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?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Jazz Chord Melody lesson

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, jazz chord melody lesson with tab by Aaron Crowell, courtesy of Andrew Kitakis of Hawaii Music Supply at theUkuleleReview.com

Important - uke tuned with a low G string.

I've always shunned Twinkle Twinkle, but this is a great jazzy arrangement, I love it. It's my sort of level, not for the absolute beginner but not beyond the reach of an "improver". There was a tab freely available for this lovely arrangement but no longer, I have just discovered.... (edit 4/Sept/13)



This is a great piece for focused practice - it's not a long piece but there are lots of specific points that you can focus on to improve your playing. I'll be writing more on the subject of practice very soon..... I'm quite fired up by some ideas...meanwhile, thanks for dropping in to share my uke time with me!

Improved Aquila Red Series strings, low G

The Aquila Red Series of strings, for example a low G for ukulele, has raised a lot of interest but as followers of Ukulele Underground Forum will know, some players have experienced problems with them, e.g. strings snapping.

Aquila responded to the feedback very quickly and worked on improving the Red Series, and there have already been favourable responses from folk on the Forum.

I haven't tried the new improved strings yet, but Andrew Kitakis of Hawaii Music Supply has just written a detailed review of the new improved strings and you can read it in full on his blog here.

Andrew also talks about fluorocarbon low Gs, and here's a reminder that Living Water Strings, a brand of excellent quality fluorocarbon strings sold by Ken Middleton, now include sets of strings with low G.

Living Water Strings - now Low G strings too! From Ken Middleton

If you like good fluorocarbon strings on your ukulele, and you use a low G string, you'll be pleased to hear Living Water Strings are now available from Ken Middleton with a low G option in concert and tenor sizes.

I am trying out the concert size and am thrilled with how it sounds and blends with the full set. Like the other Living Water Strings, there is a very pleasing crystalline ring to these strings - I will be writing in greater detail shortly - watch this space!

At Last a Great low G - What Now? Fingerstyle Ukulele Instruction Low G Tuning by Aaron Keim

Over the moon at having a good low G string on a uke at last,(new Aquila Red Series)I've found this great video tutorial on fingerstyle with a low G by Aaron Keim.

Find Aaron Keim, "The Quiet American" here. If you vaven't come across him before, do look - and his videos are superb.

In this one he teaches and then combines two fingerstyle techniques; the roll and the pinch.



Stringing the ukulele with a high G at the 4th string, known as re-entrant tuning, is the traditional way to string a uke. It's bright, it gives that traditional uke sound, and most chords and tabs are for a uke strung this way. The high G is great for bluegrass and clawhammer fingerpicking too. But for classical and jazz pieces, people often choose the low G option.

For a fantastic and popular classical piece, see John Moen's arrangement for Prelude for the First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello, posted 5th May this year, and for more on jazzy chords with a low G, see Glen Rose Jazzy Ukulele. (Post done here 31st May 2012).

New Aquila Red Series low strings - review

Presumably in response to a general lack of satisfaction with low G strings for ukulele, Aquila Corde of Italy have developed a new unwound low string, the Aquila Red Series. I couldn't wait to get my hands on one, because all efforts so far to get satisfaction from a low G have ended in disappointment.

Well, mine arrived yesterday and I've put it on my faithful old Greg Bennett UK50 laminate mahogany concert uke. I'm thrilled with it.

So - more information.

The strings are about twice as dense as Aquila's standard new nylgut, and the brick-red colour comes from a copper compound which they have impregnated into the material to alter its characteristics. I find the colour quite pleasing.

The string is very, very stretchy; it takes many more winds than usual to get it up to pitch, so the tuning peg ends up very full. It will obviously take a while to settle in, and will need tuning up for some days - for me, anyway. I haven't done any pre-stretching. It looks slightly thinner than the C string - this can be checked on Aquila's website. Once up to tension it does drop properly into the 4th string slot, and the if you buy from DrClucks Musical Emporium, they enclose a very helpful info sheet about care during installation, including a warning about taking care that the slot at the nut is rounded and smooth. The feel is good - it doesn't feel at all plasticky, but feels rather like the old real gut strings.

What I am really impressed with is the sound. No problems with intonation now, and the sound balance with the other Aquila strings on the uke is good. The loudness and level of sustain are just right. The strings all do seem to belong together.

It's great to have this string now on my "2nd" uke; it means I can now start to get to grips with the pieces that do need or sound better with a low G.

Exciting!

Congrats to Aquila and thank you!

They are not yet widely available but you can buy Aquila Red Series single unwound low G and Baritone D strings easily, either from Aquila Corde of Italy's website, or on ebay from DrCluck's Musical Emporium, US. I got mine from DrCluck's and they were delivered to the UK in five days, dropping through the letterbox with no extra charges. Great service.

POST SCRIPT .... edit April 2013

The Aquila Red Series of strings, for example a low G for ukulele, has raised a lot of interest but as followers of Ukulele Underground Forum will know, some players have experienced problems with them, e.g. strings snapping.

Aquila responded to the feedback very quickly and worked on improving the Red Series, and there have already been favourable responses from folk on the Forum.

I haven't tried the new improved strings yet, but Andrew Kitakis of Hawaii Music Supply has written a detailed review of the new improved strings and you can read it in full on his blog here.

Andrew also talks about fluorocarbon low Gs, and here's a reminder that Living Water Strings, a brand of excellent quality fluorocarbon strings sold by Ken Middleton, now include sets of strings with low G.

Coming Up - Strings and things - Living Water and Aquila Red Series low G...

This is a post in rather a bigger hurry and less detail than I would like, because I'll soon be off to a fund-raising garden party in aid of the Toby Henderson Trust, Newcastle, thence on girlie few days to sunny Devon with the ladies of the WI - ukes in the bag for a sing-song, no worries!

But my head is also full of strings at the moment; uke strings, of course.

So please forgive the lack of detail and links this time.



Ken Middleton has now produced and is selling from his website his own new brand of fluorocarbon strings, "Living Water", made in England. Yesterday I replaced the Aquilas on my Tanglewood with my set and am starting to evaluate them. Too early for a full report, but first impressions are.....nice! good look, good feel, good sound, good value! Sorry but until I've finished Ukafrolicking around the West Country, that's all you're gonna get from me on this one at the moment.

Uke Hunt is one of my fave uke blogs, and Woodshed reports today that Aquila have now produced "Red Series Unwound Low G" strings. I have to get me some of those. I have already discovered that with a low G it's not easy to get a good sound, at least not on a concert uke. The first time I tried it, that low G was off again so fast - it was a guitar G string....

My current effort, on my Greg Bennett UK 50 is a thinner string, a d'addario C string. But as soon as it's fretted, it goes sharp. Not good. So I can't wait to get my hands on a string that has been developed for the purpose and I'll be ordering one or two when I get back.

A new Ukulele Hero, with Jazzy Ukulele - Glen Rose

Busy day, quickie post - you'll see I've joined the Top 100 Ukulele Sites; did it a few days ago - have been staggered to see us climbing up to number 28 today - amazing! I think it's down to the great videos of my ukulele heroes! But going down the list of websites there, I came across Jazzy Ukulele, by Glen Rose. A new hero for me.

He's a jazz man. You know, all my life, jazz has been one of the few genres of music that I declared I didn't like - but I do love those jazz chords... the quirks inside the chord that take them out of the normal triad.... and the way a progression of jazz chords creates tension and then resolves it. Music is such a weird thing, the way it affects you...

Glen has a couple of fantastic free videos on his homepage. I watched them both and would recommend... I learned a lot. He uses a low G string - go on, read his page!