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Good reasons to play songs you like
This short article explains from a teaching perspective how the combination of a commitment to learning something and a liking for the thing being learned makes the process so much easier. You'd think it goes without saying, but good to know there's a scientific basis to justify that thinking about something and having a positive feeling towards it making it more memorable and enjoyable!
Along those lines, this article, entitled Music is What Feelings Sound Like is a discussion about how incorporating different kinds of music into different parts of our lives, which most of us do, is a form of self-expression as well as a form of coping. I had a look at this psychologist's playlists on her own site and out of nearly 70 songs, saw only three that I liked, which confirms a discovery mentioned in an earlier post - that everyone's emotional response to music is as individual as a fingerprint (either that or I'm an un-fun musical fusspot!).
Songs for Uke and UBass
I've decided to share song sheets for ukulele and will soon start adding UBass songs as well. The uke ones will all have chords and lyrics; some will also have solos, riffs or other elements of arrangement which mean they could be played by more than one ukulele player. The UBass sheets will have chords and some of the lyrics with notated and tabbed bass lines for the different parts of the song.
They will be songs I like, have written out in the past, and are fun or possibly challenging to play! I've only put up three so far, but here is one, Stuff and Nonsense, written by New Zealand's Tim Finn when he was in the band Split Enz, but rendered much better (I think) in a version by Australian singer songwriter Missy Higgins. Her recorded version is in B but I've done the song sheet in C as it is vastly more forgiving on uke. Although it sounds like a fairly simple song, trust a Finn brother to make the chorus a different key from the rest of the song (up a tone) and manage a time signature change in each line of the chorus (4/4 then 2/4). Don't be discouraged however, it's not hard to play, and a lovely number with thought-provoking lyrics. I'd love to hear it played at a wedding but the sentiment is probably at the other end of the scale than most people are expecting in that situation!
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Money, Money, Money...or not
Accomplished Irish uker George Elmes compares his most recent acquisition, a $1000 Kiwaya, with his first born, a bright yellow $20 Mahalo. Hmmm, not as much difference as you might expect, and importantly, it goes to show you don't need to spend a fortune to gain a wealth of musical, social and personal benefit!
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