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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
 Posted - 09/29/2008 : 1:26:18 PM
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hi all,
it's that time of the year when i'm starting my freshman seminar on the `ukulele. the phase mismatch between me and them is pretty darn big - they have never heard "jambalaya" but have heard "mbube" and "i'm a believer" because they've been in recent movies. and, not having children, i've so out of touch.
so, you parents out there - what old songs have been revived by movies recently that would be good to cover with my students? they know standards like "she'll be comin' round the mountain" (at least, the US born know that one); i'm looking for old songs that have been brought back.
thanks and aloha,
keith
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 3:10:59 PM
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Keith,
Call me at home and you can chat with either of my daughters (Allison or Lindsey) and see what they say. Both are recent Revelle UCSD grads. Neither play the ukulele.
CAPT Mike |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 08:10:45 AM
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quote:
they have never heard "jambalaya" but have heard "mbube"
Hey Keith -
I'd doubt that they have heard "Mbube"-- but they have heard "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Same tune, different words.
Personally, I'd make the song selection based on what you want to teach-- or, more importantly, what skills you want them to learn -- rather than try to second guess the "oldie du jour."
If you believe in the song, they will, too. And that is a great lesson right there.
And, weirdly enough, I heard a band massacre "I'm a Believer" over the weekend. Look what you started. |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 08:49:33 AM
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How about the Beatles? Jack Johnson might be relevant and current.
I heard Mark Hanson play his arrangement of Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1931). Sadly, may be more relevant that we'd like. |
Andy |
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Momi
Lokahi
402 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 09:50:28 AM
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| Is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" current enough? One of our SUPA members is inordinately fond of "Man of Constant Sorrow" and the chord changes are pretty easy. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 10:55:04 AM
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What about Cotton-Eyed Joe. I think some relatively modern group did it a few years ago. What about the Iz version of Ahi Wela/Twinkle Little Star. Or perhaps look at Keonepax's channel on You Tube. He has plenty of swell songs on `ukulele, like Beatles and stuff lidat.
Here are his songs. He has the lyrics and chords for all his you tube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C1D866D34976DA2D |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
Edited by - wcerto on 09/30/2008 10:55:35 AM |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 2:21:58 PM
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hi mark,
you're right of course - i teach "26 miles across the sea" and "neath one big tin roof", both which become popular with the students (but, how can anyone not like the doo wop change or anything by auntie nona?)
a student asked for "candy girl", which is a song i used to massacre with my high school honey by adding rather explicit lyrics (i'll let you fill in the blanks) so i guess i got to relearn it straight.
you parents out there - do you recall any recent disney or other family movies with catchy songs i can do?
keith
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Edited by - marzullo on 09/30/2008 5:41:04 PM |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 2:27:23 PM
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andy,
the beatles are always a popular choice, although like jimmy buffet's songs, it seems like they have heard only a few.
jack johnson is good - "breakdown" works out great since the intro he does is on the uke. "banana pancakes" works pretty well.
more on the island side (even though it's originally by eddie grant) "drop baby drop" is a big hit, and i teach the mana`o company intro to the more advanced students.
keith
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 2:55:46 PM
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wanda,
i'm finding that "a few years ago" is an eternity with freshman students. in case you don't follow the beliot college mindset list, here's what these students know (excerpted from the list at http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2012.php)
...
For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.
GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
There have always been gay rabbis.
College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
IBM has never made typewriters.
Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
There has always been Pearl Jam.
The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
Authorities have always been building a wall along the Mexican border.
Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
Personal privacy has always been threatened.
Caller ID has always been available on phones.
Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
Soft drink refills have always been free.
Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
...
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 4:50:17 PM
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I'll add another vote for "Banana Pancakes"...sounds great on uke (check YouTube).
As for current family movies, a lot of them are rehashing '70s pop hits, believe it or not. Anything that was a big hit in the '70s is probably going to go over well. And Bob Marley is experiencing a resurgence among high school teens, at least in Southern California. (The Beatles are irrelevant for today's youth, despite the recent love-it-or-hate-it film "Across the Universe," which is worth seeing for any Beatles fan and especially older Beatles fans.) |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 10/01/2008 05:26:59 AM |
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islandboo
Lokahi
USA
237 Posts |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 06:06:32 AM
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My suggestion would be to use the mainland classic pop songs that have become island favorites, such as those by Ka'au Crater Boys and other groups that include uke. These may include "Brown Eyed Girl", "Under the Boardwalk", several Bob Marley songs, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". A lot of them are classics from the 60s and even if the kids don't know them, they are catchy enough to grab the ear of the players. Although I love Bob Marley songs, many white folks have trouble acquiring the reggae beat.
Jesse Tinsley |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 07:59:42 AM
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| Anything by EmmyLou Harris (Like "Smoke along the Track"; g c d and fun to play). Uke, mandolin, fiddle; who can tell? |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 08:29:46 AM
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quote:
Although I love Bob Marley songs, many white folks have trouble acquiring the reggae beat.
Yeah, well all ya gotta do is remember not to clap on 1 & 3.
Bob Marley songs are universal-- and great choices for all kinds of reasons. I always teach "Three Little Birds" in my "Fun with Yr Uke" classes-- EZ to play, EZ to sing, and a great uplifting message. "No Woman No Cry" is also a good one. (I heard "Waiting in Vain" while boarding an airplane recently. Interesting choice, given all the recent delays...)
Also "By the Waters of Babylon" -- not Marley, of course, but universally known and EZ to sing and play. All three are in the big Santa Cruz uke club book, BTW.
If you have trouble playing a reggae strum, try doing a basic "bum-ditty bum ditty" and leave of the "bum" - stomp your feet on 1 and 3 and play on 2 & 4. Then add up stokes on the afterbeats with a mute: (stomp) 2 and (stomp) 4 and. Repeat often.
Getting back to "white folks having trouble with the reggae beat" -- rhythm is not a factor of race or skin tone. If one human can do it, so can you.
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 11:40:13 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
Getting back to "white folks having trouble with the reggae beat" -- rhythm is not a factor of race or skin tone. If one human can do it, so can you.
That's right, speak for yourself there Jesse! I'll take a reggae beat over a rock beat any day. (I can't jump though.)
Keith, make sure you show your students the video of Jake playing "While My Guitar Gentle Weeps" in Central Park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mEKMz2Pvo
I've blown several teenagers' minds with this video...it changes their entire perception of what a ukulele is and can do. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 10/01/2008 12:45:42 PM |
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alika207
Ha`aha`a
USA
1260 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 2:38:02 PM
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Let's see... "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty? I can play that. It's so easy.
Or what about "Stairway to Heaven?" I love that song and want to learn it so bad. |
He kehau ho'oma'ema'e ke aloha.
'Alika / Polinahe |
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