I'll Get By - with LSH beside me...

I'll Get By
by Fred E Ahlert and Roy Turk, 1928

Times are just a little gloomy right now. Little tremors in the ground beneath the feet. Could be a lot worse, could be rather better... counting the blessings... and I found myself singing this song to myself this morning. "I'll get by, as long as I have you...." thinking of dear LSH of course, Long-Suffering-Husband, always supportive, always positive, always my rock for more than 40 years... "I'll get by" as long as he's there. So anyway, I thought I'd test myself and try to work out the chords by ear. I do this occasionally; I've done it since childhood to amuse myself on piano and recorder, and it's a great thing to try to do it on ukulele - I don't do it enough really. But the fact that I've worked this out with some parts as chord melody with chords up the neck (including some 9ths) is credit to the musician who was my teacher last year, and to whom I'm returning for a few more lessons - Phil Doleman. Highly recommended!

I’ll Get By (my version - if you're not keen, try Doctor Uke...)

C I’ll get by as long as E7* I Dm7 have Dm you,

C#dim Though Dm there be Dm9* rain Dm7* and G7sus4 dark G7 ness too

G7sus4 I’ll G7 not G7sus2 complain, G7 I’ll C see it C#dim through G7

C Though you may be far E7* away, Dm7 it’s Dm true A7 Dm

C#dim Say F what care D9* I, D7* dear,

C* I’ll get A9* by A7 as Dm long as Dm7 I G7 have C you


(C#dim G7)


• I use the chord shapes below …

Dm9 5557
Dm7 5555
E7 4445
D9 5657
D7 5655
C 5433
A9 0102


G7sus4 0213
G7sus2 0210

The suspended chords are just based on the G7 – here moving with the melody.

After I'd done this, I searched on line and found a version on Doctor Uke's pages. It's also in C, and a little different. Song number 640. He also has it in the key of A, which I haven't actually looked at yet.

Actually the key of C is a little low for singing here - for a woman, anyway. If I were to use this to sing with the uke I would use a uke in D tuning, or Eb... ie ADF#B or Bb Eb G C

Perhaps I'll do a video. But not today.

I'm still gathering photos to report on various Ukafrolics - keep the faith, I'll be back soon! And thanks again for dropping in!

You Can't Get Enough of That Stuff - Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson!

I can't get enough of this stuff, that's for sure! Phil Doleman here on Argapa soprano resonator



Originally recorded by The Hokum Boys in 1929, this is an example of "hokum" in early blues. Wikipedia gives some info on this stuff "hokum" - I had to look it up... but what you can't help but notice is that for blues - it isn't miserable! In fact it's quite jolly. I like that. So do plenty of other people, I think - Phil cheers everyone up with these upbeat and jolly blues numbers. As for me, I'm enthused to find out more - and I want to be able to play it! There is a chance of that - Phil has been my uke teacher for some months now, and a fine one he is, too. What's more, it's great to see him playing with his great friend Ian Emmerson.

I mentioned Ian yesterday... Phil and Ian used to work together as a uke duo "The Re-entrants", playing "anything from Motorhead to Lady Gaga"... I saw them at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain in Cheltenham in 2012 and thought them pretty fantastic, but sadly, shortly after that, they decided that they had come to the end of that particular road. Ian played the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival 2015 solo... read what they said about him here! Very amusing.... peevish reluctance to leave the house, ha-ha....

Well, in his house, he's been jamming with Phil and they've been having a great time dishing up lots of these really early blues numbers for our delectation. Catch up with them here! -

And catch Ian's latest album of his own songs here!
Full of contemplative, dry humour!

Thanks for dropping in... I've still a lot more catching up to do so don't go too far - but right now I need to do my practice for my next lesson with Phil...

Phil Doleman - he's Doctor Jazz!

Aren't I lucky - here is Phil Doleman, and for the last few months, he's been my uke teacher. This song is currently my favourite; it's on Phil's CD "Phil Doleman Old Is The New New" and if I've played it once over the last few days I've played it twenty times. I love this stuff - this is great playing - and I want to play like this.

I searched for the chords online and haven't found them, so I've worked them out by ear... these are the basic chords anyway, if they are any fancier, I'll find out soon! You'll see that Phil is playing up the dusty end of the neck - of course.... but to play and sing along, the chords at the bottom end that we all know and love will suffice!

Doctor Jazz
By Joe “King” Oliver and Walter Melrose 1926

[C] Hello central [G7] give me doctor [C] jazz [G7]
[C] He's got what I [G7] need, I'll say he [C] has [C7]
[F] When the world goes wrong and [C] I've got the [A7] blues
[D7] He's the guy who makes me put on [G7] both my dancin' shoes

[C] The more I get, the [G7] more I want it [C] seems [C7]
[F] I see doctor jazz in all my [E7] dreams
When [A7] I'm in trouble bounds are mixed
[D7] He's the guy who gets me fixed
[C] Hello central [G7] give me doctor [C] jazz

Enjoy - if you need perking up, Doctor Jazz will do the trick!

Want the record? Get it here...

And if you want to catch Phil live at a uke festival, he'll be in Dublin in August for the Ukulele Hooley 2015... as will Andy Eastwood, Del Rey, and George Elmes! Also the wonderful Dead Man's Uke, Ken Middleton, Ukulele Uff and Lonesome Dave Trio and the Mersey Belles! Wow, I wish I was going.....

George Elmes - Stardust

George Elmes from Dublin, "Stardust" written by Hoagy Carmichael, 1927. One of my favourite instrumentals of all time, played by one of my very favoutite players... I love Artie Shaw's clarinet solo in this piece, but to hear it played here so beautifully by George is such a joy. What more needs to be said about this? We need to see this man on the main stage at a ukefest here in England soon. When is it going to happen?

In The Money with the Hot Potato Syncopators at Uke Fest GB 2014

The Saturday Night concert at the Uke Fest GB in Cheltenham was a blast from start to finish. The second act to appear was the band the Hot Potato Syncopators.



I'd never seen then before, but as soon as they came on stage in their suits with tails, I knew they'd be doing my kind of music - songs from the 20's, 30's and 40's, and doing it well.. but I wasn't prepared for the comedy... they were hilarious and fully deserved their standing ovation! Featuring two ukuleles and a teachest bass, and three of the most talented musical comedians I've ever seen, this band should be seen more!

Please watch and enjoy the Hot Potato Syncopators in their fabulous finale to their act, "We're In The Money"... video and photo courtesy of The Hot Potato Syncopators



And yes - I did catch some!

Ain't She Sweet, John Bianchi on Prince Wong's Martin ukulele...

Neglect - it won't do. I've never left my blog this long before.... just been so busy, busy.... but I had to share this. John Bianchi (Greenwich Village, New York) has such an individual and inspired way with these old tunes, and I swear he just gets better and better.... I'll shut up, and leave you to just listen!

Ain't She Sweet, by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, published 1927 - that makes the song the same age as my Gibson UB2 banjo-uke....

Here's Phil Doleman, Chasin' Rainbows in some style!

We are fortunate in the UK to have quite a few first class ukulele players, and without doubt, Phil Doleman is one of them.

I saw this video this morning and fell in love with the song right away! What a great little song to brighten anyone's day, and delivered by Phil with real fingerpicking panache!

I talked to him about his use of finger picks, and this is what he said...

"My fingerpicking style come from years of playing Fingerstyle guitar. I never used picks (well, I toyed with them, but they really require a level of commitment to get used to!) until fairly recently when I took up lap steel guitar. As most lap steel players use them I thought I should at least have a go and found they worked brilliantly (I use Dunlop plastic thumb and fingerpicks, by the way). I tried them on uke and found that I could get much more volume, so fingerpicking whilst singing became possible without my voice drowning out the uke. I also found it allowed me to do very fast runs - as I don’t have long fingernails, those can be difficult to pull off, but the picks made it quite easy. Keeping time with fingerpicking like that is all about the thumb. On guitar that would be the ‘bassline’, but on a uke (especially with a high G, which is what have) you have to just ‘suggest’ that. It took me a few months of playing with them on all the time for it to start to feel natural.

Chasin’ Rainbows is a great song, isn’t it? I first heard on a Cheap Suit Serenaders album (the album is actually called ‘Chasin’ Rainbows’), and I know that the Dallas String Band did it so it’s probably from the 1920s."

Thanks for that, Phil - wonderful!

Take a look at Phil's website.....

And now I need to check out the Serenaders, and the Dallas String Band!

John Bianchi is Blue Turning Grey Over You.... on Ohana Vita-uke

Here's one of my very favourite uke songsters braving the sweltering temperatures of Manhattan to sing and play in his car and avoid getting a parking ticket - at least I think that's what it's all about! And this is how good an Ohana CKP-70 Vita-uke sounds when played by someone of John's calibre... the tune is an 1929 Fats Waller number, lyrics by Andy Razaf.

John Bianchi does these old 20's and 30's songs so well, so effortlessly - his sound is so right, I could listen to this stuff all day! If you like it too, why not subscribe to John's Youtube channel! Just watch the video on Youtube, sign in and click "subscribe"....

And look out at the end of this one for Peter Bogdanovich walking onto a location shoot for his movie, filming outside John's house!

Psst, by the way - playing like this is far from effortless of course - it takes time, commitment, and practice, practice, practice.... and there's no better way of enjoying yourself with all your clothes on. Apart from going to a good uke festival that is! So I'm off to practise my uke some more.... now where's that practice file gone..... :D

"Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues" - Eugeneukulele

I'm delighted to post another great offering from one of my favourite ukers, "eugeneukulele" of Tasmania. Like all my favourite players, he just seems to have the music coursing through his veins all the time - and there's no doubt about about it; to be good, you have to play a LOT. One of the most famous players of all time, the great Roy Smeck, played for five hours a day, every day - no wonder he was good!

This blues is so happy, and I think that's a very nice change actually. Don't want to be blue all the time. The uke is a little soprano Bruko, solid walnut - and it has a great sound......

Eugene (Jon) writes about the song thus.......

"1920's. One of the early American Industrial Ballads.

Another in the long lineage of worker's complaint songs, this one has been performed by Leadbelly, Pete Seeger and others. Specific authorship is unknown - as with many of these songs - but clearly was written by some sharp-tongued worker as a wry musical ode to his time spent in Winnsboro's textile mills. The country-blues melody of the song is borrowed directly from a song called "Alcoholic Blues" which was popular at the time."

Yes - need to get back to my practice. Definitely.

So what turned me on to the ukulele? It was this....

So what turned me on to the ukulele? I know I've told you before, but I've just watched the video again, and I have to show you again...it was this....

Joe Brown playing a soprano uke, "I'll See You in My Dreams" at the memorial concert at the Albert Hall for George Harrison - such a moving and bitter-sweet rendition of this lovely old song - and the performance that quickened my heart and made me say - "That's gorgeous - I want one of those - I think I can get to grips with that - "

Well, my lovely husband bought me one, and yes, I am getting to grips with the ukulele, I think - stuck at "advanced beginner" maybe, but getting there, a strum at a time...

John Bianchi, "It Had To Be You" - Alternate Side of the Street Video

A truly wonderful version by John Bianchi of the 1924 song by Isham Jones (music) and Gus Kahn (lyrics). I just adore what John does with these old songs.... here he has done a really great chord melody on his Ohana Vita-Uke; it's a musical education just watching how he picks that melody out of those jazzy chords.....and once again, his voice is just perfect for these old songs.

Look here for the low-down on the lyrics to this song - they are all about being in love with a less-than-perfect and domineering partner... quite a change from the idea of the beloved as a faultless angel.

Also by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn - I'll See You in My Dreams.

(Published for educational purposes, all rights reserved.)

It's the last day of summer, but......"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" - from Eugene Ukulele

Another stunning performance by one of my favourite ukulele players! Played on a custom Bruko curly maple soprano ukulele.

Popular standard written in 1925; music Walter Donaldson, lyrics Gus Kahn. Those two wrote wrote some wonderful songs that have lasted nearly 90 years...Another one is "My Baby Just Cares for Me"... see some more songs with lyrics by Gus Kahn here.

And for this wonderful morning, the last day of summer, when at 10.00 a.m in my garden the sky and the air were so beautiful it just took my breath away..... this video is just perfect.

The song has basic chords and a common chord progression - it's what Eugene does with them that's so, so skilful... the finger-picking between the chords and the "add-ons".... that performance is brilliant in my book, and it's one I'm going to study!

Thanks for sharing, Eugene! And a wonderful morning to you down under, too! Down there, spring must be in the air! Aaah.....

"The Dumber They Come" on Banjo Ukulele - John Bianchi

First thing tomorrow morning, LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) and I are off to the seaside - to Blackpool, to be precise. I don't actually like Blackpool, and we haven't been for years, not since the children were small - so why are we going? We are going to the June meeting of the GFS - the George Formby Society, at the Imperial Hotel, and just like a little kid, I am SO excited!

The strumming skills displayed by John in the little number above, should show you just why I'm packing up my little 1920's Slingerland model 18 and going to join the other banjo-uke nuts for the weekend. Because I want to play like him.

John uses three Formby-type strums in this funny but naughty little song - (this is from 1920; remember - "the past is another country, they do things differently there".....) the split stroke, the fan and the triple. And thumb strums. Please, please, look at John's own blog, "The Ukaholic" read all about the song, the Gibson vintage banjolele he's playing, and be educated in the wonders of the banjo-uke, on earlier posts. It's a great blog and I've learned a helluva lot from it.

I learned a sneaking regard for skilled banjolele players when I was a weekly attendee at the best folk club in the midlands in the late 60's, the Jug O'Punch, in Digbeth, Birmingham. I've already done a post about the chap who used to take the floor from time to time and wow the earnest folkies with George Formby numbers on his banjo ukulele. "A hero who shall remain nameless" - because I can't remember his name. He was just an ordinary Joe who would happily do a spot, and show a hall full of young people who wanted to hear traditional folk and protest songs why George Formby had been such a great star.

Well, John Bianchi of New York, in my humble opinion, is no ordinary Joe. I have to nail my colours to the mast here; I am a fan. Boy, can he play. And he has a good voice. And he knows how to put a song across.

He should be A STAR!

Watch the video again -

I rest my case.

Now if you'll excuse me I have a little case to pack... "With my little ukulele in my hand", Blackpool here I come!

"Somebody's Lonely" on Prince Wong's Ukulele

Here's one of my ukulele heroes, John Bianchi, giving his own highly accomplished take of "Somebody's Lonely" on his ebay bargain Martin Style 2 soprano uke, believed to have belonged to Prince Wong.

I've listened to this four times already, it just blows me away... the tune is a new one to me - it's so pretty, so catchy, and so beautifully played by John. I'm going to be really studying this video for playing tips! "Somebody's Lonely" was written by Benny Davis and Joe Gold in 1926 and it sounds wonderful on this little vintage Martin ukulele.

John's own blog, "The Ukaholic", is always full of interesting pics and well-written information on the ukulele and banjolele. Look here for lots more on his Prince Wong Martin Style 2.

"You're The Cream In My Coffee" with Eugene Ukulele

Here in the UK, days are still rather chilly but it's spring. Apple blossom time and all that. In Tasmania, home of "Eugene Ukulele" it's autumn... and Eugene has spiced up his delightful rendition of "You're the Cream in my Coffee" with the appropriate autumnal setting and colours, especially the little red soprano ukulele!

Another catchy song from the 1920's to become a standard, the music was written in 1928 by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Buddy G deSilva and Lew Brown. Eugene gives it his own special treatment! Guaranteed to bring a smile!

Enjoy....

Here Come the Old Songs - with John Bianchi

I've said before how I love the old songs; they've survived down the years because they were crafted by song-writers who knew how to grab the listener with a melody, a chord progression and the right set of lyrics. The ukulele revival seems to have gone hand in hand with a resurgence of interest in the old songs. After all, the uke was hugely popular in the years between the two world wars.

Another Ukulele Hero of mine is John Bianchi of New York. He is another ace banjo-ukulele player, and he particularly loves the old songs of the 1920's. On this video he's playing his vintage Slingerland, singing an old Al Bowlly number called "My Canary has Circles Under his Eyes". It's a catchy number, full of fun, and really conjures up the atmosphere of the years between the wars. Al Bowlly was a hugely popular singer in those years - he had a wonderfully sweet voice. I heard of him through my mother; he was her favourite singer, she used to swoon over his voice. You'll know it as the one singing "Goodnight Sweetheart." I'd never heard "My Canary has Circles..." before, but John has a lovely voice too, to add to his talents, and does a great rendition. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!



John, thanks for the help you gave me on my Slingerland banjo-uke. You are a kind banjolele hero!

The Old Songs Are the Best!

Song for the Day Blue Skies, by Irving Berlin

To me, Lennon and McCartney were, as a song-writing duo, the best thing since sliced bread. But the "sliced bread" were the great song-writers who came before.... George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart... to name the best known - best known to me, anyway! What fabulous songs they all wrote. As I write, the sky is indeed blue this sunny spring morning, pick your uke up and strum along with me!

Here's my song for the day, arranged for the ukulele by ukulelemike, Mike Lynch.

Blue Skies, written in 1926 by Irving Berlin


(Click song for the day to go straight to ukulelemike's website, and download the pdf. If you like the song, you'll be strummin' away in no time! The chords are easy.........

My Slingerland

Ok, so here's my banjo-ukulele, a grand old lady from the 1920's, built to last in Chicago. She's a Slingerland, with a 7 inch pot and 16 tension hooks, made of bird's eye maple with a maple fretboard. The resonator is solid bird's eye maple, not ply - the beautiful figuring in the wood goes through to the back. She has an original Waverley tailpiece, and came with an original maple bridge - which I took off and put away. The tuners are original - and PRETTY!

Well....... Ain't She Sweet?

Oh the Guilt......

Two weeks ago, or thereabouts, I bought a banjolele. I'd never liked them, but suddenly I did; the more I saw and the more I heard, I realised I had to have one to make the range of ukulele music that I wanted to make - and then the research started.... what sort should I buy? It soon became clear that a new model would simply not do - for the sound I wanted, it just had to be vintage. So what sort? Oh, Lord - the models from banjo-uke heaven fetched prices to match - in fact, whatever I ended up having, I was going to have to raise some extra cash....... plans, plans, ....

A couple of months of scouring the internet followed. I saw a couple of "possibles" on a website - but on inquiry, they'd already gone. "Get a Slingerland, they're great for a beginners," was typical advice that followed these disappointments.

Then one day, a beauty appeared on ebay. The advice "Don't buy on ebay!" was ringing in my ears - fears of monstrosities with warped necks and all manner of other expensive or insoluble problems - but scrutiny of the photos seemed to show that this was almost immaculate - a vintage Slingerland in bird's eye maple, from the 20's or 30's. With some of the cash now in the bank from selling my favourite evening dress and a now unloved flute, I set myself a limit and bid. Oh, how I wanted that banjolele, I just knew it had my name on it......and - yes, I got it! And two weeks later, it arrived at my door from the States, after a long journey and a little stay in Customs.......

So why the guilt? I'm sitting upstairs at my computer, and I can hear my poor, neglected husband wandering in and out of the kitchen, getting himself a drink - because I am no company at all.......I'm not playing this new baby; it's not that...I'm trying to find out how to make it playable - because beautiful though it is, it's just not quite right.... little glitchy things that need real attention before it will play in tune. And the waves of guilt wash over me. Ah me. Spring is here, the sun comes out, the garden calls - and I turn a deaf ear.... I have painting to finish in the kitchen...... ironing - growing into a mountain - but I dare not put this to one side, because I know that if I do, it will sit abandoned until the autumn. Now you know why I call my husband LSH - Long-Suffering Husband. It was the same when I was researching my Family History - I say I am focused - he calls it something else. So now you know. Totally "Uked".

Til next time.... Go play your Ukulele! :D

I'll See You in my Dreams

So, this is the ukulele chord arrangement that I did for I'll See You in my Dreams, when I first got my ukulele. It's in the key of C, whereas the "proper" version is in F - and if you're not an accomplished player, it's easier!

I didn't do the intro, lovely as it is, because I wasn't familiar with it, but it would be better if the intro was included. I must sort it!



I’ll See You in my Dreams

(Vamp C and Am for intro)

I’ll [F] see you in my [Fm] dreams

[C] Hold you in my [A] dreams [A7]

[A] Someone took you out of my arms

[F] Still I’ll feel the [G7] thrill of you charms

[F] Lips that once were [Fm] mine

[C] Tender eyes that [A] shine [A7]

[C#dim] They will [A7] light my [Am] way to night [Fm]

I’ll [F] see you [Fm] in [G7] my [C] Dreams [Cmaj7]


# This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
# song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #

I'd love to see this improved, with some augmented and sustained chords - if anyone can play with it and improve it while keeping the chord fingerings in the "easy" bracket, please feel free, and let me know, with your comments! :D

Have a happy ukulele day!