Seasons of the Ukulele

A weekly song challenge for ukulele players - all welcome. Find out more here

The Island of Misfit Seasonistas

AlanDP

For the past year or so I've been getting into exotica music. One of the most iconic tracks of this genre is Les Baxter's "Quiet Village." I found a simple lead sheet for the melody and thought I'd have a go at it.

I created a backing track with ChordPulse and at first played a sample of a resonator glockenspiel using the Roland EWI for my midi controller because that's all I have for a midi controller. I added a little tremolo to it with Audacity to give it a kind of vibraphone effect. Vibes are very important in exotica.

Then I tried playing the melody with my low G tenor ukulele. I think Windows must be doing an update in the background because I kept getting dropped audio and having to start over several times. Finally I set up my Tascam digital audio recorder as a backup and got a good take. Unfortunately, I forgot to hit record on both the Tascam AND Audacity, so I had to use my phone audio which is pretty good compared to my previous phone.

I started playing around with it in Audacity and decided to mute the glockenspiel sound and just use the ukulele, but when I exported the wav file the glockenspiel was un-muted and I got a layered effect with the glock and the uke both playing the melody. I decided to keep it.

So here's all the technical stuff:

ChordPulse using the Bossa Jazz Pad rhythm at 100 bpm.

Roland AE-01 EWI as midi controller only to play the resonator glockenspiel version 2 from Decent Sampler. Tremolo added with Audacity. This sound from Decent Sampler is of a glockenspiel he found that he assumes was home-built, or at least home-modified with resonator tubes under the keys so the sound resonates for much longer than a normal glockenspiel.

Kala tenor w/ low-G string, a little reverb added with Audacity.

Barbablanca

Sadly, I am here to offer another song in tribute to a close friend…

It has been a tragic week for us. A very good friend called Bill who used to play bass with me for local gigs and was also a co-partner in our allotment, died suddenly due to complications after a kidney transplant. He had been on dialysis for two years which, apart from the inconvenience of visiting the hospital three times a week, meant that he was extremely limited in mobility. He could not go away from home for a few days as he couldn't skip his visits to the hospital. When he got the news that they had kidneys for him he was so excited. The operation went well and he was going from strength to strength. He was so happy and looking forward to enjoying his recent retirement. But a few weeks later he had a series of fevers and when he reported them to the hospital he was taken in for examination. While there his condition worsened and after some false dawns in which he seemed a lot better, he was suddenly rushed to the ICU and never came out of it.

He was my best mate and I still have problems accepting the reality of his passing. Of course I have had the odd weep, at the funeral and after, but I am immersed in a sadness and I have a constant pressure across my chest that I am sure is bottled in grief. I know from past experience that that will only clear with time and with the help of a really good cry. But as the song explains, I haven't been able to let it all out. In my grief I have written this song in his memory.

LimousinLil

Barbablanca Sad to hear this, Berni!

UkeFoote

My arrangement of a medley of themes from Sergio Leone western films by Ennio Morricone. For soprano and concert ukuleles, Ashbory Ubass, ocarina, voice, and, of course, whistling.

The Portland Ukulele Chamber Ensemble will be playing this at our Fall recital.

DelGriff

Black (aka Colin Vearncombe) had one huge hit in the mid ‘80s (Wonderful Life) and then, sadly, faded into relative obscurity. His music deserved better - much better. His first 3 albums are brilliant - the songwriting, the arrangements, and the performances are fabulous. I still listen to them regularly now. So much so that they feel like the soundtrack to my life.

This beautiful song is tucked away at the end of his 3rd album. It’s one of those very rare songs that grabbed me on the very first listen back in 1991(?), and still hasn’t let go. It moves me every time I hear it. I can only hope that I’ve done it justice here.

This Is Life - cover of a Black / Colin Vearncombe song

« Previous Page