ClassicalCode » ukulele http://blog.classicalcode.com Music, Software, Finds Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:34:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 [Ukulele Solo] Never On Sunday http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/ukulele-solo-never-on-sunday/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/ukulele-solo-never-on-sunday/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:14:57 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=984 As part of the “Backyard Sessions” which I posted about earlier, we also recorded this take of my solo ukulele version of Never on Sunday.

I take my ukulele with me everywhere I go. One day when I was sitting in the back of a bus on Height street I struck up a conversation with a guy who apparently also played. I let him take my instrument for a spin and he played this tune (which I new from the Chordettes recording). I loved the way it sounded on ukulele so I went home and figured it out for myself.

Video credit: Beau Lambert

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/ukulele-solo-never-on-sunday/feed/ 1 Backyard Ukulele Session [Ukulele Videos with Chelsea] http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/backyard-ukulele-session-ukulele-videos-with-chelsea/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/backyard-ukulele-session-ukulele-videos-with-chelsea/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:49:17 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=970 Chelsea’s videographer friend Beau Lambert was recently staying with us and graciously offered to record a few songs. Beau set up his camera in our backyard and Chelsea and I thought up a few songs that we could record. We only did one or two takes of each one, so the whole ordeal was really just informal and fun. Hopefully you will enjoy. Oh, make sure to pay attention to Chelsea’s hand-drawn title cards!

Chelsea’s parents, Tom and Grace, wrote the “Nammies Song” to help their kids go to sleep at night.

 

“The Diaper Changing Blues” was written by Chelsea’s mom Grace, for Chelsea’s little brother Thomas who was not fond of having his diaper changed.

 

“The Beard Song” was one of the first ukulele songs I fell in love with on Youtube. It was written by Rocky and Balls. Check out the original.

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/11/backyard-ukulele-session-ukulele-videos-with-chelsea/feed/ 13 I Come To the Garden Alone (For George Morris) http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/07/i-come-to-the-garden-alone-for-george-morris/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/07/i-come-to-the-garden-alone-for-george-morris/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:27:19 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=925
Wanda and George’s Garden. Photo Credit: Chelsea Hollow

Years after my grandfather died, my grandmother reconnected with an old friend from Ohio. George was an old family friend and a widower. A youthful romance followed. I will always remember George’s kindness, good humor and most of all the spry young love he had for my grandmother Wanda.

I arranged this mostly as a way to spend some time alone with my memories of George. Whenever I think of George and Wanda, I think of the beautiful garden they kept together. I sang this hymn at my Grandmother’s memorial service so it seemed like a fitting tribute to George.

This video was recorded in my backyard here in San Francisco.

Mp3 Download
Tablature Pdf file

Hymn: “In The Garden”

By Charles Austin Miles
Arranged and played by Jordan Eldredge
In honor of George Morris.

Lyrics:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

 

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/07/i-come-to-the-garden-alone-for-george-morris/feed/ 11 “The Surprise Slide” Ukulele Micro Song http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/05/the-surprise-slide-ukulele-micro-song/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/05/the-surprise-slide-ukulele-micro-song/#comments Sun, 22 May 2011 18:38:55 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=904 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!

Chelsea and Jordan at Sarah and Andrew's wedding

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)

[See original post to listen to audio]
Download .mp3
Download .m4r (iPhone ring tone)

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2011/05/the-surprise-slide-ukulele-micro-song/feed/ 2 Electric ukulele ring-tone for Chelsea http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/09/electric-ukulele-ring-tone-for-chelsea/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/09/electric-ukulele-ring-tone-for-chelsea/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:07:55 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=862 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:
[See original post to listen to audio]

Download .mp3
Download .m4r (iPhone ring tone)

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/09/electric-ukulele-ring-tone-for-chelsea/feed/ 38 Jazz Ukuele Video: What’s New? http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/04/jazz-ukuele-video-whats-new/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/04/jazz-ukuele-video-whats-new/#comments Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:44:44 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=835 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:
[See original post to listen to audio]
Download

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/04/jazz-ukuele-video-whats-new/feed/ 137 Jazz Ukulele “Love Is a Song” from Bambi http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/02/jazz-ukulele-love-is-a-song-from-bambi/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/02/jazz-ukulele-love-is-a-song-from-bambi/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:39:14 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=793 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:

[See original post to listen to audio]

Download

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/02/jazz-ukulele-love-is-a-song-from-bambi/feed/ 33 [Multitrack Video] “In My Room” http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/01/multitrack-video-in-my-room/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/01/multitrack-video-in-my-room/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:01:49 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=763 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:
[See original post to listen to audio]
Download

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

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2010/01/multitrack-video-in-my-room/feed/ 257 [Video] I Made a $4 Electric Ukulele http://blog.classicalcode.com/2009/12/video-i-made-a-4-electric-ukulele/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2009/12/video-i-made-a-4-electric-ukulele/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:40:08 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=746 While I was home for Christmas, I was watching lots of ukulele videos on Youtube. Somewhere in my wanderings I came across the Risa Uke Solid and my mind was blown. It’s a small electric ukulele made out of a single solid piece of wood and some hardware. The simplicity of the design made me think: “Hey, I could do that” and so I began thinking about how I could make a simple electric ukulele myself. Two days later, with lots of help from my dad and his tools, I have a working electric ukulele made from stuff I found around my parent’s house and a set of $4 ukulele strings. It’s currently fret-less and the pickup leaves a lot to be desired but my goal was really to create a mock-up so that I would know what I was doing when I built the actual thing.

Epilogue:

Possible improvements on this model:

  • Frets
  • Deepen groove on back

Things to learn before building next model:

  • Are there shorter tuning pegs so that I can avoid drilling the extra hole?
  • Are there better pickup solutions for my price range?

Improvements for next model:

  • Less space between tuning pegs
  • Harder wood
  • No taper
  • Strings further apart at nut
  • Narrower holes for strings at nut
  • Standard G-C-E-A strings

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]]> http://blog.classicalcode.com/2009/12/video-i-made-a-4-electric-ukulele/feed/ 800 Mary Had a Little Lamb – Parallel Fifths http://blog.classicalcode.com/2009/12/mary-had-a-little-lamb-parallel-fifths/ http://blog.classicalcode.com/2009/12/mary-had-a-little-lamb-parallel-fifths/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:05:27 +0000 Jordan Eldredge http://blog.classicalcode.com/?p=735 Inspired on my previous experimentation with parallel fifth harmonies, and my new ukulele (more on that soon), my dad and I recorded this version of Mary Had a Little Lamb where I sang and played the same song a fifth above. He was playing his guitar and singing in the key of C, and I was playing my ukulele and and singing in the key of G.

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