Best Version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps

ghostrdr

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Just saw Jake in concert last night! He was awesome!

It re-inspired me to pick up my re-entrant tuned ukulele and maybe learn that "holy grail" song I've always admired "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

What's the best version to buy for sheet music?

I see that Amazon has two books that happen to have that song.

https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Love-Ukulele-Jake-Shimabukuro/dp/1458413772/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/139-4674817-6425932?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1458413772&pd_rd_r=a5d43abc-a712-11e9-a9ae-270e3ef58a57&pd_rd_w=jrv08&pd_rd_wg=pHslr&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=CET1SHW9B2SSKKHDGG51&psc=1&refRID=CET1SHW9B2SSKKHDGG51

https://www.amazon.com/Jake-Shimabukuro-Live-Japan/dp/1495061159/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Jake+shimabukuro&qid=1563203537&s=books&sr=1-4

Any thoughts?
 
Just saw Jake in concert last night! He was awesome!

It re-inspired me to pick up my re-entrant tuned ukulele and maybe learn that "holy grail" song I've always admired "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

What's the best version to buy for sheet music?

I see that Amazon has two books that happen to have that song.

https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Love-Ukulele-Jake-Shimabukuro/dp/1458413772/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/139-4674817-6425932?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1458413772&pd_rd_r=a5d43abc-a712-11e9-a9ae-270e3ef58a57&pd_rd_w=jrv08&pd_rd_wg=pHslr&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=CET1SHW9B2SSKKHDGG51&psc=1&refRID=CET1SHW9B2SSKKHDGG51

https://www.amazon.com/Jake-Shimabukuro-Live-Japan/dp/1495061159/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Jake+shimabukuro&qid=1563203537&s=books&sr=1-4

Any thoughts?

Did you read the reviews? The first one requires multiple players on most of the songs.
 
Check the reviews of both and if one has a song list more to your taste. From the reviews it sounds like most of the songs on Peace are multi-part, so not so useful if you want to play solo.

Price wise, ...Japan is $16 and Peace is $13, so if that's all you're buying Japan is cheaper today with the Primeday $5 off $15.

I love that some people seem surprised that note-for-note transcriptions of Jake's songs aren't beginner friendly :)
 
The performance transcription in Live in Japan turns into a challenging pseudo-improvisational jam after the first few minutes, and it's a fun arrangement. You can buy the arrangement from a prominent sheet music website for a few bucks.

Note that while the arrangement is for solo performance, it benefits from some effects (compression for increased sustain, reverb for atmosphere, delay for texture). Without the effects, certain aspects of the arrangement (in particular, some of the left hand slides in the first half) might be unduly difficult and should probably be omitted.
 
For me the best version is probably by Eric and co at George's memorial concert.

Edit, oops sorry you were asking about sheet music, not actual performances :eek:
 
Did you read the reviews? The first one requires multiple players on most of the songs.

I did read the reviews and my conclusion was that that one did not have multiple parts but perhaps that is wrong. I was hoping someone Here actually tried to learn this song from one of these arrangements. The improv portion of the Japan book is curious.

Thanks for the feedback so far! Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts.
 
The improv portion of the Japan book is curious.

It starts at about 2:15 on the CD track. The first 30 seconds or so isn't difficult assuming you are competent in your strumming dynamics, but after that, the arrangement turns into a showpiece that makes extensive use of chunk strums, ghost notes, right hand placement, slides, barre bends, spread voicings, etc. On the CD, there's a keyboard-bass backing band providing accompaniment and trading solos, but the arrangement also works pretty well as a solo (especially if you scat a bit).

If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, the first campanella-esque 2:30 is more approachable for most players. It's a beautiful arrangement.
 
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I guess my question is... Do you currently play any version of guitar gently weeps?

When I learned the song years ago, the Central Park version was pretty much it and it is probably a good starting point. In my opinion it is the strum speed and patterns that are the real killer in playing that song, I have never come close to mastering them. I suspect not too many others have either. Never-the-less I play the song and have added a few tweaks along the way. And honestly, even my rudimentary version still blows the average person away.

In 2010 Corey Fujimoto did a 3 part video tutorial for Hawaiian Music Supply (Ukulele Site). It is a really basic version, and without an Intro or Outro, (which I added), but it really helped me and sets up a foundation for whatever more advanced version you want to learn.

I have no idea if this will help or hinder, but it might provide an aid when working through whatever version you settle on, but here they are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY5AJiU0aD8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GaDo5lmFrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfn24i6OHsg

John
 
I just remembered that there is also a nice arrangement in Fred Sokolow's The Beatles for Fingerstyle Ukulele. I know it's not a Jake interpretation, but you might want to check it out.
 
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This version is one of my favorites. By one of our members here -- etudes.

 
I think the best rendition is the first one done in New York(?). It was aired on a now dead video channel called Midnight Ukulele Disco. I think I would have seen it in 2005(?). The people who were part of the channel seemed to have a lot of fun at a venue somewhere in NYC, like a stage show every week. Their uke group dressed up in character and had old Martins and played a lot of Hapa Haole and movie style tunes, and they filmed it and posted videos. They also made a their own videos during the week in places around NYC and had guests like Jake appear in videos.
They were also very left wing and camp and maybe challenged some more conservative types. However, all of the people in the MUD videos seemed to be very competent ukulele players and performers and they looked like they were having a great time.
Here is a remnant link to track down: http://nwfolk.com/2005/08/midnight-ukulele-disco.html
Edit added: When this video first appeared on MUD it was similar to watching The Sex Pistols first appearance, but in reverse. Jake introduced a whole new style of being a ukulele performer to the world. No doubt there were already some great ukulele musicians working at the time in Hawaii, but Jake bought it to NYC. The history of the video has been clouded in mystery by marketers for some reason, and someone else now uses the MUD label, which is a shame.

This video and Iz’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow were the reason I started to play. I think I may be up for trying this now. I can’t sing like Iz and I can’t play like Jake, but if I can at least play it so it is recognizable, that’s good enough for me.
 
Ohhh, nice. Is there tab for it?

Thanks Kevin and Joyful Uke, I don't have tab and I'm not good at writing it. I can tell you the uke is strung low G and tuned GCDF.
 
This video and Iz’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow were the reason I started to play. I think I may be up for trying this now. I can’t sing like Iz and I can’t play like Jake, but if I can at least play it so it is recognizable, that’s good enough for me.

Check out Brittni Paiva's version of SOTR, too. I'm working on that one, but will never get it to sound like she does. It's so beautiful when she plays it.
 
Thanks Kevin and Joyful Uke, I don't have tab and I'm not good at writing it. I can tell you the uke is strung low G and tuned GCDF.

I'm trying to learn to tab things out, so I understand why you don't have tab. Interesting tuning. I wouldn't have guessed that.
 
Hi, gohstrdr! Jake is great! This version of the song is very good and guitar pro tab is very good to learn new songs.

Go to this site and download Guitar pro tab (upper figure). We can arrange this tab in another versions whatever you like. Hence this tab is very good start point to learn "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". We can repeat any parts with sounds, guitar pro tabs are very good to practice. I use Tuxguitar (see the bottom figure) on PC and TablEdit on Android. TablEdit is the only app which can repeat on Android, as far as I know.

http://gtptabs.com/tabs/10/jake-shimabukuro.html

 
Found this site where you can purchase tab for Jake's version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, (2 versions, apparently, one for US $1.99 and the other for $2.99), as well as a video lesson with tab, (taught by Jake) for $3.99.

I can't vouch for the quality of any of it, but if Jake is doing the video lesson, I would guess that the tab is accurate.

https://www.guitarinstructor.com/search/advancedSearch.do?keywords=jake+shimabukuro
 
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For me the best version is probably by Eric and co at George's memorial concert.

Edit, oops sorry you were asking about sheet music, not actual performances :eek:

That Concert and Eric’s playing brought tears to my eyes.
 
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