Meghan Trainor and the ukulele

Ever since I began my love affair with the ukulele, I've kept an eye out for hit music where the ukulele plays a part and the most recent song which has a ukulele version is none other than Meghan Trainor's All About The Bass. She plays the ukulele and sings the song and it sounds bloody brilliant, but she does have a very good voice and this is without voice synthesisers.  She just has a very good voice. Although the version below is sung in a studio, Meghan has a number of versions on Youtube, one of which you will find is the first time she sang it in public, in Nashville which was on the 16.07.14. (UK date format).

 

It is great to see the continuing rise of the ukulele, going from strength to strength, this is a versatile and portable instrument which deserves a place in the heart of everyone interested in music.  Here is a list of other popular songs where the ukulele plays a part.

Hey Soul Sister - Train

You and I - Ingrid Michaelson

Somewhere over the Rainbow -Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole

Five years time - Noah and the Whale

Rise - Eddie Vedder

You belong to me - Stevie Martin (Film The Jerk) written also by Eddie Vedder

The above songs actually have the ukulele in them, but nearly every song which is out can be played with the ukulele and I would say some are certainly disposed to doing a pretty good rendition on the ukulele, for example: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, Ho Hey by the Lumineers, I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons and lastly Hey there Delilah by the Plain White Ts.  (Nearly forgot Amanda Palmer who sings a lot of songs on the uke). All these are very hip songs, quite contemporary and not too difficult to learn. Even if the mixing of singing and ukulele playing can be difficult to begin with, it's fun to try and one thing I have enjoyed is laughing at my self when I do try.

When I discover new pop music it has now become a habit to check and see if there is a version of someone doing the song on a ukulele and most of the time there is one. There are some great, easy to follow tutorials as well. A number of Youtube teachers break songs down into the simplest versions and in getting started these are definitely the place to start.

So without a doubt this BLOG is an advertisement for the most beautiful and easiest of instruments to learn music and song on (in my opinion) the ukulele.  Mine is called Harvey, and I have another called Bertha, but not yet a third.  In the evenings you will find me, strumming away, watching youtube vids and even trying to sing along. A lone man and a uke, fun, funny and very satisfying.