The Mark:
Go ahead, sing along with him for a bit then continue on down below.
My Connection:
I *love* the ukulele. I didn't really grow up with it, but I feel like the ukulele has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts the past decade as more artists are branching out and bringing 'alternative' instruments into the mainstream pop consciousness - I assign part of the blame to Jason Mraz for 2008's "I'm Yours."
The portrait of a man who is in *love* with his hat. |
About 2-3 years ago (while I was still teaching music full-time), I started having numerous parents ask if I knew how to play ukulele/if I could teach it. After saying, 'no' to enough new lessons and wondering what this uke business was all about, I decided that 'yes, yes I do play ukulele and teach it.'
Then I had to learn how to play ukulele.
Style Notes/Structure:
As I taught myself how to play the ukulele, I learned that it is the *ideal* starter instrument for anyone looking to pick up a stringed instrument:
1) It's *smaller* - you don't have to stretch your hands as much to play chords
2) It's *simpler* - most chords only take 1 or 2 fingers to play. The one's that take more have finger patterns that are easy to replicate
3) It's... more twee?
What I really learned to appreciate about the uke is that any number of songs sound different/cooler when played on a ukulele. Whether you're playing a pretty straightforward cover of an existing song...
playing an ironic/odd cover of an existing song...
or trying to write your own music in a simple way....
the ukulele makes accessing music easier than most other instruments I've played besides the kazoo and the congas.
My Take:
Rather than try to do my take on Iz (which wouldn't for a number of reasons, namely 'talent relative to Iz'), I thought I'd do today's song on the uke and do it in the style of "Death Cab for Cutie." I think it'll make sense once you hear the song. In case you were wondering, I was thinking about how Ben Gibbard intones his singing when paired with a solo instrument, such as it does in the song "I Will Follow You Into the Dark."
I actually wrote part of this song last night laying in bed. In the past few weeks, I've told Abby about some of the dreams I've had recently about growing up - the old house, doomed-from-the-start relationships etc...long story short, I sat there thinking about my dreams and thought I ought to write a song about thinking about my dreams in bed.
Re-read that last sentence, then click on the button in this link for full effect. |
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Bonus reading!
'Any More' vs 'Anymore'
http://www.grammarly.com/handbook/grammar/adjectives-and-adverbs/13/anymore-vs-any-more/