Help turning Melody Notes into Chord Voicings

[aehalt]

I broke my neck a couple weeks ago so now I find myself with a LOT of free time on my hands. so I've been using that time to advance with the ukulele by figuring out solo melodies for songs i haven't seen covered on YouTube yet...

So... on the A string it's much easier to find the right chord voicing by trial and error, but when the melody note is on the E or C string then sometimes the note can be lost if a full strum through all of the strings is made.

Now, i know theres something called the harmonic 3rd and 5th, which i'm not sure waht they mean technically but i know that in practice you take the starting note and count a respective 3 and 5 notes higher in the appropriate key. but maybe its just whole notes...

I'm rambling but I just wanted to start a discussion on some techniques or tips anyone can offer to help me deal with making solo arrangements. :drool:

 

[bongofury]

I usually just play the single note on the C or E string immediately followed by a chord in that case. If there's a song that relies heavily on notes on those strings, it might be a good idea to try transposing it to a different key.

As for harmonics, I haven't found them to be that useful for chord/melody arrangements because they are so soft it's barely audible on uke. But I haven't spent much time trying to perfect them so your mileage may vary.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out the Lyle Ritz chord/melody book of arrangements. It's helped me a lot learning how to do make them myself.

 

[peewee]

Many times a melody note on the C or E can be played by just doing a 2 or 3 string strum through the chord, or as bongofury ("I'm gonna get me a pair of bongos!") suggests, by alternating note/strum/note.
I am a beginner at this, but it seems to me that it's sometimes more about the transitions and what note is changing as you go along than ALWAYS having the melody note be the highest, and always having a full four string strum.

 

[aehalt]

cool this is exactly what i wanted to spur, discussion in general. i haven't checked out Lyle Ritz chord/melody book so i'm about to search for that. i'm beginning by adventures in arranging songs, whether they are original or not, all of the tips help! thanks guys

 

[TheOnlyUkeThatMatters]

Check out this wonderful book by May Singhi Breen for lots of great ideas.