Only A Fool - original song from early 1960's

This is a very early example of my songs

and should be viewed in conjunction with my earlier post My early love of music it was actually written whilst my only instrument at home was piano, which I could barely pick out a melody on and a set of homemade drums which I had cobbled together from cardboard boxes, a toy drum set and biscuit tin lids. The uke part in this video was put together in a few minutes and which I had played (for practice about 3-4 times) hence a little hesitation and deviation (joke - from a UK radio quiz show, info for overseas readers. LOL)

See the lyrics on my poetry pages, where you will find more song lyrics from now on - see comment below.

A Ukulele Journey - Chapter two: My First Guitar

Well thanks for waiting but here it is at last. I don't know how I have managed to hold back - except it was all so long ago and photos and memories are sadly few and far between. The photo here is me (honestly) around 1967/8, really looking cool or bloody silly depending on your vintage.

In an earlier post I alluded to another photo but although I have seen it recently, it seems to have been put away safely. Have you got places like that - you will at my age, so safe that I can't remember where to even begin looking.

So, what can I say? The guitar (an arched top Hohner or Hofner with "F" holes) was a Christmas present from my parents sometime between the ages of 12 and 14. I learnt to play from Bert Weedon's book, Play In A Day. Of course What you were able to play at the end of the first day was not explicitly stated. However I persevered and learnt to play a few chords and how to pick out a melody. This latter basically from my early attempts at the piano and an ability to play by ear. If you are unsure that means hearing the tune and being able to assess where each note was on the fretboard with at least only a few near misses. Not that I used my ears in the way that Jimmy Hendrix used his teeth.

Very soon I was frustrated at my progress and took out a subscription (with my own pocket money) to a postal course. This taught me how to use all six strings to form a chord which could be moved up the fretboard - the dreaded Barre chord! An expensive way to purchase a few sheets of paper but it came thru the post regularly with enough time to practice the contents.

I also purchased books on finger style, folk, country and BLUES. The latter I had not really been subjected to before but I soon took to it because of course R&R was king and driven to a large extent by the blues. Sonny Terry and Brownie Mcghee soon became firm favourites, a few years later having the pleasure of seeing them at The Birmingham Town Hall on a tour of the UK.

Around this time (1967/8) I also started dating my wife and attending the "JUG OF PUNCH" folk club run by Ian Campbell at Digbeth Civic Hall. A couple of his band later joined groups such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Over 50 years later we still see the latter as often as we can, Still touring after all this time, although there have been many changes in the line-up.

But I am running ahead of myself, I was playing rock, folk, blues and country and of course by now I had heard The Shadows (firstly Apache in 1961). This changed my life - Hank Marvin was my first real hero - and I started playing their music. This of course meant I needed an electric guitar with a tremelo arm. I purchased a cheap solid model, very faintly looking like a strat. I am unhappy to say I cannot remember the make, I have no photos or any other recollections of this guitar. It filled a gap for me and I always felt the need for a Fender Stratocaster which took until I retired in 2000 to fill. I used to play the cheap guitar through the reel to reel tape I described in chapter 1, It never seemed to warrant a more expensive amplifier. As a last ignominious mention. I cannot remember what became of that guitar, no memory at all.

The arched top model lasted a good number of years but it was knocked over and the neck fell onto a chair. The tension in the strings, of course, simply pulled the neck out of the body. I attempted repairs but it was never the same and I swapped it a number of years later for a beat up old amplifier for another guitar which I then had. But this is the end of Chapter 2, more about that next guitar then.

A younger cousin showing you the guitar

I intend to include a couple of videos over the next few posts, of songs which I wrote using this red guitar. Some of my very earliest songs from the time of my early teens. probably will seem to be quite simple and bland, but of course I like them being biased.

Thanks for reaching the end.

My Early Love Of Music

It is not a very exiting subject but the story has to start somewhere. My father had a love of music and could play almost any instrument which he tried. Mostly piano, accordian and spoons and a saw. Not forgetting an harmonica.

Playing a musical saw. and musical spoons

Have you ever seen anyone play a saw by bending it to produce musical notes? I must have gotten a taste for music from him. Something for which I am eternally grateful. My first instruments were using the family piano (badly, but I could pick out a tune or two), a plastic trumpet upon which I learnt a few military calls, such as, "Come To The Cookhouse Door" and "The Last Post". No I never considered a military career but the notes for the calls were included with the instructions for the trumpet. I can also recall a mouth organ and a penny whistle, neither of which I seemed to be able to master at the time.

Around about, and probably before I was ten (I know -  it's not that young really nowadays ) I was bought a reel-to-reel tape recorder; That really got me going. I used it to record music from a small B&W TV which sat in our living room, taking pride of place. I still remember some of those songs and a favourite still today was Buffy St Marie singing Universal Soldier. Yes I know Donavan recorded it in the sixties but it was a poor cover of the original.

Buffy St Marie, A Canadian Cree Indian

I also used the tape recorder for recording myself, and sometimes my sister, singing. My mother often said that she could not understand how we managed to learn so many songs. It may be relevant to mention that I was chosen for the school choir at 7 or 8 years old, but on reflection it may be because of the power of my voice rather than the "pure tones" which I produced. the choir was entered for many school festivals but I do not recall ever winning anything. As an aside, I would sing all the time at home and to demonstrate how far my voice travelled mom used to get comments from neighbours who lived further away than I could have ever expected.

Mentioning my mother also reminds me that we used to have a radio on in the house most of the time. TV was only one channel and only on a few hours a day to start with. I guess I am remembering when I was 5 or six years old. A song I still remember from this time is Vera Lynn singing "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot". The first time I heard it I was in inconsolable tears because I thought that the little boy was me. I still sing this song at Christmas, and may even have a video on my PC, which I may look up and post on the blog.

Before I finish this instalment I would like to mention two other memories; the first was that used to collect lyrics. Sometimes I copied them from my tape recorder  and sometimes cutting them out of magazines, such as "The Record Song Book" published in the 60's and 70's.

One last memory concerns a home made set of drums. Using a bass drum from a toy drum set as a snare drum (without the snare) various boxes and tins and I remember a circular biscuit tin lid into which I punched about two dozen nails. Hitting that "cymbal" gave a wonderful swishing sound. I mostly used pieces of thin dowel (sanded to round the ends) as drumsticks but Dad was able to get me a pair of steel brushes from a work mate who actually played the drums.

I did actually begin my song writing at this time. I could not yet play an instrument to play along with the songs (I could play a melody on the piano but not well enough to play along as a backing) so I knocked out a rythm on my drum kit. Songs were very simple and quite limpid as you might expect from a 10 year old. At least that is the best guess of my age at the time. Unfortunately I can no longer remember any of them or even their titles, must say something about them.

Apart from Buffy, other early inspiration came from Elvis, Buddy Holly, Billy Fury and so many others that I am not going to name them here. Most of them are not well remembered anyway.

OK, this post is rather longer than I expected but despite everything As I actually typed it in, I kept remembering odd bits of my musical experiences. And I haven't even mentioned the Zither. Maybe another time?

Pink Floyd on the ukulele anyone?

WISH YOU WERE HERE

a little bit of an experiment, wanting to see how it migh sound

Once again, I record myself because my own opnion is very important to me

 But I have to hear it dispassionately to be able to really tell how it sounds.

See more on my channel, on You Tube

A bit of blues, and a load of laughs!

Well here is a video that really does show me up. I had been writing a song and had a few lines down on paper.

I was also fiddling about with a little blues on my ukulele; would they work together - only one way to find out ........ and here it is!



and here are the lyrics which are not necessarily what I was singing, had I been drinking?

I'm Not There

Nobody listen to my plea

Nobody want's to listen to my plea

I'm just invisible, I'm not there

Nobody seems to care, For me.......

Call me mister No........body

Call me mister No........body

I'm just mister No........body

Thats me!

Too many times Ive tried to grow

Be the kind of man, I'd like to know

I'm just invisible, I'm not there

Nobody seems to care, For me.......

Call me mister No........body

Call me mister No........body

I'm just mister No........body

Thats me!

Nobody want to be my friend

They got excuses I can't comprehend

I might as well not be around, I'm not there

Nobody seems to care, For me.......

Another fun session with Dr John!

Dream Lover - cover

Recently recorded cover version of this classic by Bobby Darin.





I have said so many times before that I record for one reason, and only one reason. What do I need to do to make this song work for me. Although, I do record some of my own songs to hear what they sound like ( when I can liste objectively) At my age (71) I have no thoughts of breaking into a new career .

I want to know where I can fit twiddly bits / new chords or even melodic lines in the accompaniment. Is the key really right for my voice, and should I change it.

Sometimes it is so easy to enjoy the performance and forget how to improve it. LOL!

Desperado - An acoustic cover of this great song on the ukulele

I came across this great number quite recently and thought to myself that it would be an ideal song to include in my list of numbers which are not often converted to a ukulele version. Probably the key should come down a little for my comfort but for this trial run I was more concerned with how I would play the backing on the uke. I am still learning but trying to stretch myself a little more with each new song I learn. BTW, sorry for the poor video - but as I said it was only a trial of the song.



The mike stand also intrudes but hey, what are you expecting, perfection? Again, I was concerned that I was only using the built in mike and wanted to try out another; to try and improve the ratio of volume between my voice and the uke. My set-up is very basic and anything to improve it should be trialed. Cash is not something I have a lot to spare for this hobby. Maybe if I ever get to a position where I am more than enjoying myself, I will invest a little cash, but in the meantime enjoy if you can forgive the quality.

Hold Back The River

A few posts ago I suggested that I had found a very modern rock song, Hold back the River by James Bay and suggested it would be interesting to see how it worked on a ukulele.

Well, since then I have started to hear the song on the radio. etc. You know - the way you always see models of the same car you have just bought. Anyway, I have managed to get a rough version together and have surprised myself by how well I think it could work with a little help from my friends.

Here is the version I have posted on SoundCloud




The intro still needs a little work to  make it acceptable but it will come I am sure. The biggest problem with this version is that I have not used a key which matches my voice, using the original key which is just a few semi-tones to low for that verse. Something to sort out for the next run through. Otherwise, not too bad for a first attempt.

If you listen to this, you will find that it runs on to more songs on a playlist, I like to think of these playlists as "albums", which I am building on SoundCloud.

Ukulele Cover - Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Well I did say I would post asap. So here is this great classic by The Kinks, almost destroyed by yours truly, LOL.

I think I did say that I did this video because I was given a hat - yes, I am collecting hats at the moment for my videos and this song seemed to fit the chapeau just right. Why hats, I hear you say? Well, why not. I feel quite at home in a hat on video even though I rarely wear said accoutrements in real life. Only when the sun or rain dictates that it is a wise move.


Back with more of my crimes against music soon, enjoy!

Ukulele: San Francisco Bay Blues Cover

The best laid plans o'mice and men gang aft agley - Burns.

Well I thought that the song I mentioned in my last post would be the next for the YouTube treatment. But I came across this blues number from Eric Clapton - I loved it and as the chord chart was in one of the songbooks from Ukulele Central UK, the club/group I have joined, I decided to make it happen (LOL, Jean Luc Goddard).

So here it is, a first go at "San Francisco Bay Blues" on the ukulele. I used my new Gretch 9120 tenor.



Whilst in the get-up, I decided to replace a video on the Tube which for some reason I do not understand was very unfocused. Focus great now - pity about the vocal.



I will be doing "Hold Back The River" and most probably "Livin' On A Prayer", but later.

Improving My Ukulele Skills

Whilst I hope I do not seem to be in any way self-satisfied, I do think my uke playing has improved greatly since joining the group which I mentioned a couple of posts ago.

 Can you see the concentration on my face in this shot?

Playing with a large group has definitely many things to recommend it. Of course it is all about enjoying an evening strumming and singing (and partaking of a little refreshment), but keeping up with the group really helps to concentrate the mind on getting your fingers to those chords. And it doesn't matter if you flunk a chord change anyway ... simply carry on regardless.

The christmas concert I mentioned (also designed to be a night of fun) went down very well with both the group and our audience. The event was enjoyed by all. Practising for this also gave an impetus to improving general playing skills.

Another still from one of my video recordings. These 

are really helpful to see where and what needs improving.

Now to the real reason for this post, I have made a few sound recordings and placed them on a site called YourListen dot com. Thus allowing me to embed the recordings in this blog and other sites. 

I have selected three for the first batch. I am quite pleased with these and would like to to share them with you.

Upload Music Files - Audio Hosting - All I Have To Do Is Dream, E...
Embed Music - Upload Audio - You're Beautiful And You're ...
Upload Music Files - Share Audio - peggy sue - cover on ukulele

Can you see the change in facial attitude in this still? 

A smile of all things ...

Well that's all for now folks. Hope to be back soon with those promised Elvis videos from You Tube.

Sing-a-long songs with a simple ukelele backing

I have written about the ukelele I was given recently, and my desire to learn to play it. I found because of the similarity of the chord shapes and the different tunings, I was confusing my guitar and uke playing. I.e...

G, C and D7 shapes on the guitar were actually  C, F and G7 on the uke.

Not a problem for some perhaps but as a learner it presented me with a problem. So I decided that uke practice would be with songs which I would not normally sing with a guitar backing. I found lots of songs on the internet and found that those from the thirties and fourties and similar were sounding good with simple chord backings. Which was great for learning with.

I eventually recorded a number of these using Goldwave, for listening to my progress. Having found Soundwave (see previous posts) I have now posted a few of these - and there will be more in a playlist called "Ukelele Sing Song"

Here is an embedded version of the playlist, I hope that you may enjoy listening to it. Again it is not guitar related although I certainly bash out the rythm on the uke, LOL

Ten amazing acoustic guitar players

Just had to make a note of this page befoire I lost the link.

These are some of the most amazing  videos I have seen. Ten guitarists have been collected playing by using tapping and percussive playing techniques.

A smorgasbord of fantastic feats which I can only wonder at. I will be researching  more about this technique at this level, not that i hope to be able to play like it but because I just need to knoe more.

I will be back and edit this post when I have something to say - in the meantime go listen BUT be prepared to be amazed.

MusicCouch, Top ten acoustic guitarists