UKULELE MIKE LYNCH – All things UKULELE

,

Original recording by The Tokens

The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, also known as “Wimoweh”, “Wimba Way” or “Awimbawe”, is a song written and recorded originally by Solomon Linda with the Evening Birds^[1] for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939, under the title “Mbube”. Composed in Zulu, it was adapted and covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including the Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Miriam Makeba and the Kingston Trio. In 1961, it became a number one hit in the United States as adapted in English with the best-known version by the doo-wop group the Tokens. It went on to earn at least US$15 million in royalties from cover versions and film licensing.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight is an ideal song for a Chord/Melody formatted ukulele arrangement.  Chord/Melody format is played quite simply by just brushing the thumb over the strings and the melody automatically presents itself.  There is very little barringin this piece. . . Below is a short excerpt from the beginning of this arrangement.

To add a bit of variety to this arrangement I introduce a Key Change also known as a TRANSPOSITION. . . Here it is entering at the 17th measure.

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE.  It can be purchased by making a payment of just $20.00 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

Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day.

Each Chord/Melody collection can be purchased separately for just $20.00 or all together at a new Combo “TRILOGY” discount of just $50.00

Announcing the release of the NEW Chord melody ebook FOUR  $25.95

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased by making a payment of  $70 .

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

We learn from Wikipidea that:

“How Great Thou Art” is a Christian hymn based on a Swedish traditional melody and a poem written by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859–1940) in Mönsterås, Sweden in 1885. It was translated into German and then into Russian and became a hymn. It was translated into English from the Russian by English missionary Stuart K. Hine, who also added two original verses of his own. The composition was set to a Russian melody. It was popularised by George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during the Billy Graham crusades. It was voted the United Kingdom’s favourite hymn by BBC‘s Songs of Praise. “How Great Thou Art” was ranked second (after “Amazing Grace“) on a list of the favourite hymns of all time in a survey by Today’s Christian magazine in 2001. Notably, all English versions (a Johnny Cash live performance excluded) are in a slow, partly almost reciting manner, totally different from the uptempo style of the Swedish original.

HOW GREAT THOU ART is a perfect song for the Chord/Melody format.  The beauty of this arrangement lies in both the beauty of the melody but also the beauty of simplicity. 

Here is a short excerpt from the opening of How Great Thou Art to demonstrate its simplicity:

To play in Chord/Melody style you need only brush the strings with your thumb and the melody automatically presents itself.  Whenever you see “zeros” in the tablature you can rest assured you have very little complex fingering for the left hand.  There is no Barring in this arrangement except for the very LAST 2 measures. . . Here are those measures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS of Chord/Melody eBook TWO:

“How Great Thou Art” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook TWO and can be purchased by making a payment of just $20.00 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com Once purchased, it will be emailed to you within the day.

Each of the Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately for $20.00 or all together at a new “TRILOGY” discount of just $50.00

Now available the NEW Chord/Melody eBook FOUR – $25.95

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased at a combo discount price of  $70. The QUARTET

For  all inquiries regarding any Ukulele resource please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

The Official music video performance by Bette Midler

Here is what we find from Wikipedia . . .

“Wind Beneath My Wings” (sometimes titled “The Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Hero”) is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.

The highest-charting version of the song to date was recorded in 1988 by singer and actress Bette Midler for the soundtrack to the film Beaches. This version was released as a single in early 1989, spent one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in June 1989, and won Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year in February 1990. On October 24, 1991, Midler’s single was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of one million copies in the United States. In 2004 Midler’s version finished at No. 44 in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

In a 2002 UK poll, “Wind Beneath My Wings” was found to be the most-played song at British funerals.

 Silbar and Henley recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery.

Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad. Silbar and Henley then shopped the song to many artists, eventually resulting in Roger Whittaker becoming the first to release the song commercially. It appeared on his 1982 studio album, also titled The Wind Beneath My Wings.

The song was very shortly thereafter recorded by Australian artist Colleen Hewett and released by Avenue Records in 1982. Hewitt’s recording became the first version of the song to be issued as a single and to appear on a national chart, peaking at #52 on Australia’s Kent Music Report chart.

Following both Whittaker’s and Hewitt’s recordings, many other artists recorded the song, including Sheena Easton. Easton’s versions appeared on her 1982 studio album Madness, Money & Music, and her 1984 Spanish album Todo me recuerda a ti though it was not released as a single by her record company. She did, however, perform it on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, her HBO live concert special, and her NBC television special.

The first year “Wind Beneath My Wings” appeared on music industry trade publication charts in the United States was 1983. Singer Lou Rawls was the first to score a major hit with the song, as his version peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, No. 60 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and No. 65 on the main Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[3] Gladys Knight & The Pips also released a recording of the song in 1983 under the title “Hero”, and their version peaked at No. 64 on Billboard‘s Hot Black Singles chart^[3] while also reaching No. 23 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart. Singer Gary Morris released a country version of the song in 1983 that charted highest on any of the Billboard music charts that year. Morris’s version of the song peaked at No. 4 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart, and also later won both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association awards for Song of the Year.

This was truly a delight for me, personally, to arrange for ukulele . . . I’ve always loved  this song on many different levels and arranging this seemed to flow quite easily.  I instantly chose the time honored Chord/Melody format and within a very few minutes the fingering just seem to arrange itself.  Remember, in Chord/Melody style we merely use the thumb to brush the chord . . . the melody plays itself.  I knew for certain this would be a great tune for ukulele players everywhere.  In my arrangement I inserted my own invention of a diminished 7th chord that becomes a short turnaround within the chorus and it seemed so natural that I left it in.

There is very little Barring in this piece. . . primarily within the Chorus that jumps up to a higher range from the verses. . .  Below is a short excerpt of the turnaround.

Notice the F#dim7 chord . . . The D chord prior to that is play by Barring the 2nd fret then placing the little finger on the 5th fret of the first string. . .

Here is a short excerpt from the beginning of the song . . .

THE WIND BENEATH MY WINGS is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE.

Table of Contents:

It can be purchased by making a payment of just $20.00 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.

All of the current Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased individually for just $20.00or all together at a combined discount of just $50.00

Now available the NEW Chord/Melody eBook FOUR – $25.95

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased at a combo discount price of  $70.

For information regarding any Ukulele resources please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

Here is a full tutorial on Moonlight Bay as taught by Ukulele Mike Lynch on YouTube

On Moonlight Bay is contained in the “Songs Of Yesteryear” eBook, arranged and compiled by Ukulele Mike Lynch. . . with Optimized chords and strums for the ukulele .

The “Songs Of Yesteryear” eBook can be purchased by making a payment of $20.00 through the PayPal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com Once it has been purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day. Below is a link detailing the entire contents of the collection. .

.https://allthingsukulele.com/2014/11/02/songs-of-yesteryear-songbook-from-ukulele-mike-lynch-celebrating-the-rich-legacy-of-american-popular-music-in-the-early-20th-century/

For inquiries regarding any Ukulele resources, please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com

UKULELE MIKE LYNCH . . . featuring the Tri-Pak Chord Melody series. . . . Each collection  can be purchased individually or all together at a combined discount price of just  $50.

With the addition of the Chord melody ebook FOUR  we offer a combo QUARTET price of $70

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

“Sunrise, Sunset” written by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock for the Broadway Musical “FIDDLER ON THE ROOF”.  It is a captivating tune and definitely one of the crowning moments of the musical. This song is performed at the wedding of Tevye and Golde’s eldest daughter. The two parents sing about how they can’t believe their daughter has grown up, while Hodel and Perchik sing about whether there may be a wedding in the nearby future for them.

It is without a doubt the most captivating of all the songs in this musical.  It has been sung countless times at weddings and continues to move people still after all these years.

The Lyricist Sheldon Harnick says this about the song.  “I do remember when we wrote “Sunrise Sunset,” the first person we played it for was Jerry Bock’s wife…and when I finished, then I looked at Jerry’s wife Patti and I was startled to see that she was crying. And I thought my goodness; this song must be more effective than we even know. And the same thing happened – I am not a pianist but the music to “Sunrise Sunset” is easy enough so that I could learn the piano part – and I played it for my sister. And when I finished I looked and she had tears in her eyes. And that was a very unusual experience.”

When I first began the process of arranging this piece for the Ukulele, I initially thought I would do it with a fingerpicking arpeggio style but quickly went over to the Chord Melody style and that suited it perfectly.  Furthermore, I was delighted to find that the fingerings and chord changes flowed so nicely on the Ukulele. . . Almost as if the song had been written on the Ukulele to begin with.  Quire often one will find that to be the case. Songs like HERE COMES THE SUN work so effectively on the Uke. Here is a brief few bars that open the piece. Try it out and I think you’ll discover how nicely it fits for the song.

When arranging any piece on the ukulele, the arranger finds that the melody will invariably hop from the FIRST string to the SECOND and every so often the THIRD or FOURTH. Note in the THIRD measure Am, the melody is on the FIRST string but in the next measure it jumps to the SECOND string. In this case, we need to be careful to not strike the FIRST string on that FOURTH measure chord. In playing solo instrumental pieces, we don’t merely find the chord and strum as we would in accompaniment rhythm style for singing. . . Instrumental is a whole different animal. 

Below is yet another snippet from furher on into the song:

Notice the BARRE chords in measure 3, 4, 5 & 6.  Barring is used a lot in solo instrumental playing so working on instrumentals is a great way to increase your Barring skills and technique.

“SUNRISE, SUNSET” is contained in my Chord/Melody eBook THREE which can be purchased by making a payment of just $20.00 through the paypal button on my website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com Once the payment is made, I will personally email it to you within the day.

 Here are the complete contents of the Chord/Melody eBook TWO

The Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased individually for just $20.00 or all three in the series for a combined “TRILOGY” discount of just $50.00

Announcing the release of the NEW Chord melody ebook FOUR  $25.95

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased at a combo discount of price of  $70.

For all inquiries regarding Ukulele resources, please email TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com