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It's no secret I'm a big fan of the guitarist on the Brenda Lee original, Hank Garland; probably the greatest guitarist you've never heard of - certainly the jazziest country guitarist ever to come out of Nashville (check out my Jingle Bell Rock tutorial). One such jazzy embellishment Garland...

I've been teaching this little boy guitar for a while, & about 3 weeks ago his stepfather asked me to teach him (dad) how to play 'Jingle Bell Rock'. I'd never really looked at it before, but now I'm obsessed with it, in amazement at the sheer variety of chords it manages to pack into its 90-odd...

I live in the borough (RBK&C) where this criminal loss of life took place. My next-door neighbour runs sports activities for disadvantaged children in the borough. He knew at least one of the missing children. So far the borough has done nothing to help. Believe it or not, the relief effort is...

I nearly stuck this under 'Whinges About The Web' but in fact, it's not a whinge but a tip. Apologies in advance if I'm teaching grandmothers to suck eggs. When Google took over YT they made a lot of changes, a lot of which we had trouble getting to grips with, and much whinging followed (mine...

At pretty much exactly this time 8 years ago to this very day, I bought my very first uke - the Mahalo soprano "006" with which I won my World Record* in June of that year. *admittedly there was 850 others along with me - all strumming along to "Sloop John B." :-)

This topic has already cropped up in the Luthiers Lounge, but it's about much more than building a uke. I'll leave project founder Mick Rooney, RA, to do the all the talking... If you want to help fund the cause (and be in with a chance to gig with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, or to...

I'd researched all these Italian songs in Italian that were either covers of English-language originals, or were Italian originals later turned into English-language hits for the 266th Season Of The Ukulele, only to realise when checking the rubric, that there was a 3-song limit. So without...

I'd researched all these Italian songs in Italian that were either covers of English-language originals, or were Italian originals later turned into English-language hits for the 266th Season Of The Ukulele, only to realise when checking the rubric, that there was a 3-song limit. So without...

I'd researched all these Italian songs in Italian that were either covers of English-language originals, or were Italian originals later turned into English-language hits for the 266th Season Of The Ukulele, only to realise when checking the rubric, that there was a 3-song limit. So without...

I'd researched all these Italian songs in Italian that were either covers of English-language originals, or were Italian originals later turned into English-language hits for the 266th Season Of The Ukulele, only to realise when checking the rubric, that there was a 3-song limit. So without...

I asked this question in the Tips and Tricks subforum, but got no traction, so I'm asking it again here.

Let me be clear from the outset. I'm not interested in a semantic argument. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of what rhythm 'd-d-u-u-d-u' actually replicates. The reason I ask the question is I've recently learnt that, in the '50s and '60s, Jamaican mento music, Harry Belafonte in...

The 5,000/1 outsiders, in a league unashamedly set up to favour the so-called 'big four' at the expense of the rest, & who only last season, with the same group of players, only narrowly avoided relegation from the league altogether, have somehow defied those odds and won the English Premier...

Don't normally blow my own trumpet over here in this part of the Underground, but this one's rather good :-) All proceeds go to Rock'N'Roll Rescue (Camden), so get downloading now! http://thepukes.co.uk/exmas-video/

A little movie about where I work and one of the many instruments that come my way. Shop at a rock’n’roll charity shop If it's about music - it happens here! Rock'n'Roll Rescue Vibrators Star Opens Rock'n'Roll Charity Shop At Rock'n'Roll Rescue

Had an idea for this tune. 4 minutes later there was this: Think it could work with a little more rehearsal/arranging.

I wasn't happy that this ukulele came tuned baritone gCEA, one octave below standard gCEA, and one fifth below standard baritone dGBE/DGBE tuning. I had some classical guitar strings to hand (RotoSound Superbia CL2 normal tension); and so, in lieu of 'proper' baritone ukulele strings I swapped...

This is the first uke I have ever bought online, 'sight unseen.' It's meant a few surprises along the way, that I thought some of you might find interesting/useful:

Back in 1983, the BBC put out a series called RockSchool, an introduction to playing guitar, bass & drums in a variety of different styles. (the 8 episodes were 1: Introduction, 2: Tuning, 3: Techniques, 4: R&B and Blues, 5: Heavy Metal, 6: Funk, 7: Reggae, 8: The Future, 9: Q's & A's). In...