Video Play Alongs

UkeStuff

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As new video play alongs are added to the “repertoire,” I am going to add them to this thread. You can find a full list of songs (as of 6/13/18, nearly 600 of them!) on my blog (in different categories) at https://ukestuff.wordpress.com/video-play-alongs/

I update those lists every couple of weeks.

Also, ukeability.org is offering a searchable index, by chords, that you can use to find videos. I send an update to Joe every month or so (since it isn’t my site, I don’t want to drive him crazy with updates). https://ukeability.org

Here is the first “video update” in this thread...a video I produced today...”You’ve Got a Friend In Me” by Randy Newman and from Toy Story.



I’ll be adding videos from me and others in the future. The intent of these videos is to allow players (anyone from elementary schools to adult clubs to individual players) to be able to play WITH the music they love. While I am all about singing (“choirguy” although I have a request to change my handle), there are a lot of people (and students) that are intimidated to sing and play—but when they have the music behind them—they sing.

Some songs are intentionally simplified to make it easier to play; most of our songs are generally clean (i.e. no Amanda Palmer—though if she could make a PG version of Ukulele Anthem for our use, I’d love that).
 
This is a great resource choirguy. Thanks for sharing this with us.

I like your handle. It is hard to change after your established. When I see choirguy with your avatar I know just who the post is from even though we've never met and I've never seen your face. I would suggest if you're going to change, leave the familiar part and add to it. Something like choirguy_playerguy.
 
This is a great resource choirguy. Thanks for sharing this with us.

I like your handle. It is hard to change after your established. When I see choirguy with your avatar I know just who the post is from even though we've never met and I've never seen your face. I would suggest if you're going to change, leave the familiar part and add to it. Something like choirguy_playerguy.

Thanks, lelouden! Much appreciated. I have a number of colleagues that make videos...and I’ll be posting theirs, too. If I change the “handle,” I’ll make sure to let people know...the icon will stay the same.

What I have been playing with today is making lead sheets in addition to the videos...easier to create the lead sheets, by far.

I like the idea of posting the latest videos...the thread can continue to be updated with videos, and people can choose to look or ignore the posts. And for those people that don’t follow YouTube accounts, they can be aware of some of the resources out there.

And if there are ever requests...post them here! I’ll see what I can do.
 
Yesterday at our local jam, a player called out “This Old Man” in honor of Father’s Day...and I realized that we had not made this into a play along video.

This video uses two additional tools for beginning players: colored chord charts which match Aquila’s KIDS strings (we have these on all of our school ukuleles—highly recommended) and “follow the box” boxes that match the colors of Kala’s new “Color Chord” ukulele. There is another popular ukulele method called Rainbow Ukulele (on the Teachers Pay Teachers service), but these colors do not match that method.

I just wrote, “Most of you will not want to play this,” but then again, it was called by an adult at yesterday’s session. I think it is good to know what educational aids are out there, as well as to have some resources for those of you who play with beginners, your children, or your grandchildren.

 
Your caveats are more understandable after watching the video. Right before watching it I was stoked to be able to play Neil Young's "Old Man" and thought what adults wouldn't want to.
 
Autumn Best posted a video of a cover of this song today, and I went back and listened to the original...lovely song with some nice chord progressions.

 
I have been going through ukulele method books and trying to make sure that songs in those books are covered with videos (I actually have a lot of work to do). Here’s a common play along—that we have used in our community jam sessions...and yet another realization that a lot of American Folk Songs are messed up. Watch your beloved drown and move on to her sister? Yikes...

 
I came across this version of Vance Joy’s Riptide tonight. I have made a couple of different versions of the song, including one where Vance plays on a trolley, and another that I recorded my own playing. Vance varies his dynamics and tempos in many versions of this song...this is about as steady of volume and tempo as I have heard him play. I wish I would have found this version earlier. It is also initially in Am, where a number of his versions are in another key.

Vance plays baritone ukulele as one of his instruments, if you didn’t know (and is what he is playing in the original video).

The other thing that I would say is that if you are looking for a song that is more contemporary that millennials (and younger) would know, Riptide is a good choice. It has four main chords, and a couple of others if you play what Vance plays). This song came out in 2013, so it isn’t new...but it has become part of the song “canon” for ukulele players under 30–all of my middle school students want to play it, too (But it is NOT in the large Hal Leonard Ukulele Fake Book). Want to bring a newer song to your jam? This is a good one to do it with.

 
I have been traveling and not working on videos lately...so here is some catch-up work. First of all, four recent videos by Andy Ramos...







 
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