We read in Wikipedia that “Sweet Leilani” is a song featured in the 1937 film, Waikiki Wedding. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song,^[2] and Bing Crosby‘s record became one of the biggest hits of 1937.

Harry Owens wrote the song on October 20, 1934 for his daughter Leilani, who was born the previous day. Leilani is a popular Hawaiian name, meaning “heavenly garland of flowers” (not “heavenly flower”). It also has a figurative meaning: Small Hawaiian children were carried on their parents’ shoulders like a lei (garland), so the name took on the meaning “heavenly child.”^]

Prior to Waikiki Wedding, the song had been recorded by Sol Hoʻopiʻi under the title “Leilani” as the B-side of “Hawaiian Honeymoon” (Brunswick Records 55085).

Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians performed “Sweet Leilani” in the 1938 film Cocoanut Grove starring Fred MacMurray.

Here are the opening few measures in my Chord/Melody arrangement of “Sweet Leilani”

Make note that the melody in these opening bars is quite low . . . residing on the 3rd string. .  Be very careful not to play the 3rd or 4th strings during this passage.  Below is yet again another short excerpt from “Sweet Leilani”

Chromatic (half step) shifts are extremely common in Hawaiian songs. In the opening of the Bridge of this song we instantly have chromatic shifts going from the 3rd fret to the 2nd fret and then to the 1st fret.  Then, in the second measure we have a shift from the Bb chord to the F chord.  I had originally thought I might make those Chromatic shifts in the first measure of the Bridge as chordal shifts but decided against it to allow this arrangement to be more accessible to most players.  If you are adventuresome, see if you can figure out what those chords might be. . .

“Sweet Leilani” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO and can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on my website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once the payment is made, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Table of Contents of Chord/Melody eBook TWO

All three of the current Chord/Melody series collections can be purchased individual or all together at a combined discount

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Accepting a generous invitation of dear friends a number of years ago, my wife and I spent a relaxing week on Liberty Bay in the tiny town of Keyport, Washington. While there I was inspired to compose this lazy little ragtime tune and it became a constant soundtrack to my musings on the porch of the bay side cottage we were living in. Taking walks around the town, I had the melody of this little tune running through my head and I would frequently head back to the cottage to pick up my ukulele and try out new ideas that would pop into my brain. KEYPORT RAG is largely played in a swinging, bouncy, travis picking style and below is a small example of the tablature arrangement of this song.

To perform this piece, a fair amount of previous travis technique is required.  It does take a bit of time and patience to get this solid. . . I remember spending countless hours in my college dorm room perfecting the technique of travis picking on my guitar. . . Once I got it though, I never forgot it. . . never lost it . . . Learn it and you’ll love it . . . It will be an essential part of your fingerpicking arsenal. . .

Here is another short excerpt for you to try . . .

Here are a couple of YouTube videos showing online ukulele players performing “The Keyport Rag”

The “Keyport Rag” is contained in the Ukulele Solo Instrumentals eBook (Fingerpicking) Volume 1 enhanced edition. It can be purchased by making a payment of $28.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Table of Contents

I also have a Chord/Melody series . . . Each of the three collections can be purchased individually or all together at a combined discount

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

We learn from Wikipedia that “Leaving on a Jet Plane” is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was “Babe, I Hate to Go” but Denver’s then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title.

The song was initially recorded in 1966 by John Denver with the title “Babe, I Hate to Go.” That same year, Denver chose this song along with fifteen others and, with his own money, had 250 copies pressed onto vinyl. He distributed the copies to friends and family. Peter, Paul and Mary were so impressed with the song that they chose to record it themselves and released it on their 1967 Album 1700. However, it didn’t become a hit for them until they released it as a single in 1969.

The song was also recorded in 1967 by the Chad Mitchell Trio and then later that same year by Spanky and Our Gang. It was performed for the very first time live at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C. in 1966 by the Chad Mitchell Trio, with John Denver substituting for Chad Mitchell.

John Denver recorded his own version of the song for his debut solo album, Rhymes & Reasons, and re-recorded it in 1973 for John Denver’s Greatest Hits. His version was featured in the end credits of The Guard.

It turned out to be Peter, Paul & Mary’s biggest (and final) hit, becoming their only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.^[1] It was the penultimate #1 single of the 1960s. The song also spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart^[2] and was used in commercials for United Airlines in the late 1970s.

The song also reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1970.

In 1998, Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk recorded a cover of the song, which was featured on the soundtrack of the film Armageddon.

My Ukulele solo arrangement was done in the Chord/Melody format. . . Below is a short excerpt from the beginning of the song . . . 

Note that the melody begins on the 2nd string then jumps to the 1st string then back to the 2nd string. . . Be careful to play only those strings designated for each chord.  This is the prime difference between playing solo instrumentals from conventional strumming to accompany singing . . .

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” is contained in the Solo Chord/Melody eBook TWO.  It can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be emailed to you within the day. 

Full Table of Contents

Each of the 3 current Chord/Melody eBooks may be purchased individually or all together at a combined discount.

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

We learn from Wikipedia that “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” is a lighthearted song in tribute to Ireland. Its lyrics were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr., set to music composed by Ernest Ball, for Olcott’s production of The Isle O’ Dreams, and Olcott sang the song in the show. It was first published in 1912, at a time when songs in tribute to a romanticized Ireland were very numerous and popular both in Britain and the United States. During the First World War the famous tenor John McCormack recorded the song.

The song continued to be a familiar standard for generations. Decades later it was used as the opening song on the radio show Duffy’s Tavern. The song has been recorded on over 200 singles and albums and by many famous singers, including Bing Crosby, Connie Francis, and Roger Whittaker

This is one of the more accessible of my chord/melody arrangements . . . . at least in the first section. . . Below is a short excerpt from the opening measure of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”

When it goes to the upper fretboard, it gets a bit more challenging . . .

Notice in the third measure that we need to barre the 7th fret with our index finger then place the little finger up on the 10th fret.

This arrangement of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” is found in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE.. . It can be purchased by making a payment of $24.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Full table of contents:

Each of the 3 Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount. . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Peter, Paul & Mary performing Where Have All The Flowers Gone”

We learn from Wikipedia that “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” is a modern folk-style song. The melody and the first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955 and   published in Sing Out! magazine. Additional verses were added by Joe Hickerson in May 1960, who turned it into a circular song. Its rhetorical “where?” and meditation on death place the song in the ubi sunt tradition. In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs”.

The 1964 release of the song as a Columbia Records 45 single, 13-33088, by Pete Seeger was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 in the Folk category.

This is by far one of the easiest of my Chord/Melody pieces. . . It involves no barring so the left hand fingering is quite accessible. . . Remember, in Chord/Melody style we do no fingerpicking. . . We merely place the left hand fingers down on the chord and gently roll the thumb across the strings. . . The melody automatically presents itself . . . Be careful not to play in strings not notated . . . Many times the melody jumps from first string to second and to third. . . This style of playing is quite different from conventional strumming accompaniment for singing. . . It does require patience but the time spent on it is totally worth it . . . Chord/Melody style opens up a whole new world of solo instrumental performance.

Here is a short excerpt from the opening of the song:

Make note that the melody begins on the first string then in the second measure, it jumps to the 2nd string . . . Then, back to the first again on the 3rd beat of the 3rd measure.

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE.  The eBook can be purchased by making a payment of $24.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Full table of contents:

All 3 Chord/Melody books can be purchased individually or all together at a combined discount. . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Live performance of Bob Dylan performing “Blowing In The Wind” 1963

Peter, Paul & Mary performing “Blowing In The Wind”

“Blowin’ in the Wind” is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962 and released on his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom. The refrain “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind” has been described[by whom?] as “impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind”. In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

Below are the opening measures of “Blowing In The Wind” showing both standard notation as well as Ukulele TABLATURE. . . The 4 lines represent the 4 strings of the Ukulele . . . The top line is the First string . . . that’s the string which is closest to the floor when you hold the Ukulele to play. . . The fingering in this piece is moderately difficult . . .not too much barring but a little is needed to reach the upper fret melody.

Make note that the melody starts on the first string but jumps over to the 2nd string for just one beat at the beginning of the 4th measure . . Em chord. . .

Another short excerpt from later in the piece . . .

“Blowing In The Wind” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO and can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Full table of contents:

Each of the 3 Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount. . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, Please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Louis Armstrong performing “What A Wonderful World”

We learn from Wikipedia that “What a Wonderful World” is a song written by Bob Thiele (as “George Douglas”) and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single, which topped the pop charts in the United Kingdom. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world (Thiele as a producer and Weiss as a composer/performer). Armstrong’s recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The publishing for this song is controlled by Memory Lane Music Group, Carlin Music Corp. and BMG Rights Management.

About 5 years ago I did a Ukulele arrangement of this song in a fingerpicking arpeggio format. . . When I first embarked on doing a series of Chord/Melody eBooks, this was among the first I tackled. . . I just felt it could have a new fresh life as a Chord/Melody arrangement and I feel I succeeded in that task. . . Below is a short excerpt from the opening measures . . . It is formatted in both standard notation as well as Ukulele TABLATURE.

As in all Chord/Melody playing, we simply place the fingers on the notated chords and roll the thumb across the strings. . . The melody presents itself as the top note. of the chord. 

Below is the opening of the BRIDGE

“What A Wonderful World” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook ONE.  It is a very large compendium of Chord/Melody arrangements. . . 52 Songs in all . . . It can be purchased by making a payment of $29.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com   Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Table of Contents

Each of the currently 3 Chord Melody ebooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount.

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Live performance of Pokarekare ana by Hayley Westenra

We learn from Wikipedia that Pokarekare Ana” is a traditional New Zealand love song, probably communally composed about the time World War I began in 1914. The song is written in Māori and has been translated into English. It enjoys widespread popularity in New Zealand as well as some popularity in other countries. East Coast Māori song-writer Paraire Tomoana, who polished up the song in 1917 and published the words in 1921, wrote that “it emanated from the North of Auckland” and was popularised by Māori soldiers who were training near Auckland before embarking for the war in Europe.

There have been numerous claims and counterclaims regarding authorship over the years. Although the matter has never been definitively settled, guardianship of the words and music is held by the family (descendants) of Paraire Tomoana.

The Māori words have remained virtually unaltered over the decades, with only the waters in the first line being localized. For example, some versions refer to Rotorua, a lake in the North Island. It is then associated with the story of Hinemoa swimming across the lake to her forbidden lover, Tūtānekai, on Mokoia Island. However, there have been many different English translations

I had already arranged this piece some years ago as a purely fingerpicking arpeggio piece.  Then I thought, why not do it as a Chord/Melody piece too. . . So here we have a short excerpt from the opening of my Chord/Melody arranagement of “Pokarekare ana”

Look at that G7 chord in the first measure . . . It doesn’t look anything like what we might think a G7 chord should be. . . That’s because in Chord/Melody solo performance we routinely play upper fret Chord inversions. . . That’s to accommodate the melody.  Solo performance is quite unlike conventional strumming to accompany singing, but it’s well worth the effort and time spent to develop solo playing skills.  In Chord/Melody playing only the thumb is used. . . No fingerpicking involved.

Below is the opening of the BRIDGE

Note in Measure 18 we need to BARRE the 5th fret with the index finger then place the little finger on the 8th fret of the first string. . . . Measure 20 is a cinch . . . just place the little finger on the 7th fret and brush all 4 strings to play the upper inversion of the C chord.

“Pokarekare Ana” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO.  It can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Full table of contents:

Each of the 3 current chord/melody eBooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount. . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Performance of “Puff The Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul & Mary

We learn from Wikipedia that “Puff, the Magic Dragon” (or “Puff”) is a song written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow, and made popular by Yarrow’s group Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1963 recording. The song achieved great popularity.

The lyrics for “Puff, the Magic Dragon” were based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton, a 19-year-old Cornell University student.^[1] Lipton was inspired by an Ogden Nash poem titled “Custard the Dragon“, about a “realio, trulio little pet dragon.”

The lyrics tell a story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff alone and depressed. (Because of the line “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys”, the lyrics may imply to some that Jackie Paper dies. Most interpreters believe that he just grew up.) The story of the song takes place “by the sea” in the fictional land of Honalee (the spelling used by author Lenny Lipton, though non-authoritative variations abound.

Lipton was friends with Peter Yarrow’s housemate when they were all students at Cornell. He used Yarrow’s typewriter to get the poem out of his head. He then forgot about it until years later, when a friend called and told him Yarrow was looking for him, to give him credit for the lyrics. On making contact Yarrow gave Lipton half the songwriting credit, and he still gets royalties from the song.

In an effort to be gender-neutral, Yarrow now sings the line “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys” as “A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys.” The original poem also had a verse that did not make it into the song. In it, Puff found another child and played with him after returning. Neither Yarrow nor Lipton remembers the verse in any detail, and the paper that was left in Yarrow’s typewriter in 1958 has since been lost.

In 1961, Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and Mary Travers to form Peter, Paul and Mary. The group incorporated the song into their live performances before recording it in 1962; their 1962 recording of “Puff” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent two weeks atop the Billboard easy listening chart in early 1963.^[4] It also reached number ten on Billboard’s R&B chart.

This is, yet, another of my Chord/Melody arrangements that is quite accessible even for beginning instrumental solo players. . . It’s short, simple, to the point and has fairly easy fingering. . . Below is an excerpt showing both the standard notation as well as the ukulele tablature notation for the opening measures of the song . . .

Make note that the melody shifts between the first string and the second string in these four measures . . .  no barring necessary in this section . . .

“Puff The Magic Dragon” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE.  It can be purchased by making a payment of $24.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day. . .

Full table of contents:

Each of the 3 current Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased individually or all together at a combined discount

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show

Below is a short excerpt from the opening measure of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

Note, the melody begins on the first string but by the 2nd full measure it drops to the 2nd, 3rd then 4th strings. . . This is a rare occasion where I have brought the melody to the 4th string.  It just happens to occur in the midst of a short riff . . . . Using a low G that 4th fret note on the 4th string is perfect. . . On a standard tuning it works, but sounds just a bit different. . .

Here are the beginning measure of the BRIDGE

And here are the final measures of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO.  It can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Full table of contents

Each of the current Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount . . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Performance of “Till There Was You”

We learn from Wikipedia that “Til There Was You” is a song written by Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man, and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. The song is sung by librarian Marian Paroo (Barbara Cook on Broadway, Shirley Jones in the film) to Professor Harold Hill (portrayed by Robert Preston) toward the end of Act Two. It became a hit for Anita Bryant in 1959 and was later covered by the English rock band the Beatles in 1963

THE BEATLES VERSION  . . .

“Till There Was You” was included on the Beatles albums With the Beatles (UK release, 1963) and Meet the Beatles! (US release, 1964), the song was the only Broadway tune that the English rock group ever recorded.

Paul McCartney was introduced to Peggy Lee‘s cover of the song by his older cousin, Bett Robbins, who would occasionally baby-sit the two McCartney brothers. McCartney said: “I had no idea until much later that it was from The Music Man.” “‘Til There Was You” was part of the Beatles’ repertoire in 1962 and performed at the Star Club in Hamburg. It became illustrative of the Beatles’ versatility, proving they could appeal to all sections of an audience, moving easily from softer ballads to harder rock and roll, as in their appearance on November 4, 1963 at the Royal Variety Performance when they followed this song with “Twist and Shout“.

The band had previously performed “‘Til There Was You” as part of their failed audition for Decca Records in London on January 1, 1962, and it was the second of five the group sang during their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.

Live versions of the song were released on Live at the BBC (1994) and Anthology 1 (1995). The latter version was recorded when the Beatles played at the Royal Variety Performance; because the album was cut so that live numbers began with the actual song, John Lennon‘s famous request that those in the royal box “rattle your jewelry” to “Twist and Shout” is in fact included on the “‘Til There Was You” track. When introducing this song (likewise placed on “She Loves You” for Anthology), McCartney commented that the song “had also been recorded by our favourite American group, Sophie Tucker“. This tongue-in-cheek comment by McCartney unwittingly began an urban legend that “‘Til There Was You” was an old Sophie Tucker song, when in fact, there is no record of her ever performing the tune. A live performance of “‘Til There was You” by Paul McCartney appears on his DVD The Space Within US.

In 2016, the BBC announced that a “holy grail” Beatles record would be auctioned in March of that year. A private pressing; it features two songs, “Hello Little Girl” and “Til There Was You” and was valued at over £10,000. The disc eventually sold for well over its estimated value – £77,500.

MY CHORD/MELODY ARRANGEMENT

I originally did this as a FINGERPICKING, arpeggio arrangement a few years ago. . . It worked quite well in that format, but then I wondered how it mght work as a Chord/Melody arrangement.  I discovered that it gave it a kind of gentler, softer approach and it worked very well . . . It has very delicious chords (Jazz chords) and plenty of them to keep the left hand busy. . . See below the first few measures of the piece.

You gotta just love those diminished 7th and minor 7th chords . . . .

The BRIDGE  . . .

Notice how the melody and therefore the chord inversion takes us clear up to the 10th fret. . . Then we swiftly descend to the 5th fret barre chord on the last measure to play and upper inversion F chord.  Admittedly, this will take some degree of practice and lots of patience to get. . . but it’s well worth it as I always say.

“Till There Was You” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook ONE and can be purchased by making a payment of $29.95 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com  Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day. By he way, this is a massively large collection . . . 52 songs in all!

Full table of contents:

Each of the Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount . . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Performance by Joan Baez

HiWe learn from Wikipedia that

The song “We Will Overcome” was published in the September 1948 issue of People’s Songs Bulletin (a publication of People’s Songs, an organization of which Pete Seeger was the director and guiding spirit). It appeared in the bulletin as a contribution of and with an introduction by Zilphia Horton, then music director of the Highlander Folk School of Monteagle, Tennessee, an adult education school that trained union organizers. In it, she claims no ownership of the song and in fact wrote that she had learned the song from members of the CIO Food and Tobacco Workers Union: “It was first sung in Charleston, S.C. … Its strong emotional appeal and simple dignity never fails to hit people. It sort of stops them cold silent.” It was her favorite song and she taught it to countless others, including Pete Seeger, who included it in his repertoire, as did many other activist singers, such as Frank Hamilton and Joe Glazer, who recorded it in 1950.

According to the late Pete Seeger, the song is thought to have become associated with the Civil Rights Movement from 1959, when Guy Carawan stepped in as song leader at Highlander, which was then focused on nonviolent civil rights activism. Seeger states the song quickly became the movement’s unofficial anthem. Pete Seeger and other famous folksingers in the early 1960s, such as Joan Baez, sang the song at rallies, folk festivals, and concerts in the North and helped make it widely known. Since its rise to prominence, the song, and songs based on it, have been used in a variety of protests worldwide.

My Chord/Melody arrangement of “We Shall Overcome” is without a doubt one of the easiest arrangements in all of my Solo Ukulele collections. . . As in all Chord/Melody we use no fingerpicking. . . Merely strumming the thumb to acquire  simultaneously the chord as well as the melody. . . . Try is short excerpt from the opening measures of the song.

“We Shall Overcome” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO.  It can be purchased by making a payment of $23.95 through the paypal button on my website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com    Once purchased, it wll be personally emailed to you within the  the day. . .

Table of Contents

Each of the Chord/Melody collections can be purchased separately or all together at a combined discount . . .

Questions regarding any Ukulele resource, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Performance by Ukulele Mike . . .