Country/Bluegrass

Ukulele In Old Time Country/Western Swing

5/21/2019

I've been collecting photos and songbook's-have ukulele included in the country/western genre during the 30's -40's,and imagine my delight when the seller of the photo above accepted my offer on it!
The fellow on the left,named "Curly",looks to be playing a baritone sized uke. I've tried researching online to find out more about Curley, but no luck thus far. Uncle Jack,I discovered,was a very well known radio performer on WEEU with his wife Mary Lou on radio shows which led to going on tour.
But back to the pretty much unknown uke player,Curly. I haven't found out anything about him. If anyone knows anything about this fellow,I'd really appreciate you dropping me a line!

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Cowboy Songs For Ukulele Review

10/11/2018

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        Published by Hal Leonard,I couldn't help but want to let you all know what a great songbook this is! It's the only book I know to feature "I'm An Old Cowhand",which always brings back fond childhood memories of my mom singing this around the house when I was a very young girl.
         The book has 50 cowboy songs,which should be more than enough for any get together you may have,and for those in middle age,the print is a very comfortable size for those who have problems reading tiny music print. Most are traditional tunes,featuring a lot of songs written in the 30's-40's.
            Uke chord diagrams are given,one of the only drawbacks to the book is it lacks tab for melody. If you read music for ukulele,this will not be a problem,as the standard notation is a very comfortable reading size.
            Full lyrics are given,for those of you who love to strum and sing. This is a wonderful book for being around the campfire,near the fireplace,or outside on a beautiful starry night.
          Only suggestions I would have for any revision done for this book would be to have lead ins and perhaps some "bass runs" to make playing the tunes even more interesting. (aside from having the melody in TAB).
            If you're into cowboy music,this is a very worthwhile songbook to have,and I'd heartily suggest it for your collection!

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Something Old,Something New.....

7/1/2018

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      I wanted to introduce a new section here on the blog to keep it interesting- so on this page we'll be exploring the cowgirl/cowboy tradition of playing,and dipping into bluegrass....or as I coined the phrase......"blukegrass"!
         When I first saw books on this,I thought it was merely a new fad. A little web research,an
d I found out how wrong I was. I now have two Patsy Montana songbooks,and both of them have songs for ukulele mixed in with the guitar music. Being a 2nd generation musical cowgirl,ukulele player,and guitarist,my genetic code took over and well,here I am! And I'll be sneaking in some guitalele stuff here as well.
          And it makes sense that actual working cowboys and girls would pack a ukulele when out on the trail- the portability of them make it an easy choice,and they don't require the TLC that fiddles do. (I know cause I play fiddle!)
          While I don't have a ranch or any critters to herd,I do have plenty pf cowgirl spirit to go around. So I'll be posting TABS here as well as going into Carter style playing and two finger playing. (originally a banjo technique) So if you have any song requests or questions,use the contact form and ask away!

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A New Way of Learning Your Instrument

1/27/2018

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       I can't help but wonder if one of the things that holds budding uke players back from becoming better players is the memes that are unwittingly passed on to us about learning any instrument.
       It starts with adults (who have usually never touched an instrument in their lives) when we're kids. The old "you have to practice really hard for a long time" with the demand "you have to practice every day". In other words,adults try to turn something that's supposed to be joyful into drudgery and a chore.
       Then as we go towards adulthood,we adopt different musicians as role models,the ones that we think "If I could play like _____,I'd be really good!" Now there's nothing wrong with having role models or goals to work towards in our playing. However, often times our inner critic gets involved right at this point,and starts messing with our Artistic Self. One big red flag your inner critic is messing with you is when you think you need to be an "expert" in your playing. That you should play perfectly,because your role model,you're told in your head,never screws up. Yeah,right. Our role models,who ever they may be,struggled with learning chords,learning to tune,memorizing songs and playing them well just as every beginning musician does!
    The way of learning an instrument should be to simply love what you're playing,get lost in the love of the doing,and let the expertise take care of itself. In this way,an amazing exchange of energies starts to emerge,between musician and instrument. The musician,whether they're aware of it or not,sends energy into their instrument while playing it. The instrument,thru sound vibrations,takes the energy,magnifies it,and sends it back to the musician. However,it doesn't stop there. That energy also sends a powerful ripple into the room the musician is in,thru the house or building they're in,thru the walls,to the outside world,and ultimately,to the Universe itself. So every time we play,we're doing this cosmic dance with all of creation thru making sound! This is a great thing and a gift to be shared. Often,part of my morning self care involves playing one of my instruments for about half an hour. It doesn't replace meditation,but can become a form of meditation in itself.
     It's wonderful to start the day having already played some instead of what I used to do. I carried a meme from childhood for decades....remember the "no playing until the chores & homework are done" routine? I had continued this outdated programming into my adult life for years. House work replaced homework,I put other things needlessly in front of my playing music....things that could've waited for an hour with no problem. Like doing dishes,for example. Or tidying up a room.
    If you wish,as an experiment try starting off your day playing music while having your morning smoothie or coffee. Even if you play for 15 min,you're starting your day in a wonderful way!

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Hold Out Your Cup And Receive......

1/13/2017

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       In learning ukulele,especially when either learning a new technique or when learning it as a 2nd instrument,(especially if you play say,guitar or other stringed instrument) it's absolutely necessary to approach the uke on an inner level from a total beginner's mind.
           what do I mean by this? There's an ancient tale about a very wise sage who has a visitor who was a very learned individual in a different school of wisdom. He wanted to learn from this master,so he visited him at his house.
             Well,once our visitor got comfortable,and the sage started sharing what he knew,our friend started interjecting his opinions,thoughts,etc. So the sage decided to serve tea. He poured tea into the guest's cup,and when it reached the brim,he kept pouring the tea so that it overflowed the cup,poured onto the table,and onto the floor. The visitor said "Stop! What are you doing???" "Your mind is like this cup.....you arrived with it already full of your own ideas. How can I fill your cup when you arrived with it already being filled?"
      From youth,we're taught to outwardly show how smart we are,usually by relating what we're learning to what we already know. This,unfortunately,is the "ego mind" at work. And what usually happens when we do this is we get so busy showing how qualified or insightful we are to someone that we totally miss out on learning from them.
       So- go into your ukulele zen with no preconceived notions,and be totally open to whatever it is you're learning.

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Establishing Your Dojo: A Mindful Space

1/1/2017

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        Dojo is a Japanese word meaning "Place of the Way". In the traditional Zen definition,it refers to the "ultimate way of life that governs nature and the Universe". It can also refer to a place of learning,the place we go to become attuned to our craft or course of study. Here, dojo will refer to the place in which you play your uke,such as a room,in addition to what I refer to as your inner dojo: your inner self and spiritual/mental space you're in when you're playing and learning.
     The teaching of the development of the inner dojo is pretty much non existent when it comes to learning music. We're conditioned and taught from kindergarten on to approach everything you learn as tho you were in actual school. Hustle in,sit down,pick up your instrument and mindlessly dive in. We're taught the rushing into things is the way to show our dedication.
    The practice of Ukulele Zen is different in this regard. One takes a few moments to relax,to become mindful,and bring ourselves into focus as much as possible before we pick up our uke. If you meditate,take a few moments to do a short mediation to clear your thoughts,and let go of the worries of the day. If you study with a teacher,or take a class with others,arrive ahead of time so you can get into this space.
     For those who study at home,I suggest having some visual cues to get you into a mindful space (what I call your personal dojo). It can be as simple as lighting a candle (electric ones are great) or having a small nook where you could have perhaps a small buddha statue,or an angel,or anything that brings up serenity for you. Light the candle each time before you start to play,and when you pick up the uke to play it,with full focus,pick it up and play!
      Far too many students "practice" their instruments with their minds somewhere else,either going over events from the past or projecting into the future. Be with your ukulele,and in a mindful present when you're playing. You'll find you remember what you're studying far easier than before!

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What is Ukulele Zen?

12/28/2016

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       Ukulele Zen is a way of being when playing ukulele. It's not about playing technique,it's about learning how to align our inner selves with the sounds we are making on our ukes,and how to harmonize with the one big inner song of the Universe.
         About six years ago,I was shopping for books online and a book called "Zen Guitar" by Philip T. Sudo caught my eye. I ordered it,and read part of it. It was fascinating and approached guitar from an entirely different level. While his Zen method can be applied to any instrument, the author was a guitarist and focused on presenting the musical Zen methods from that reference point.
         Over the years,I had kept my copy of the book,and I picked it up again fairly recently. Then I had discovered Philip had passed back in 2002. My first attempt at reading it was smothered at the time by my having a job in a most emotionally toxic place of employment. I was just starting my journey into New Thought and hadn't started studying A Course In Miracles yet,so I had allowed my then supervisor's and certain co-workers bullying me throw me totally off my learning from the Zen book.
          I quit that job,gradually got myself together with the help of reading Hay House authors,and I was led back to the Zen Guitar book again.
     It dawned on me this would be a wonderful way of being when playing ukulele. So I'm offering this method of playing and being to my readers,a cyber dojo if you will. I have always been drawn to Buddhist teachings,and I'm hoping you find the writings to come to be most helpful.

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Ukulele In Old Time Country/Western Swing

Cowboy Songs For Ukulele Review

Something Old,Something New.....

A New Way of Learning Your Instrument

Hold Out Your Cup And Receive......

Establishing Your Dojo: A Mindful Space

What is Ukulele Zen?

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