ClassicalCode

It’s been over half a year since my last post, and I’m back with something very similar. Chelsea was in San Diego, and while she was gone I finally was able to get something recorded for her. The number of ideas, over the past months, that never made it is staggering, but this one made it, thanks in no small part to it’s brevity and lack of lyrics. Despite it’s diminutive length, it still took me nearly an entire day to write, learn and record. Oy!

It consists of the following tracks:

• Rhythm electric ukulele
• Lead electric ukulele
• Harmony electric ukulele
• Electric ukulele harmonics
• “Slap yourself in the chest” bass drum
• Electric bass

Have a listen! (Or download the first bit of it as an iPhone ring tone)

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While visiting my parents at their cabin just North of Ukiah California, I wrote and recorded a ring-tone for Chelsea. The electric ukulele plugs directly into my battery operated Zoom H4 four track recorder, so the whole thing could be made in the middle of the woods.

Photo credit: Lisa Eldredge

Have a listen:

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As I have been exploring what can be done on the ukulele, I have become more and more enamored with the sound of jazz chords on the ukulele. Listening to Lyle Ritz’ remarkable recordings with just ukulele and bass have inspired me. This is an arrangement of my own devising of a song that I have loved for a very long time.

Please excuse the synthesized drum and bass, they are the best I can do. For now…

Here is an audio only mp3 for you to listen to or download:

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I head an old NPR interview with Lyle Ritz about his album “No Frills” where he recorded several jazz standards in Garage Band over synthesized bass lines he entered himself. It was so clean, approachable, and free of pretension that it inspired me to fire up Garage Band and record this song I have been playing with for a while now.

“Love Is a Song” from: Walt Disney’s Bambi:

Words by: Larry Morey
Music by: Frank Churchill
Ukulele: Kala Curly Mango Soprano (Christmas present)
Drum loop: Garage Band
Bass: Recorded in Garage Band using a midi keyboard

Audio only mp3:

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On New Years Day my brother, Nate, and I spent the day relaxing with my girlfriend, Chelsea, and her room mate Joel. It was a lovely day and in the evening we decided to record a song. We decided to record (and film) The Beach Boys’ song “In My Room” by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher. We were quite lucky to find a transcription of the voice parts here.

The results:

Also available as a free mp3:

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Cast:

• Ukulele – Jordan Eldredge
• “Fat Congas” Cajón – Chelsea Hollow
• Tenor – Chelsea Hollow
• Tenor II – Joel Klein
• Baritone – Jordan Eldredge
• Electric Bass Guitar – Nate Eldredge
• Videographer – Nate Eldredge
• Millinery Supplier – Alison Sheehan

As of this week, Chelsea and I have been going out for three years and after countless barbershop tags, covers and miniature songs I have finally been able to write her an honest-to-goodness song song. I’ll admit it’s cheesy and trite and doesn’t properly rhyme, but it’s a song. A real song. Finally.

For Chelsea, after three years: “Driving”

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Alice n’ The Irving Street Kidz are back with another hit single. This time it’s ‘Colors of The Wind’ from the major motion picture Pocahontas. We believe that our rendition is a vast improvement on the original.

• Vocals – Alison
• Ukulele, chimes, backup vocals, egg shaker – Jordan
• Epic Howl – Noah

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Tonight my friend and fellow baritone Josh Beld came over and naturally, things eventually devolved to multitracking babershop tags. After attempting three different tags, only the first and simplest ended up being suitable for sharing. This was Josh’s first attempt at multitrack recording and he is already better than me. Hopefully this will be the first of many.

When It’s Sleepy Time Down South:

• Baritone and Lead: Jordan Eldredge
• Bass and Tenor: Josh Beld

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I have recently observed, on Youtube, a very interesting method of turning any barbershop tag into a jazzy eight part tag: simply double each part a perfect fifth higher. Or, said another way, have a second quartet simultaneously sing the same tag a fifth above.

Despite everything I was taught in college, I have been curious to try this myself. However, due to sound bleed-through from my upstairs neighbors, I can’t really record in my apartment these days. So I multitracked this one tonight in my car on my Zoom H4. Although I am sure I looked quite suspicious, I think it was worth it.

You can hear the original four part arrangement here.

I present to you “In Dixie Land Where I Was Born” from David Wright’s collection: Classic Tags for Men’s Voices in parallel fifths:

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Update: I have typeset the complete octet in the key of “C” as a pdf file and also generated a midi file.

I recorded this song as a surprise for my wonderful girlfriend Chelsea.

As far as I can tell, this song is originally by one of my very favorite musical groups: The Flamingos. I heard it on their album I Only Have Eyes For You and thought it would be the perfect one to try to record. After hours and hours of transcription, recording, rerecording and level-twiddling, it’s finally presentable.

For Chelsea: An a cappella version of “That’s Why I Love You” by the Flamingos:

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