Can't stop playing "Somebody Loves Me" by Gorge Gershwin, especially when strumming my 1920's Regal "Glee Club" soprano. Also "Lazybones" feels just right to play on a little old uke.
Almost too many to mention, but if you're able to read sheet music; go to eBay or Amazon and search for the Ukulele Ike songbooks. They're full of GREAT songs from the 20s, 30s and 40s, and available inexpensively from several sellers. Second hand, of course.
Where or When - the Lyle Ritz arrangement. I've been working on this for a year and a half starting way before I had the chops to pull it off. It's been so worth it. I don't think I'll ever stop working on this song.
Where or When - the Lyle Ritz arrangement. I've been working on this for a year and a half starting way before I had the chops to pull it off. It's been so worth it. I don't think I'll ever stop working on this song.
I am starting to work on Lyle Ritz's Fly Me To The Moon. I am not used to 14 chords in one song nor playing up at the 8-10th frets back to 4-5 and back. Getting your fingers in those positions so quickly is a challenge. I need to start watching those Gerald Ross videos!
I guess they were right. I went to a jazz bar and this guy played 8000 chords and made 1 person cheer. I went to a rock concert and this guy played 1 chord and made 80000 people cheer. ;-)
Jay, I love that joke. I also recommend the Sarah Maisel videos as well. She teaches online via Skype when not performing around the world - great player and singer and such a sweetheart!
I just learned "Lush Life" for season 87, certainly the most challenging song ever for me in terms of vocals, and I think it set a personal record for me for the number of chord voicings I've ever used in a single song.
Here's another one I did a while back, my own arrangement for high-g of Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust".
Hundreds do. Blue Skies. All of Me. Ain't Misbehavin'. Sunny Side of the Street. Side by Side. Shine on Harvest Moon. The list is long... between 1924 and 34, almost every piece of sheet music published in the USA and Britain came with ukulele arrangements. So many to choose from...
"My Funny Valentine" should work well. Great song to learn and sing, but I really love Fats Waller tunes as well (i.e. Honeysuckle Rose, Ain't Misbehavin, Black and Blue). Anything sung by Billie Holiday will always be in my good books... so many great tunes, but so little time.
Flea Market Music has 3 Lyle Ritz jazz books (I think you can even get them thru Amazon), and one of them definitely has his Fly Me To The Moon. Very nice arrangement; if you're a jazz uke player, it's not much of what Lyle calls a "knuckle buster".
Jay, I love that joke. I also recommend the Sarah Maisel videos as well. She teaches online via Skype when not performing around the world - great player and singer and such a sweetheart!
Thanks. I am watching a few folks on YouTube. Definitely a challenge learning all these new positions and transitioning smoothly between them but the chords are fantastic sounding.
Flea Market Music has 3 Lyle Ritz jazz books (I think you can even get them thru Amazon), and one of them definitely has his Fly Me To The Moon. Very nice arrangement; if you're a jazz uke player, it's not much of what Lyle calls a "knuckle buster".
