Caroline and Ray sing D-Day Dodgers at the GFS Convention, June 2014!

Since I raved about attending my first George Formby Convention in Blackpool in June 2012, it has become a four times a year pilgrimage, not to be missed if I can help it! Last weekend was one such trip, and what a weekend we had of solid music, companionship and fun! I love to take part, the demon just gets hold of me - and I had sensibly decided that this time I would not venture on stage as I hadn't anything properly prepared - the golden rule is, know it - words and music - so that you can't forget it! Well, I do know the chords to Lili Marlene really well, they are easy... so when, at short notice my very good friends Caroline and her husband Ray asked me to accompany them in a rendition of D-Day Dodgers, I was only too pleased for an excuse to get up on that stage! So here we are. Ray's very first time on stage... and Caroline's lovely voice... I first heard this song in the folk club I habitually frequented in the late 1960's, The Jug O'Punch, run by Ian Campbell in Birmingham. A fitting tribute for the D-Day commemorations. Lovely to be on stage with my friends, and not worrying about my voice!

Caroline explains the background to the song....



I should explain that the two day convention is pretty well exclusively devoted to George Formby songs on the Saturday, but Sunday has a lot of other banjo-uke and ukulele music - and the Sunday evening, when the regular band have gone home is quite informal. And that's when we did this, on Sunday evening.

Greg Simister plays the William Tell theme on banjolele.... what a treat!

The William Tell Overture has become something of must-do challenge for skilled banjo-uke players in the GFS, ever since Peter Moss first worked it out as a twelve-year-old back in the early 70's. I've seen a few performances by various players at the George Formby Society conventions in Blackpool, and I was thrilled when Peter Pollard posted this new video just a few days ago. Greg Simister was one of the very talented youngsters of the society, and over the last year has returned to the fold as a young man to the delight of all! He has a lovely easy way with a song, always a smile, and this instrumental further showcases his talents. There's a convention at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool tomorrow and Sunday... we will be braving the atrocious weather that has been forecast for the whole day to get there... I just hate to miss... and I do hope Greg will be there to wow the crowd this time!

Simply stunning - Zahra Lowzley makes her festival debut!

There are people who play the ukulele - there are quite a lot of those;

There are talented people who play the ukulele - there are quite a few of those;

There are very talented people who play the ukulele - they are even thinner on the ground;

Then there are people like Zahra Lowzley.
Please watch and listen and prepare to be amazed...



This was N'Ukefest 2014, Nantwich, England, at the weekend. I wasn't able to be there, had to be somewhere else... and I know I missed a fabulous weekend, of which this was undoubtedly the highlight... Wow and double-wow....

That may have been Zahra's first festival appearance, but I'm very sure it won't be her last!

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....

Progress at last, I'm playing Mr Sandman instrumental!

I was talking about progress a couple of weeks ago. A piece I've been working on for just about a year is Mr Sandman, the instrumental version so beautifully showcased by Ukulelezaza, Remco Hautmann-Janssen. Here is Remco's,, complete with tutorial and TAB....

It's a catchy tune, quite well-known, and part of the appeal for a uke player keen to develop instrumental skills is that the chords used are easy, basic ones in the basic position... all except for a few.... they are the ones that challenge you. I've put them in bold here..

intro
C | G7 | C | G7 |

C | B7 | E7 | A7 |
D7 | G7 | C | G#7 G7 |
C | B7 | E7 | A7 |
Dm | Fm6 | D7 G7 | C |

They are four-finger chords up the neck with the chord melody built on them, and you need to be pretty nifty on the changes. It's the final G7 (fingered 4535) that had me struggling the longest and hardest. I had to think about which fingers to use on the melody on the preceding D7 (which is 5655), and I'm using the little finger on 7th fret of the A string and leaving it there whilst moving to the other frets of the G7...453(7) then moving the little finger to the 5th fret. It's not easy to play quickly and cleanly. I tended to get lost on the fingerboard, then I'd play it on time but muted, or late but clean! But once you've got used to finding it quickly, turning the hand very slightly whilst fretting that chord helps to exert more pressure on the strings, for a clean sound. And of course, the old mantra - practice, practice, practice!

I don't usually post my own videos on here, I'm no budding star... but I am pleased that persistence with this has paid off at last, so I thought I 'd share. This isn't perfect, but it's as good as it's going to be for a while yet!

Thanks to Remco Hautmann-Jannsen (Ukulelezaza) for the tutorial and TAB... (see link above!)

Phil Doleman - Spring and Summer dates!

A few days ago I posted one of Phil Doleman's excellent videos. If you can get to one of his gigs or workshops, don't miss the chance - I saw Phil at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain in Cheltenham last year, and have my ticket for this year's festival, where I shall be highly delighted to see him him perform again... if you haven't got yours, the bad news is you're too late, it's already sold out! But the good news is, see this poster for lots of other dates and venues coming up in the UK! And he's doing a couple of them with the wonderful Manitoba Hal, Hal Brolund....

I know a lot of you see this blog on your all-singing, all-dancing smart phones - and perhaps you can't see the dates on the poster because they're too small. In any case check it out here - you may need to be a club member or to buy advance tickets. Good luck!

Thanks for dropping in - it's always nice to see you!

I sent a friend my latest uke youtube, and her response was "You're mad...."

It's a very cold, very wet, rather miserable spring day. Temperature not set to rise above 6 degrees C all day. Already, at 9.00 am I've had time and cause to ponder deeply about life thus far. I've been wide awake since 4.30 am, mind wandering all over the place. I made tea at 7.00. Husband declared he'd had a vivid dream about his brother, who died nearly thirty years ago. I'd already been planning my day, and had resolved to get out my mother's photo albums from the 1970's. Drinking my tea in bed, (bliss, that first cup of tea of the day!) I opened the first album - and the first picture was of LSH's brother. Such a coincidence... there followed pictures of my family, many of them with LSH's family, as they all shared some holidays back then. Most of the people in the photos are dead now. Pics also of us as a young family around the time our children were born in the late 70's, and when they were still very small. Such a very long time ago. So much water passed under the bridge, and our lives completely different now... careers begun, followed through and ended, parents passed, children well grown and living their own independent lives.

And me, since that Eureka Joe Brown "I'll See You In My Dreams" moment - I play the ukulele now. Nearly every day. I promised I'd talk about my progress over the last two years since I started this blog... well, for one thing, I used to be terrified of my own web-cam, but I've got used to it now - I reckon that has taken a full two years to accomplish... and now, if I want to do a youtube video to take part in the Ukulele Underground Forum "Seasons of the Ukulele" contests, I no longer feel as though the Thing is watching me.

So, this week, having finally found a space in time to take part, and a friendly theme for last week's activity, ("choose a song - or lots of songs - written or co-written by a woman") I bashed off three videos in three days - in one take, two takes and three takes respectively. Quite fun. I adore the lyrics of Dorothy Fields... she wrote "On the Sunny Side of the Street" in 1930 - a song that I also dance to twice a week at the tap class I go to - another childhood pleasure revived.... and the third song I made a video of was this very one. Feeling reasonably happy with my effort, I did a rare thing - being one of our dance tunes, I emailed the video to two of my tapping friends. One of these friends is also an ex-work colleague - knows me from a former life in the classroom .... so has a different view of me from that of newer acquaintances... is that relevant? I don't know. I only know this... when I asked her, as we put on out tap shoes "Did you get my email?" she just laughed and said "You're mad!" and that was that.

So here I am, perusing photos from the 1970's when I was young with small children and a life in front of me, and looking at myself now, in my 60's, playing my ukuleles, tap-dancing, my dear Long-Suffering-Husband still supporting me in all I do, as indeed I do him. I'm thinking of that poem that used to get passed round a lot among women of a certain age,

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in the slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

-Jenny Joseph, 1961

Marilisa Sachteleben expresses my views entirely in her words about this poem here...

In my youth I was sober and sensible, we married young and took on all the responsibilities of adulthood, mortgage, bills... brought up children on a tight budget, worked hard... and now it's purple clothes and red hat time. LSH has been scuba-diving. Me, I play uke and make cr*ppy youtubes. And if I'm mad, I don't care a kipper!

And just to prove it, here's a link to that vid.

Thanks for dropping in - and now I'm of to do something useful. Or perhaps I'll go out in the rain in my slippers and pick the flowers in next door's garden.

Here is an Aussie stunner - Azo Bell with a blistering original piece!

This one can speak for itself right now.... I heard it a few minutes ago, courtesy of another Aussie ukey friend.... thanks, Jason - it blew me away and I just had to share it with you. Not a long piece, please enjoy.....

When I've recovered from the aural freak-out, I may have more to say!

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!

This blog - 2yrs old today.

Two years ago today when I started this ukulele blog,
I wasn't at all sure, whether I would still be doing it one year hence, let alone two... but here I am, still strumming, still learning, still enthusing, still writing, still sharing my ukulele loves. I'm not exactly proud, but I am pleased. And you're reading this, so whoever you are, thank you for sharing with me right now!

When I began, I had just the two ukes in my cover photo - a Greg Bennett laminate mahogany (UK50) bought for me by my husband , and a newly bought little darling of a near-mint 1920's Slingerland banjo-uke in bird's eye maple. This time last year that had swelled to four wooden ukes, (two concert and two soprano) and three vintage banjo-ukes.

The toll now? Total of ten. The same three banjo-ukes, and seven wooden. People who are not uke people don't understand, they don't get it ... but uke people do, and guitar people do. Different instruments for different music. And the love of a beautifully-crafted, beautiful sounding one. During the last seven days, I have played all ten - I played four yesterday. You see, they don't just sit there.

There's a new tab at the top, labeled "My Ukes"

As for my playing, yes I know I'm getting better, little by little; I have to keep stretching myself, trying harder things, I get bored strumming three and four chord songs all the time. At last I don't feel that I'm a beginner any more, but there's still such a long, long way to go before I could consider myself "good at it". I promised you a video to show you how I'm getting on, but I just haven't had time for that yet. Perhaps next week, after the George Formby Society convention in Blackpool this weekend. There's nothing like the sound of strumming getting closer and closer as you walk down that corridor at the Imperial Hotel, and walk through the door into that wonderful atmosphere! So many friends have been made there since our first visit in June 2012. Lovely people, great fun. Roll on Saturday....

Thanks for looking in, bless you - now I must get back to my split-stroke, down-up-down down-up-down-down-up.....

George Elmes - A Sweet Melody on Kiwaya KTS-7

You know, I post videos when I just can't resist them. So as far as I'm concerned, they are the Best, with a capital B. George Elmes is so very talented, I love everything he does, and could happily post every single one of his videos on this blog because they are all of the Best, without exception.

I've listened to this lovely original piece three times now and to me it's just full of sunshine, like a lovely spring day hereabouts, glittering light, easy warmth and full of promise... that's special to these islands, unlike anywhere else in the world. And this music speaks of this to me.

George is playing his lovely Kiwaya KTS-7, a top grade solid mahogany soprano uke crafted in Japan. I have a KTS-4, and I love it.

Caroline Stewart sings "Baby"

Here is my great friend and ukulele kindred spirit Caroline (Robson) Stewart at Castleford GFS performing that rare kind of George Formby song, a romantic ballad - "Baby", recorded 1933, and from the film "Boots, Boots"

Doesn't she do that beautifully? I'm so jealous! What a lovely voice! I do believe she's playing her Gibson solid mahogany soprano uke here. Thanks to Peter Pollard for the video. Lovely ....

The 2014 March Convention of the George Formby Society approaches - and I'm still flitting...

Just quickly - In a day or two, this blog will be celebrating its 2nd birthday, and I'm hoping on that day to give you a roundup of my ukulele journey so far. I'll do my best, the intention is there - but as my mother always used to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions!" Meanwhile, let me report on last week's ukafrolics, as promised.

Peter Moss's ukulele workshop and concert for we members of "Go Ukulele Crazy" in Alrewas (Staffordshire, England) did not disappoint. We explored all sorts of jazzy intros and endings to songs, in different keys, and everyone got something out of it, even the real beginners who just knew a chord or two. Peter's warm and easy style made the atmosphere just perfect. And as for his performance for us afterwards - spellbinding. LSH had to agree. What a player! See him perform his signature piece "William Tell" here... Of Peter, Steven Sproat (great player) commented here "he's the only uke player who makes my jaw drop.." Praise indeed!

On Saturday we trundled off to Dudley to see Andy Eastwood open the second half for Ken Dodd, of Knotty Ash Jam Butty Mines fame.... stupendous. Andy performs with such energy and versatility - banjo-uke, ukulele, violin... a real professional. You need plenty of stamina to perform with Doddy - he's famed for not closing a show until 1.00 am....

My personal ukafrolics over the last week or two have involved lots of Formby-style banjo-uke practice, as next weekend it's Blackpool - the March GFS convention. I hate to admit that my good intentions apropos of the "thrash" for that have gone astray once again - at every convention I promise myself that I'll learn more songs ready for the thrash, (where everyone just gets up and joins in the playing) - and I always disappoint myself, I always fall short, through not putting enough time in on them. I then have to position myself where I can watch a good player's fretting hand, to follow the chords... good fun though! For my sins, instead of concentrating on Formby, in my playing I flit from piece to piece, from Formby to jazz, from Tin Pan Alley to pop, from folk to blues, from songs to instrumentals and back again, round and round, round and round... and just make slow progress, albeit across a pretty wide field.

But I am making progress, I know I am... and you know, I'm having so much fun....

Ukafrolics galore as winter turns to spring!

The last day of winter, spring is at last on the doorstep and the garden is white, yellow and purple with all the crocuses I planted last autumn. We are so lucky here. We live on a hill, so we don't get flooded, but driving across the city yesterday, a sudden hailstorm soon had the streets covered in surface water as the drainage system, already overloaded from the wettest British winter on record, struggled to cope and the drains overflowed across the roads. But walking a little later, I actually felt warm sun on the back of my head. Glory, glory. Spring fills me with joy, and a great ukafrolic weekend for me to look forward to!

Tonight, a local concert and uke workshop by Peter Moss, (see previous posts on here); then tomorrow,Andy Eastwood appears in Dudley with one of the greatest comedians Britain has ever produced, Ken Dodd. How fabulous is that! I will report, have no fear!

If you are in the UK and nearer to Greater London this weekend, there's the "Ukes for Unicef" Festival in Berkhamstead, between Aylesbury and High Wycombe. You'll find Ken Middleton and Sam Brown (Joe Brown's daughter) there as well as a host of other fantastic acts! Entry by donation, suggested donation per adult, £5. Shame I'll miss that one...

In any time I have left this weekend, I'll be polishing up 12th Street Rag as in Marcy Marxer's tuition video, - love that number - and polishing up my Formby - after all, the convention is only two weeks away! Another ukafrolic...

Joe Brown talks about playing ukulele. Lovely stuff....

I came across this video the other day and decided it was a "must share"... after all, like so many other ukulele players, it was Joe Brown's rendition of "I'll See You In My Dreams" at the concert for George (Harrison) that knocked me for six and began my love affair with the ukulele.

A lot of interesting points here... the first thing that grabbed me was the chord progression in EXAMPLE 1.... I'll figure the whole thing out if it's the last thing I do - and when I have, I'll share it with you!

Also - interesting to note that Joe talks about buying a banjo-uke for the president of the George Formby Society in 1964 - I must check up who that was!

And - the "scissor-movement" Joe talks about at the end of the clip is what Formby players call a "triple"... not difficult with a little practice - but it has other names - a thumb-roll for example.

Check the tag cloud at the bottom for my earlier "Joe Brown" posts ... and thanks so much for dropping in! Nice to see you - and watch this space!

Peter Moss plays two of my all-time favourite songs at the George Formby Convention, Nov 2013

This was so special. These two songs, played so beautifully here by Peter Moss, are among my top few all-time favourites. Til There Was You, and The Way You Look Tonight. I play them a lot, strumming versions, no melody-picking but beautiful chords - songs crafted by real song-masters.

Now, I've featured Peter on "Life's A Ukafrolic" several times before, but I didn't meet him until November, when at last he came to a convention of the George Formby Society and wowed everyone with this beautiful rendition. Isn't it gorgeous? Songs and playing that just melt your limbs. And the reason this is so special to me is because we'd been chatting during a break as he gently played through these songs, and I mentioned that they were my favourites - I didn't know he was actually going to play them on stage - well, when he did - and it's just before this video clip starts - he mentioned my name and sort-of dedicated them to me..... you can imagine how I felt! Such a lovely thing to do, and such a very nice fella... and of course, he was playing his lovely custom-built Pete Howlett tenor, which I've talked about on here before.

Now LSH, (Long-Suffering-Husband), had gone for a pint and a little walkabout round Blackpool, in spite of the cold and drear... so he missed my moment of.... I can't quite find the word! Perhaps its specialness.... that's what happens when you leave the room....

Thanks, as ever, to Peter Pollard for the video....

Next convention - less than two weeks away, 15th-16th March, Imperial Hotel, North Promenade, Blackpool.

This weekend will see Peter Moss doing a ukulele workshop for Go Ukulele Crazy near Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Play 12th Street Rag on banjo-uke with Marcy Marxer - tuition video

12th Street Rag was written in 1914 - yes, 100 years ago - by Euday L Bowman, and was one of the most popular and best-selling rags of the ragtime era.

I've seen a lot of videos and versions of 12th Street Rag for ukulele, but I do like this one, a chord melody version which looks achievable for the likes of me - i.e not TOO hard! Marcy shows us the basics and then shows some fancier moves and chords which you can put in just to put the icing on the cake. Great to see a good tuition video for this great and enduring number, and using a banjo-uke too!

Do take a look at this video .... First Marcy talks about meeting the great Roy Smeck, who famously played a blistering ukulele version of this catchy tune. Then she plays it with Cathy Fink and James Hill! A few years back, now... 2008.

Right - I'm off to have another go at this! Catch you again soon!

Update, next day....

Having a go at this again I realised that I needed extra help after the first three lines of music, and searched on Google again. I came across this website. Chicks With Picks Melbourne, with the same Marcy Marxer video..... and a link to a tab. Now, I clicked on the tab and could print it, and all became clear - but as it isn't my tab to share, I'll just direct you to the page and you can go to it yourself. It does help with the middle and the end hugely!

Good luck! Getting on like a bomb with it now.....

Lonesome Moonlight Waltz - Ukulelezaza plays by ear so well.....

In my last post I shared with you my little triumph and milestone on my ukulele path in figuring out the song "Sway" by ear... and here is another of my very favourite players, Ukulelezaza, Remco Hautmann-Jannsen, with his new video Lonesome Moonlight Waltz... which he also figured out by ear!

This is what he has to say about it..

"I first heard this Bill Monroe instrumental at a late night jam at Haapavesi Folk in Finland and was immediately hooked. As soon as I was back home I figured it out. Here I'm playing my wonderful new Historia soprano ukulele in dreadnought "Ditson" style, made by Valerio Pennisi from Italy."

It just goes to show what you can do when you really know your way around a uke fretboard, which chords belong in which key, and what different sorts of chords sound like.

Jim D'Ville is a great exponent of the value of playing by ear. His website is well worth exploring thoroughly, and he does some great tuition DVDs for sale and download - I can recommend because I bought one!

Playing ukulele by ear is a skill I'm determined to develop... visit Jim's page if you want to find out more about learning this so useful skill!

And thanks once again, for dropping in - much appreciated!

Get that Latin Mambo vibe and "Sway" with me....

I've always enjoyed Latin-American music but really fell in love with it during a visit to Cuba last year. Away on holiday again a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to play the 1953 Dean Martin hit "Sway", but being away from the internet just had to fall back on trying to work it out by ear.

Sway

(Em) When marimba rhythms (Am) start to play
Dance with me, (Em) make me sway
Like a lazy ocean (B7) hugs the shore
Hold me close, (Em) sway me more

(Em)Like a flower bending (Am) in the breeze
Bend with me, (Em)sway with ease
When we dance you have a (B7) way with me
Stay with me, (Em)sway with me

BRIDGE
(Em)Other dancers may (B7) be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will (G)see only you
Only you have that (B7) magic technique
When we sway I go (Em) weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now

BRIDGE
Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have that magic technique
When we sway I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now


Of course, these are the most basic chords that will work, and if you search for the chords on the internet you'll find a version with more spice and pezazz. Curt Sheller has one... but for me. working it out by ear for myself was a challenge I enjoyed - and with these chords and this song, it isn't too difficult to find the melody notes and fret them in with the little finger, or pinky. The melody starts on the note B, 2nd fret, 4th (A) string. Try picking it out on its own, first, then have a go at incorporating it with the chords! My effort is simply too rough to share - just yet!

Trying to work out songs and melodies for yourself is a really good way to progress on any instrument. See what you think about this - and thanks for dropping in!


("Sway" is a mambo - the dance originating in Cuba. Read more about the song on Wikipedia here....)

I packed my Little Blue Uke again - and discovered the progress I've made...

Any faithful followers among you must have wondering where I'd got to these last couple of months... if you missed me, I'm sorry - but sort of glad as well, if you know what I mean! You are reading this, so whoever you are, welcome back - and thanks.

In truth, there is so much that I have to share with you that I don't know where to start, but the problem has been simply one of a lack of time. Since I posted in early November the demands on my time just seemed to pile up - but I have no intention of boring you with the details, have no fear.

So - the things I should have been writing about? Well, I wanted to tell you about the thrill that was having a song played just for me by one of my favourite players at the George Formby Convention in Blackpool in November.

I wanted to tell you about the new electro-acoustic uke I finally bought for myself, and the gorgeous solid koa tenor that my lovely LSH (Long-Suffering Husband) bought me for Christmas.

I wanted to tell you about the blogger and player whose book and DVD I have bought, and whose blog postings are always hugely informative and entertaining. Who is it? You'll have to wait just a little while, sorry....

And I wanted to tell you about my own progress with my ukulele-playing journey. Because I am making progress, I know that, and sharing that with you is really the number one reason for writing this blog in the first place.

So, what progress, then? Well... having escaped the rigours of an English winter for a couple of weeks, Little Blue Mahalo tucked firmly in my case, I had to fall back on playing by ear when wanting to try out a song. I had packed a little sheaf of song sheets, but of course, I couldn't take everything. I have reams of song sheets here at home... and the song I wanted to play was "Sway".

Songs with a Latin rhythm seem to be particularly tricky.... but I managed to find suitable chords. Hurrah. HOWEVER - the big triumph was - I managed to work it out as a chord melody, Woohoo! Now, if I could do it well enough, I would do you a Youtube, but it's not there yet, not fluent enough, but you know, the sense of achievement in managing to do this was such a blast.....

I'll share the chords next time, see what you think.

And where did we go? Egypt. By the Red Sea. Camels, star-gazing in the desert... fabulous. But I tell you, riding this camel gave a whole new meaning to the word "Sway"... I really would not want to cross a desert on one!

See you next time..... thanks for dropping in!

George Elmes plays Happy Feet

George Elmes from Ireland is such a very, very talented player; I love everything he does. Wooden uke or banjo-uke, his playing is up there among the very best. Precise, "clean" playing that is simply not easy..... here he is playing a hand-built banjo-uke by Phil Cartwright.

This song Happy Feet was written by Cab Calloway in 1930 and is perhaps best known for the dance routine by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I think George Elmes has Happy Fingers.... I wish mine were that happy!

The N'Ukes at Halesowen- Lean on Me

Here, as promised, is a video of the N'Ukes with Barry Maz of Got a Ukulele blog, Corinne Finnan and the rest of the gang rocking it towards the end of their gig at Halesowen. What a superb show - and you can see for yourself how well it was received. If anyone is any doubt whether a bunch of ukuleles can rock it out as well as guitars,well.... think again!

And read more about them here!

Thoughts for the day - counting my blessings, and the gremlins in the fingers.....

The November miseries have left me as Christmas approaches and my mind turns to Christmas shopping and festivities. I do hate November - just one of those things - but now that the wind has left the trees outside our bedroom stripped of leaves, one of the joys of winter has returned - watching the birds from my bed as I snuggle down for an extra ten minutes under the duvet. This morning the sun has got his hat on, and sky makes a blue backdrop behind the branches of the horse chestnut in the front garden, and the huge ancient oak across the road. And as LSH read out snippets from the weekend newspaper, I watched a flock of redwings fluttering about, pale fronts and tomato-red side flashes lit up in the sunlight not four yards away from me, and in the oak across the way I could plainly see a great spotted woodpecker scurrying up the side of a large branch. It never fails to cheer. What a privilege. I think of the friends and relations who are battling with life-changing and life-threatening illness, and know that I am so lucky to be well, and able to do the things I do. And what a waste it is if I don't get on with it.

So I thought of today's list of activities and chores - among them, deciding whether or not to go for a performance of Mr Sandman at a mid-week Christmas "do" ... it's the version that I featured on here on 13th February by ukulelezaza, Remco Houtman-Janssen, and I started having a go at it in April. From the start, it's been the tricky, quick chord changes up the neck that have derailed me; first as I fiddled about to find the right frets, then to switch them round quickly enough, and last but not least, to play them cleanly. Not easy. Now, after months of practice, once I'm warmed-up and relaxed, I can do it. Just about. But in front of an audience, even a friendly, home-grown one? Nerves have always been my worst enemy when it comes to playing instruments. Gremlins get hold of my fingers, I swear they do.

But maybe, just maybe - this weekend sometime, I'll do a video of my effort with Mr Sandman, and post it for you on here, just to show you how I'm getting on. And I promise I'll tell you truthfully how many takes it took! Yeah - why not.

The N'Ukes rock up a storm in Halesowen! What a great band!

A Ukafrolic in Halesowen last night, just down the M5 motorway, not too far away from me... playing, Barry Maz of Got A Ukulele blog and his N'Ukes.

I decided to go. At the last minute, LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) decided to join me... I was confident the band would be okay, I was confident it would be an enjoyable night out... they weren't just okay - they were absolutely fantastic! What a rockin' band....

Where shall I start... the whole band was slick and tight, their presentation completely professional and the pace never slackened; every number was well-rehearsed, from the first with "Bad Moon Risin'" to the last with "Should I Stay or Should I Go". The overall sound was good on the ears and well-balanced - I honestly cannot find a single word of criticism!

The band comprises several ukes, with bass guitarist and drummer. And they were wonderful, the lot of 'em.

Most lead vocals are carried by Barry - most ably. Nice voice... but I have to say, the performance that really stood out was that of Corinne ("Blues Queen") Finnan, on lead uke and vocals. What a voice, great instrumental leads - she should be a star, she really should. For once, LSH and I were in complete agreement about that. Something that doesn't happen THAT often!

Read more about Corinne here. Interestingly, she tells how she and Barry Maz fell in love with the ukulele after the George Harrison Memorial Concert - just like me!

If you get the chance to see this band, don't miss it, you'll be in for a real treat!

Coming up - a Youytube video of the N'Ukes. Gotta choose my favourite one first! :D

Wondering what happened to Caroline?

Caroline Robson's banjo-uke solo from "Leaning on a Lamppost" is always a popular post on here. If you are one who has enjoyed it, you may be wondering what Caroline has been up to lately. Well. For a start, she got married is now Caroline Stewart. And her singing and playing goes from strength to strength.

She still plays banjo-uke of course, and in September she was elected assistant treasurer for the George Formby Society... but back in July when the society had a one-day convention at the old Winter Gardens theatre on Morecambe, free to society members and the public alike, Caroline went on stage and did THIS.... What a fabulous performance.... I think it suits her and her voice particularly well, don't you? If you're wondering about the uke, it's my Kiwaya KTS-4 soprano. I think that came over rather nicely too!

Thanks for dropping in.... I'll be back soon with more news....

The electro-acoustic itch .... what happened?

Yes dear readers, on 4th August I told you all about my itch for an electro-acoustic uke, and what happened.... what happened was a surprise gift, a disappointment, followed by a delightful find and another disappointment - and no uke at the end of it. Since then, I found and ordered another electro-acoustic that caught my eye, another Clearwater, different, this one - but I failed to make friends with it and it had to go. I find I'm pretty picky, when it comes to ukuleles. But I sold it to someone who loved it at first sight and sound - wonderful. It's gone to a good home.... but the itch was still there....

So, the news is that I have today taken delivery of a new addition to the family; it ticks all the boxes at a very good price and hallelujah, I love it. Thank goodness for that! You want to know what it is, don't you? Well when I've a few minutes to take a photo or two, I'll show you.

I promise...

Very soon!

Catalina and Francesca Davies steal all the hearts .....

I love the George Formby Society conventions. There is an incredible warmth about them and the people who attend them. LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) and I have been to six now, over a year and a half; seven if you count the one-day one in Morecambe.... but it's always the same; warmth, smiles and friendliness at every turn. It's hardly surprising when you see that it really is like one enormous family.... performers and audience are of all ages, from 6 to 86!

Francesca Davies has great banjo-uke skills and has been a popular young performer at the GFS for a long time now. As well as being a huge Formby fan, she's a fan of the 1960's and has played with Ken Dodd, Ricky Tomlinson, the Houghton Weavers, Joe Brown, Gerry and the Pacemakers and many other Merseybeat Bands. Not bad for one so young!

So at the November convention at the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool, it was lovely to see her playing her wooden uke and singing a duet with her younger sister Catalina.

They were absolutely delightful, and they brought the house down. So much so, that they were brought back on later in the day to do it again for those who missed it the first time!

'Nuff said..... see for yourself!

(Video courtesy of Peter Pollard, who does a sterling job, catching all the highlights!)

Strum along with Ken Middleton in the Smoky Mountains!

I caught up with Ken Middleton again at the weekend, at the November convention of the George Formby Society in Blackpool. What a great weekend that was! (More about that very soon, I promise...) Once again Ken wowed the Sunday afternoon audience with his playing; first the Tennessee Waltz, then George Elmes joined him on stage to play the old bluegrass tune "Snowdrop". That's built around a repeated chord progression, so it's fun to join in for a strum.

Improvisation is what Ken is doing in this video, recorded during his recent travels to festivals in the USA. And it's something of a speciality of Ken's. I think it's time we heard Ken play in a festival in the UK.....

To improvise, (also called extemporisation), means "to play or sing (music) extemporaneously, especially by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies in accordance with a set progression of chords". The point is, it's "as you go along", with no previous planning. Clever stuff, eh? I've always been scared stiff of it..... deep water, as far as I'm concerned. But Ken is pretty good, don't you think?

The set progression of chords in this improvisation is G Dm F C. Playing this progression, I feel that it has a really haunting quality. That's strange, because it's in the key of C major, and major keys are bright keys, whereas minor keys have a sad or melancholy sense around them.... certainly the Dm chord adds that feeling in this progression. It's so effective here because of the beautiful autumnal Smoky mountain setting. Autumn seems to embody a sense of melancholy, with the retreating sun and the retreating green from the leaves, but the beauty is there in the reds and golds.... and the melancholy and the beauty are all here in this improvisation.

So if you've got your uke to hand (haven't you always?) strum along with it, it's fun! That's how I started my day today. I subscribe to Ken's youtube channel (good idea) so this lovely piece dropped into my email inbox this morning. And as Ken has kindly told us the chord progression he's using, I picked up my Tanglewood uke from its place right next to my computer and joined in along with Ken's friend Pete.

Lovely.

Good morning World.....

Oh - and actually, is this piece modal? Comments please!

Ken Middleton plays banjo uke in Tennessee, The Tennessee Waltz! Beautiful.......

Finding time to blog just seems to get harder and harder at the moment, it's not for want of trying - even finding time to play is hopeless just now - but I had to share this with you. My friend Ken Middleton (I know I can call him my friend!) is not known for his love of the banjolele, to say the very least, but he now has a lovely custom-made Beansprout banjo uke by Mya-Moe, and his rendition of The Tennesee Waltz, played here in Memphis with the insects singing a backing track behind him, is a winner. It has set my day up just fine, just fine.....

Thanks Ken!

Manitoba Hal Brolund in Alrewas, UK

"Manitoba Hal" Brolund had just done a weekend, top of the bill of all the artistes at the Great Northern Ukulele Festival in Pontefract, Yorkshire - and then, Lordy Lordy, he came down to Alrewas for our uke group Go Ukulele Crazy and gave us a workshop and the most fabulous concert of blues. It was magnificent. A grand Ukafrolic!

First the workshop - how to play 12 bar blues backing on ukulele, with a Robert Johnson turnaround.

Yummy pork rolls and cake, then the concert.

A whole concert, just Hal, with his dual-neck RadioSonic ukulele.

We were privileged to have Hal, one of Western Canada’s top acoustic blues players, sing and play his heart out for us that night... and believe me, Hal's singing is every bit as good as his playing - what a performer! First up was a real favourite, "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me"... then a whole raft of songs from his various albums....

Among them We had .44, Atlanta Moan, Gopherville, High Fever Blues, All Around The World, I Hear Music, The Thrill is Gone, and we all joined in playing 12 bar blues with Sweet Home Chicago.

Accomplished player, lovely singer, great stage presence and rapport with the audience - Hal left Alrewas with lots of new fans that night - and lots of new fans of the blues, too...

Thanks to Joanna Stevenson of Go Ukulele Crazy (above with Hal) for organising! Fabulous!

And thanks for dropping in!

Time, time, time.... and coming up - Manitoba Hal!

I know. I've been neglecting you. It's lame, but - just not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. It is my oft-repeated mantra that since I retired five years ago or thereabouts, I have never been bored, and that's true; I don't "do" bored; what with the things I want to do, the things I need to do and the things I ought to do, to say nothing of the things I'd love to do but have no hope of doing, I don't have time to be bored. I simply can't find time for all those things, not all of them. And I do count my blessings daily that I'm able-bodied and able-minded enough to actually do them. One of the things I love to do is to write my blog, sharing my ukulele journey and my ukulele likes with anyone who stumbles across it or even follows it on purpose! (Whoever you are, thank you!) But - the blog has suffered.

You see, I've been a busy bunny, visiting places, visiting people, strumming a bit of uke, the usual housework... and I just don't know where the time goes. I just know it goes. It flies away particularly rapidly during the summer months, and we have been out and about a lot this summer, including trips I've already told you about... there was Morecambe with the George Formby Society at the Morecambe Winter Gardens at the end of July, and before that a huge highlight was the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain in Cheltenham in June.... something I planned to write far about than I did...

Well, the last week has see no less than two great Ukafrolics! I'll tell you about the second one first... it's all about Manitoba Hal Brolund.... and it's coming up next......

As Autumn Leaves start to fall, Peter Moss catches the Girl from Ipanema! Medley

Peter Moss really is a great player. I told you back in May how he has returned to his first love, the wooden uke... and all about his lovely new Pete Howlett custom tenor. His new medley of great old songs, Autumn Leaves and Girl from Ipanema really does hit the spot.... it's all there..... and watch for the interesting chord progression to link the two songs!



I love the change of tempo in Autumn Leaves, and with those jazz chords and Latin rhythms it really lifts the mood. As a result of watching this, I've been playing Autumn Leaves all evening! Fantastic song - but I haven't been playing this version of course! A rather simpler one....

Written in 1947, music by Joseph Kosma, words by Jacques Prevert....

Thanks for dropping in, folks - I'll be back....

An easy introduction to jazz chords!

At last I am starting to get my head round jazz chords. If you haven't come across jazz chords yet, try this for starters!

Play the simple chord progression C, Am, Dm, G7 a few times. Now we'll change them to jazz chords..

C Am Dm G7 becomes CM7 (also notated CMaj7) Am7 Dm7 G7

C becaomes CM7. For CM7, simply move from the C chord down to the 2nd fret. That's CM7, or C Major 7.

Am becomes Am7. For Am7, simply play all open strings.

Dm becomes Dm7. For Dm7, finger Dm but add the C with the little finger (pinky) as if playing a C chord. That's Dm7.

Then play G7 as normal.

In their simplest form, jazz chords are major 7ths and minor 7ths. And as you've just discovered, a major 7th is not the same as the usual 7th chords that we learn as part of the basic chord library. Those are actually dominant 7ths!

There are lots more jazz chords... but this'll do for an introduction!

Chords up the neck - help at hand - from Aaron Keim!

It's so often said that one of the reasons the ukulele has become so popular in recent years is that it's so easy to learn to play. And that's true.... at least, it's easy to learn some basic chords and get strumming quickly. But if you want to play more challenging music that demands a little more skill, you need to establish just what those skills are and start getting them under your belt.

One of the skills necessary to start learning chord melodies, for example, is knowing alternative fingerings up the neck for those basic chords. I've been well aware of this fact for ages, but the truth is that when faced with pages of alternative fingerings for lots of chords, it's easy to lose your way among them, and end up learning nothing at all. BUT - I have discovered a great web page, while browsing the new(ish) website of one of the best American players around, Aaron Keim, "The Quiet American". I featured Aaron a couple of times in July of 2012 - you can find the posts if you look across to the blog archive on the right there......

You can browse Aaron Keim's website and watch his youtube videos at leisure, but what I want to share with you today is the fact that on his website, Aaron has a kindly put up a download page with links to tabs AND..... chords up the neck.

The difference between Aaron's page and others I've seen is that on his page, Aaron limits the chords up the neck to just a handful of the most basic ones, e.g. C, C7, F, F7, G and G7. Just enough to have them printed off in front of you and sit and learn them. Learning a load of alternative chord fingerings up the neck of the uke is rather like eating an elephant - but how to eat an elephant? Easy - on bite at a time! Which is exactly what Aaron Keim gives us here!

There's also a link to a page of "magic moveable shapes" - check it out! And you know, it's great to be given all this help and information completely free - but Aaron does invite us to drop him a donation if the free tabs and worksheets are useful. Fair do's, I reckon ... and actually, you'll find that you can buy Aaron's ukulele songbooks from his website, too.

Lovely stuff... thanks Aaron...

And thanks to you for dropping in!

Guaranteed to cheer a blue day, and raise a big smile! John Bianchi's a Bad, Bad Man....

You know, I feature John Bianchi a lot on my blog, simply because he is just an ace performer - and although I posted one of his videos only very recently, I make no apologies for posting this one today. I was having a very blue day the other day, and watched this - and was soon beaming from ear to ear. And I just had to watch it again, for another dose of the smile medicine! It's such a fun song....

John writes - "Here's a tune also commonly known as "I'm a Bad, Bad Man". Played by Cliff Edwards in the 1942 Tim Holt western "Bandit Ranger", the tune was written by cowboy guitarist Ray Whitely and Fred Rose. This was recorded this morning during alternate side of the street parking - where we were forced to move the car thanks to yet another movie shoot, this time for Law & Order SVU. If the Mayor's Office of Film and Television reads this: please make these and others shoot in another neighborhood for a change. Three film shoots in one week is TOO DAMN MANY!"

I think that's a vintage Martin soprano he's strumming so well there......

Ever heard a Uke In Bloom? Listen to this by George Elmes

George Elmes is such a talented young man.... I've featured his videos on here before.... (see the label cloud at the bottom)..... and like Peter Moss, he's going to be a guest artist at the uke festival in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin in a couple of weeks.... it's the Ukulelehooley....

In this piece, George's aNueNue soprano uke does just seem to burst into a thousand blooms - what a great title for this lovely piece! He's done the tab for it, too......

Nice one, George! Really nice.....

Update - you can download the tab for "Uke in Bloom" from George's web page here.....

Peter Moss ukulele solo - medley on Pete Howlett tenor

I've posted before about Peter Moss and his return to the wooden uke, and about the beautiful custom tenor uke that Pete Howlett built for him - well, here it is, played to perfection.... tuned to Bb.

Peter writes "I've had fun with this Pete Howlett Tenor Ukulele in the last 2 months or so. One night I dropped on "Feelings" and on consecutive nights, the other classic tunes fell into place. I hope who ever listens to this recognizes what a wonderful instrument this is and for me, an absolute joy to play. Thank you Mr H."

How can we not, Peter; how can we not - simply sublime.

So - about that ukulele itch for an electro-acoustic.... what happened next?

Yes, I was telling the tale of my latest ukulele itch the other day. The post was 22nd July if you want to look it up.... but the itch was for an electro-acoustic... and as I was feeling really low one morning, (not about ukes....!) LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) had gone out early and bought me one as a surprise, to cheer me up. And it did. I burst into tears.

Later that day, when we'd arrived at our away-break in another town, I'd seen a very interesting little uke in a shop window.

So, to continue the tale.... it was evening, we'd been walking; the shop was closed, barred and dark, but I could see this pale little soprano uke hanging on the wall, tantalisingly close to the window - the only ukulele among racks and racks of vintage guitars. It looked like spruce, and I could see the hole for an electric lead.... "We'll pop in there in the morning, and you can have a look!" he murmured... we did.

I asked to see the uke.

Nice, I mean really nice-looking - spruce top, maple back and sides, gloss finish, binding, friction tuners - oh yes, I liked it... and it was electric. Passive pick-up... on the headstock, "Clearwater". Here they are on Amazon... purrty, ain't they!

Well - a used uke - at a fair price. Rather less money than LSH had paid for a brand new Lani electro-acoustic. I did like it, dear readers, I really did - especially when I plugged it in to an amp. And I liked the sound... but of course, I'd only been given a brand new electro-acoustic concert by my darling husband the day before. And you know, like most partners who don't play, he doesn't really "get it", the idea of owning more than one uke - and with the one he's just bought me, I'd got five wooden ukes. So I put it down and bought a little second-hand practice 5 watt amp, and a lead so that I could plug my own new uke in when I got home.

We left the shop with the amplifier and lead, and had a lovely day - went to the sea at Skegness, drove up the coast - sunny skies, pretty Lincolnshire scenery; lovely, lovely day. We even lay on the beach for a while... and the next afternoon we went home.

The day after that, I'm noodling around on my new uke for the first time... and noticed a fault on the top, near the edge... two shiny marks the size of a large coin on the matt spruce surface. The marks would not come off. Not impressed. Glue? Probably. But perhaps it would come off with a bit of appropriate attention, I thought. Next thing, checking the tuning carefully - usual drill; tune with the tuner, then check the G, C and E strings against the A by fretting at the second , ninth and fifth frets... uh-uh, something wrong - teh G string particularly was very sharp at the second fret. I checked the intonation, all up the neck, with the tuner, comparing the accuracy against my other ukes. It was unacceptably out. That's poor for a mid-range brand new uke. I knew I'd never be happy with it, never want to play it... and my heart sank. It was such a lovely, thoughtful gift from my husband, who just wanted to see me happy. I had to tell him that it would have to go back to the shop...

And back it went, full refund given. Back at home, Long-Suffering-Husband suggested that I give Old Hat Guitars a call, and buy the Clearwater. I got straight on to them... and waited for an hour, heart in mouth, for the chap to call me back, as he couldn't find it.... and guess what? You've got it - it had been sold the day before. Just my luck - I was gutted. Really gutted.

So there it rests, I now have an amp and a lead, but no electric uke! I had one as a gift from my husband, which turned out to be faulty, and another nice one has simply slipped through my fingers.

Perhaps I won't get one now. It's all gone a bit sour, and the itch has gone away.

If it doesn't come back, the amp will go.

And that red lead - I didn't know it was red until I opened the package. It was that sort of day.... red lead - yuk.

Shame. (Sigh)

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

Looking for a uke-fest to go to? How about this one - Ukulele Hooley in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin....

The Emerald Isle is calling to me... Yes, if you can get to Dun Laoghaire, just a few miles south of Dublin, this uke festival, Ukulele Hooley looks like another corker, not to be missed... 24th and 25th August... except that I have to miss it! I wish I could go! I've just looked at the line-up of artists... Peter Moss and George Elmes I have featured on here before - just go to the tag cloud at the bottom. Ukulele Uff and Lonesome Dave are also fantastic - saw them in Cheltenham. Janet Klein and Ian Whitcomb (read about him and his book here) are familiar names to me, and I know that Ken Middleton will be there also with Ohana Ukuleles. Lots of other promising-looking acts too, (sigh....)

Ah me.

Can't go.

Shucks....

George Formby Society - a major Ukafrolic at Morecambe Winter Gardens! July 2013

"George Formby Society Convention

Saturday 27th July – all day event

Following the success of last year’s convention, Formby followers are back in full force for their latest fan convention at the Morecambe Winter Gardens! George Formby, one of Britain’s biggest stars of the 1930s and 1940s, famously performed at the Winter Gardens theatre, switched on the Morecambe Illuminations in 1950 and even judged the Miss Great Britain beauty contest at the Morecambe Super Swimming Stadium!"

So reads the Events page on the Morecambe Winter Gardens website. Such a beautiful old theatre, closed to the public since 1977, hugely in need of restoration... it had been arranged that the society would hold a one-day convention there, free to all, just for the fun of using a lovely old theatre that George had played in, of standing on the same stage, on the spot that he had stood on... we, the Formby faithful are used to going to conventions in Blackpool up to four times a year, and we wondered how well this one-off jaunt rather further up the coast would be supported, but no worries, there was a good crowd, and quite a few folk came in off the street as well, to see what it was all about.

Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. It had three piers, several large theatres, and was once very popular... but I remembered it from the 80's, when we vowed we'd never return - an English seaside town that the world seemed to have turned its back on, sad and shabby in the extreme... (the piers all went ages ago.) So we had no high hopes of Morecambe itself when we set off to fight our way up the M6 motorway, notoriously busy on Fridays.

But we needn't have worried, the place looks so different now! We found the promenade a pretty and fun place to be, with new gardens, an iconic statue of Morecambe's most famous son Eric Morecambe, of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, and at the end, the fabulous art deco Midland Hotel, restored to glory in recent years. And the weather, too, was glorious - the sea was in, and people were bathing and swimming in it! Glory be indeed...

The first thing we had done after checking in at our hotel on Friday was to find the Winter Gardens, just yards up the street on the promenade.

Some key GFS members were already there, checking the place out and preparing for Saturday.

MY brain reeled as I took in first impressions looking around this large, once beautiful old theatre. The walls are stripped back to bare brick, the floor is bare, there are free-standing chairs in the stalls, where once there would have been fixed plush seating - and not all of them had been put out yet. At the same time, the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling and all around the circle appears virtually intact though sorely in need of new paint, and the imagination leaps to how it must have been back in the day; sumptuous, a veritable wonder-palace of entertainment. You think, all at once, how sad, but how wonderful that major efforts are being made to gradually bring it back to its former glory.

To see it, Look here for a smashing little video showing the interior, and all about the restoration work. I fell in love with the place immediately. And stunning professional photos here - you just have to look!
The photo above, (thanks Peter Pollard) shows Alan Kershaw on stage while Alan Chenery looks to his sound system... the anticipation grows!

A gorgeous day ended with a gorgeous sunset to rival anything Key West has to offer...an evening drinking good beer with good Formby friends, and we were all set for Saturday's fun.

Getting ready for the first concert....

The banner's out ready - and folk are coming in...

The lads are in town! Always great to see these talented youngsters!

Peter Pollard and Andy Poppleton - a great partnership...

I'd had no intention of going on stage - but Peter Pollard was having none of it - "You must - they need people to get up there...." so Caroline and I decide to give 'em Lili Marlene again. Quick practice outside - shame we live a few hundred miles apart! What a lovely stage to perform on... Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, Vera Lynn, Sir Lawrence Olivier (in the the film The Entertainer) - the Rolling Stones! And me. What a privilege - what a nerve!

You know, I started this blog just over a year ago to share my ukulele journey, and I have had such fun, made such good friends. I still feel as if I have no business to be performing on stage, and a little more comfortable as part of a duo or group - but it was a blast. I hadn't sung this since the first time we did it, back in March in Blackpool, and we can only run it through a couple of times anyway... but I sang the first verse in German, and Caroline winged it with some harmony. I think we got away with it. And the thrash - you know, where everyone gets up to play together... that was just tremendous on that stage at the Winter Gardens...

This was the afternoon concert. In the evening would come the best, some up for the first time that day, like the wonderful Matthew Richards, some giving us a second helping - Alan Yates, Lewis Clifton, Peter Pollard, and many other super performers too numerous to mention - and Caroline Stewart (was Robson) playing my lovely Kiwaya KTS-4 wooden uke, with "I'll See You in My Dreams" - simply tremendous. I'm so jealous. Wish I had her lovely voice.... but before that, we all piled out, down the road for a photo with Eric - the great late lamented Eric Morecambe - who once famously said, as he did a sketch with Andre Previn - "I'm playing all the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order!"

Fabulous!

Thanks again to Peter Pollard for three of these lovely pics, and to LSH, my darling Long-Suffering-Husband for the rest...

This has been a longer post than usual and it's time I went and did something else... thanks for dropping in to share my uke journey!

Formby-style ukers... one-day convention in Morecambe, 27th July - oops, that's tomorrow!

Yes dear readers, you may be aware that the George Formby Society holds a weekend convention in Blackpool four times a year, but tomorrow there will be a one-off one-day convention a little further up the north-west coast of England in Morecambe - at the beautiful old Winter Gardens... read all about it here...

I'll be going, with my lovely 1920's Gibson UB2! Will you? I won't be taking to the stage but I'll be joining in enthusiastically with the "thrash"... You don't need a banjo-uke though - just go! Free entry to this one! And discover what all the fuss is about....

Sarah Maisel - Dream a Little Dream of Me

Well, I've just posted how I didn't get to see Sarah Maisel at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain last month - she went down a storm - LSH said she was really good! A stern critic... but here she is at Cairns, Australia - that gal's getting around! Great rendition of a great song. I've just learned this... rather simpler arrangement than this though... must get up that neck...

Sarah Maisel - Dream a Little Dream of Me .....enjoy!

Cheltenham uke festival? I told you it was good!

Yes, I told you the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain was fantastic - and I still haven't finished giving you the details, have I...shame on me - but one of the great artists that I MISSED - because I was in one of James Hill's jazz workshops when she was on - was Sarah Maisel with her jazz set. Although I missed her, I did hear the rousing applause she got during and at the end of her set .... James actually had to pause his teaching until the applause died down! I remember it well... anyway, today I came across Sarah's own write-up about it all - from beginning to end. It's a great write-up, detailed and full of joy and enthusiasm - I tell you, the atmosphere throughout was tremendous.... you can read all about it on her blog, here, and do look at her photos, too - some great pics on there!

Sarah Maisel - Ukulele Festival of Great Britain 2013

Ukulele itch? You just have to scratch it - .

A ukulele itch usually takes the form of an intense urge to explore some hitherto unexplored area of ukulele playing - a different size of instrument, a different wood, a new or highly acclaimed make or uke builder. When it comes to wooden ukes I have been very restrained - I haven't bought one for exactly a year. I've bought banjo-ukes, but that's another matter! No, the last wooden uke I bought was a soprano, and I went for a Kiwaya KTS-4. It's Japanese, beautifully made and I love it; a Martin style O copy, it stands well against similar instruments. It gets equal play time with my concert uke, a Tanglewood laminate with a beautiful tone - and both are strung with Ken Middleton's Living Water 100% fluorocarbon strings. Simply beautiful, a bell-like chiming sound....

But - there's this itch now.... to explore electro-acoustic. And I was wondering whether my preference for concert and soprano sized ukes over the tenor still stands. So, a few weeks ago now, I phoned Mike, the ukulele friendly bloke at my favourite music shop to find out what electro-acoustics they had in stock? A Luna tenor and a Lani concert. And along I went to have a play. They know me up there - and they don't mind me strumming and picking away for an hour... I've bought four ukes in the last twelve months from them already, including a very nice vintage banjo-uke and a gift for a friend...

Well, eventually I was decided, about the tenor versus concert thing anyway... and I'm still more comfortable with the concert size. There isn't actually that much difference in the fret distances, but I found that I do still prefer a concert or soprano uke.

I told LSH.

A couple of days late, I was badly in need of cheering up. Now, my wonderful husband is not generally in favour of me increasing my little family of ukuleles - he just doesn't get it... they don't, do they? But he disappeared "to get petrol" and returned with the concert electro-acoustic he knew I'd been trying out in the shop. Well... I was overwhelmed, of course - what a lovely surprise, what a kind and thoughtful gift. The tears fell. And off we went for a couple of days away in the Lincolnshire countryside.

We stayed in Horncastle, an historic little town renowned as a centre for antique shops. Wandering around exploring on the first evening, we happened across a shop, the windows all barred - I peered inside - vintage guitars - everywhere. In rows, on the walls - and just in view of the window, one ukulele, a soprano. It had a fitting for an amp lead... an electro-acoustic uke! More than that I couldn't tell - but it looked like a spruce top. It looked interesting - very interesting.

Want to know what happened? I'll tell you... later... I promise!

Nailed a few targets ... feels rather nice.....

Been practising... using my practice file... and I have managed to learn some of the things I listed a couple of months ago, so I can play them without a sheet in front of me. It feels good to have nailed a few targets - for example:-

Ukulelezaza's tab for the chord melody version of Mr Sandman,
Twilight Time,
Til There Was You,
Dream a Little Dream of Me,
Whispering

and - C6 C#dim Dm7 G7 up the neck. (see post 21st January, 2013 for the tuition video by Marcy)

Time to look at a few new targets!

I haven't posted here for a week or two - life has been pretty hectic and I wanted to work hard on learning some pieces. I must say, though, I do appreciate you looking in, and I look forward to comments, though I can't promise to publish every single one, especially if there are links to stuff that doesn't really fit in my blog. And I've been feeling a bit subdued - you know how life is just like that sometimes? Sure you do... and LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) and I have been out and about quite a bit lately; short breaks, taking advantage of the nice weather to see a bit more of the country... but I have had a strum almost every day, a little one or a long one, it's fine as long as long as I can play a uke for a while.

I mean to do another post on the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, held in Cheltenham last month. It's just a while coming, sorry! As I say, a I'm bit subdued and lacking in the necessary oooomph. Life can't be rosy all the time. And sometimes it's distinctly a darker colour altogether. Time for a cup of tea and a strum - in the summerhouse..... yes...... see you again soon, I promise!

UFGB 2013, so what was best, then?

The Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, June 2013, Cheltenham.... reigns as one of the best Ukafrolics of all so far, and likely to remain up there for some time, methinks... because it was simply FABULOUS.

It all started with the Friday evening welcome and get-together at the Exmouth Arms... this was the first big ukulele festival I had been to, and didn't know quite what to expect... I had thought this part of the proceedings would be in a big room... it would have to have been a very big room, if everyone turned up..... but no, as we reached the pub, having walked half-way across Cheltenham to find it, the fun was already starting to take place, outside in the beer garden and under a marquee. We were very early. But many were there before us.


The first person I spotted was Barry Maz, of Got a Ukulele blog, with his little party of N'Ukers... strategically well-placed opposite the entrance, so as not to miss anyone coming in... clever, that... we hadn't met before, but were great pals in no time. One by one, other familiar faces and ukey pals were spotted. Ale bought, seats found, tee-shirt purchased... and already, little groups were strumming and singing. What to do, but to get up and join in. I had only taken one uke, my Kiwaya soprano, but a lot of people had several ukes with them, including banjoleles. There were ukes and people everywhere, everywhere the sound of strumming, and soon there were no seats left... a few more songs from the Big Busk Songbook..... a blues jam with Barry and the N'Ukes....



They said James Hill would be there... and eventually I spotted him - a ukulele hero indeed - if you've been asleep up a corner somewhere, just look on YouTube for his version of Billie-Jean, and be amazed.... I was introduced to him... oh, my.... I told him how I'd booked tickets and a place on one of his workshops the minute they'd gone on sale in November - he is SO nice, so pleasant and unassuming. I was hugely impressed. I'd have loved to have taken a photo but it seemed so.... crass. So I didn't. I should have - he would not have minded, I know.... but my evening was made, I had met my idol, and many more lovely people besides.

The longest day of the year, and the weather had kept a friendly countenance for us but eventually the dusk began to fall and so did the temperature... it had been a long day, we had a fair walk to do back to our hotel, and the Saturday promised to be simply magnificent. It was. I still smile just to remember it..... I'll tell you all about it next time. Don't go too far, now!

Was this Ukulele Heaven? Ukulele Festival of Great Britain 2013, Cheltenham

The answer has to be..... yes.... oh most certainly it was..... I've just got back, although the fun continues today.... I have to be out again in ten minutes, leaving on a four day girlie break with my oldest friends.... but it will be with my head full of the fun and sounds of the last couple of days.

I can tell you - for a run down, get over to Got a Ukulele blog..... Barry Maz (lovely bloke) is not steam-driven like me, and seems to have kept up blog-wise with the fun. (And LSH and I can actually be seen on his first photo, from Friday night at the Exmouth Arms.... I'm just strumming along with the song of the moment. LSH enjoying the general ambience....)

I'll post some pics and share my thoughts..... next week. Sorry. My poor Long-Suffering Husband is poised this minute to take me to join my mates, who started their holiday this morning - while I was uke-busking in Cheltenham with 340 other joyful souls......

For now - the people - fab.

Workshops - bang on the nail....

Uke stalls, with ukuleles hand-built - fab.

Concert - out of this world....

I'll catch you later.