

"Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself."

-Miles Davis



Words to live by.