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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
 Posted - 04/09/2007 : 12:37:13 PM
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I know I have to keep things very simple to be able to play them. I've tried to work through a version of "Ahi Wela" someone was nice enough to make available for download, but I find some of the chords to be too difficult for me. Chords with an up - down - up - down sequence require too much time for me to even approximately form, and when I do, I usually have two fingers touching once string. There are quite a few with that pattern in this arrangment.
Does anyone know of a web site that provides easy substitutions (in terms of chords or, better yet, general fingering positions) for these "hard" chords? Right now I play the notes very slowly, then fingerpick the notes of the chord as quickly as I can (in a sort of faux arpeggio), to try to make up for it. It does work, but it doesn't give the song the nice punctuation that strumming would.
Are there any Hawaiian fingerstyle books that use "easy" chords? They don't have to be the three most popular chords (like G, C, and F), as long as there is a tab and the finger positions don't typically require more than three fingers on the strings, and no odd finger positions for a beginner.
Thanks.
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Thank you. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2007 : 1:44:59 PM
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| I have a chord sheet version of Ahi Wela available from Moonlight Beach Ukeulele Strummers in the Key of G Major for ukulele (or guitar). There are five chords, G, G7, A7, C and D7. If you transposed this to the key of F Major, the five chords would be F, F7, G7, Bb, and C7. In first position , these shouldn't be "hard" chords for ukulele -- guitar in standard tuning is a different animal. In G I play the G and the D7 as bar chords so these can be more difficult. Email me if you need the chord sheet. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2007 : 4:03:52 PM
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Thanks! I'm still working through it. The version I have is a fingerstyle work. It's very nice. I'm just too clumsy to be able to get my fingers down to the base of the ukulele and in the up-down-up-down pattern. It sounds okay if I do the slow, faux arpeggio instead of strumming. I found a chord based verson on-line by searching, but I was hoping to find some way to at least come close to this nice fingerstyle arrangment, even it meant having to substitute a chord. (I was thinking of just barring a fret at the "average" fret height and sticking one finger lower in one of the indicated positions, to speed things up and "approximate" the music, but for now, the "slow faux arpeggio" really isn't such a bad approach as long as you're not playing in a group with time limits - in which case the chord melody approach would probably work best.) I'll let you know about the tab if this doesn't work! There are some Hawaiian music tabs here:
http://ukuleleguild.alohasheetmusic.com/Default.aspx?alias=ukuleleguild.alohasheetmusic.com&type=-1&itemid=-1
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Thank you. |
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Tonya
Lokahi
USA
177 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 07:15:37 AM
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quote:
Are there any Hawaiian fingerstyle books that use "easy" chords? They don't have to be the three most popular chords (like G, C, and F), as long as there is a tab and the finger positions don't typically require more than three fingers on the strings, and no odd finger positions for a beginner.
Well, I was going to suggest Mark Nelson's book, but when I went to your website, I saw that it looks as if you already may have that one. When you're asking for Hawaiian music "tab" are you meaning true tablature (the four lines, each representing one string) or the chord notations showing the chord name and (sometimes) a diagram of the chord shape? |
http://www.uketreasures.com
http://www.ukuleletonya.com |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 07:47:19 AM
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quote:
I've tried to work through a version of "Ahi Wela" someone was nice enough to make available for download, but I find some of the chords to be too difficult for me. Chords with an up - down - up - down sequence require too much time for me to even approximately form, and when I do, I usually have two fingers touching once string.
Couple tho'ts:
1) The arrangement (which is available as a download on my website) plays through the song twice. The first time through uses easy chords, or at least as easy as I could make them and still get the whole tune and harmony. Then there's a little bridge, and you play the same melody reharmonized. If you want, skip the bridge and everything after measure 16.
BTW: It's not one of the 'easy" arrangements in the book -- it's supposed to be a challenge.
2) I don't know what you mean by "chords with an up-down-up-down sequence". But if you have a problem with placing your fingers when playing four note (closed position) chords you may need a bigger `ukulele. That's why most folks choose a tenor -- they are tuned the same, just have much more room on the fingerboard. Heck, I can't play most of the book on Annie's concert, let alone a soprano.
One more thing: "Fingerstyle Solos for `Ukulele" is a method book. It starts out very easy and gets progressively more dificult. It's got lots of info on how to move from playing basic melodies and chords to the more difficult material. You might want to take a look at it before you try to tackle the hard stuff.
Good luck!
Mark |
Edited by - Mark on 04/10/2007 07:48:30 AM |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 07:56:20 AM
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One of the things I do when I play ukulele with others, rather than chalang-a-lang strum the ukulele is to arpeggiate the chords (like you say) in a fingerstyle. I have a low G tenor so this works out well. Usually, my ukulele is an octave above the slack key guitar and the low G is different that the other reentrant tuned soprano and concert ukuleles -- so I (can) add to the music rather than "join the crowd".
Also, if you know the scale note positions in the key you are playing, you can "add-in" or "drop-off" notes to the chord position with hammer-ons and pull-offs or even slides to make your very own fingerstyle arrangement to the song. You can also create the simplified versions of chords by lifting a finger when the open string position is a valid note in the "key scale".
Here is an exercise. (1) Determine the key of the song sheet you are playing from. It is usually the starting or ending chord, and most likely the chord following the dominant seventh chord. In the case of Ahi Wela, the key chord is the chord you play at the end of the verse (before the transition/turnaround chord) " -- I Ka Pu'u Wai" (the chord over the "Wai") -- it follows the 7th chord. The music I have for "Ahi Wela" is in the key of G Major and the chord over "Wai" is a G Major chord - it follows a D7th.
(2) In this case, determine the G Major scale notes on the fretboard (The Taropatch tuning applet is real helpful here) http://www.taropatch.net/tuning_applet.htm 
0 G C E A
1 - - - -
2 A D F#B
3 - - G C
4 B E - -
5 C - A D
6 - F#- - . . . and so on . . . .
 (if you really study this, the G major [I], C Major [IV], and D7th [V7] chords all overlay these notes) (a "voila" moment)
You can see that all the open strings are notes in the G Major scale so you should be able to lift off any finger and it should sound close to what you want -- especially if the note is the melody note (at the time). This is a fancy way to add in 6th chords, added seconds (or ninths) and can add color. The trick is not to add lime green when you are aiming for hot pink (unless you are Leroy Neiman  ). Have fun. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 09:21:02 AM
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Mark,
Your arrangement of "Ahi Wela" is great. Your performance is breathtaking. I'm not criticizing it. In fact, I'm working through it trying to evoke some element of the feeling and graceful performance that you create, but with much more limited success due to my skill level. (I recommended your book on my web site because your arrangement of "Ahi Wela" is so good.)
By up - down - up down I mean chords that make me put alternate fingers on higher and lower frets as suggested by the chord diagram. I know that you'd probably try to barre the higher fret if there are two notes on the same upper fret ,and only place fingers on the lower positions, but even that is difficult for me. I normally only play chords that require three or fewer fingers on the fingerboard (except for a few popular one's like D7, where I can barre a fret for most of the notes, or at least two on the bottom of the finger board, and the others descend to lower frets).
I can play your arrangement on my new concert ukulele, but only if I finger pick each note in the chords. (You have to keep track of the order in which they'd be strummed, instead of merely how they show up in the standard notation reading from top to bottom - at least it helps to recreate some element of your sound.) I don't want to pat myself on the back, but the "slow faux arpeggio" approach works pretty well once you get the timing down so that the music makes sense. (If you play the individual notes too fast between the chords that you are very slowly "arpeggiating" by finger picking each one, or fail to use notes that repeat those in the chord to lend tonal emphasis, it won't make sense if you're using the "slow faux arpeggio" approach.)
I understand your book is progressive. I like to be able to play all the tunes in a book, and given that a lot of people have soprano and concert sized ukuleles, I think the "slow faux arpeggio" approach may work for those of us who can't quite form all of the chords - for whatever reason. A little variation in speed, as long as its graceful and intentional, to accomodate this alternate approach, isn't necessarily a bad thing, but with practice you begin to get the music down - even if you can't form all the chords and provide the nice punctuating strums.
Thank you for another one of those great musical experiences!
Mika ele - I've had not formal musical training, so let me paraphrase what you're saying. That way we can see if my comprehension of your statements even scratches the surface:
1. Get to know the notes positions. My reply: I know the note positions only for the first, highest occurrence of each note on the strings. I know the scale, so I can figure them out for each string below those memorized locations, but they aren't instinctive. As long as I slow the pace down, I can finger pick through the chords, but I'd have trouble figuring out how to make my own "tab positions" for chords mentally as I play based upon the string tunings if they aren't a standard chord that I know. That's what started me on the "slow faux arpeggio" course the night before last. The arrangement of "Ahi Wela" I downloaded from Mark's site is simply too nice not to learn to play, in any fashion. I have added some ornamental notes to try to keep more with Mark's virtuosic rendition and make up for my slow timing.
2. If I read part two correctly, you're saying I can form any chord in C on fret positions from 0 through 6. Definitely something to remember. I think what you're saying is to analyze any chord and consider whether to approach it as written or by shifting up a bit. Of course, the music arranger is also thinking of the notes that came before and after relative to where your left hand should be to make the transition easier. For now, I just keep things slow, and do the fake arpeggiating by fingerpicking each note at known positions. This "Ahi Wela" extends to the A above the "F" at the top of the five line treble clef staff, so you spend a little time near the bottom of the fingerboard. As you have suggested regarding "your own arrangment", you can find ways around that by simply lowering the top note and the one's that follow by the same tonal displacement. This need to extend above the G just above the top line of the treble clef makes a concert or tenor ukulele a nice thing if you're going to buy your first ukulele. I went with a concert because I'd never played a real ukulele before, just my birdhouse ukuleles, that were built large to make them easier to hold onto. I go along with Mark in terms of suggesting that newcomers think seriously of a tenor ukulele. Even if they're young and small, they'll grow into it, and not be disappointed by the range of the scale. Ukuleles are simply too nice to pass by because of scale limitations for popular, fingerstyle music!
Tonya - I was hoping for chord positions that I could sub for some of those that occur near the bottom of the fingerboard in the arrangement I have. Particularly those that seem to require contact with all four strings in, what for me, are awkward orientations. (Of course, I only know about fourteen different chords, most near the top of the ukulele - lets see: D, D7, G, G7, C, C6, Cmaj7, A, A7, Amajor, Eminor, Bb, F#minor, F.) Note: Once again - the arrangement of "Ahi Wela" sounds great, I just have to take it slowly and fingerpick the notes in the chords in a "slow faux arpeggio".
Thanks for the great advice! |
Thank you. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 12:21:23 PM
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No worries, I'm only trying to help. 
quote:
By up - down - up down I mean chords that make me put alternate fingers on higher and lower frets as suggested by the chord diagram. I know that you'd probably try to barre the higher fret if there are two notes on the same upper fret ,and only place fingers on the lower positions, but even that is difficult for me.
I'm still unclear on what you mean -- barres are usually held at the lowest fret, not the highest. F'rinstance, the Bb in measure 9 uses a barre at the 5th fret. There is nowhere in the arrangement where I'd barre the upper frets and place fingers on the lower positions.
quote:
I can play your arrangement on my new concert ukulele, but only if I finger pick each note in the chord
Well, that would be the point, wouldn't it? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Seriously, that's they way I play, and that's the point of the book. Your discovery of the "faux arpeggio" is exactly how you should play the chords when they are written on one beat. I rarely use a strum when I'm playing melody. , certainly not on the arrangement you've heard.
Here's a quote from the notes to the first lesson: "To get started, place your thumb on the 4th string and use one finger per string. For more expressiveness, pluck the chords in a quick rolling motion, staring with your thumb."
Sounds like you are well on your way to getting it. Good on ya.
I suggested a tenor uke because it sounded like you were having trouble gettting your fingers to fit on the smaller fretboard. I have big hands, so it's a real issue for me. If you can swing with a concert, great.
Happy ukein'.
Mark
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 4:00:11 PM
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One of the bigget helps I've found for learning difficult songs is to slow the tempo way down. The timing is critical, you have to play in time. Take it as slow as is necessary to fit it all in, and still keep the timing even.Speed comes on it's own, and it will. Make sure you aren't trying to play too close to the pace of Mark's recording. Ahi Wela isn't typically played fast, but slow it down as much as you need to, until your hands catch up with your eyes.It will be worth the wait.
Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 4:37:59 PM
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Barres should be held on the lowest fret? I'll have to try it sometime.... (Semi-humor here, but truthfully, I didn't know that. I thought you simply picked the upper or lower as appropriate.)
By "finger pick", I meant individually, rather than as a rolling strum with the left hand in one position during the strum. I have to move my left hand up and down the fingerboard to find each note in the chord. (Your arpeggio is more legitimate than what I'm doing. My approach is slower and forces motion along the fingerboard while playing the chord's notes. That's why I called it a "slow, faux arpeggio". At the same time, there's not a chord on the ukulele you can't approximate using this approach if you can read the notes in the chord quickly enough, or perhaps I should say, if your vision is good enough that you can make out on which line each little black blob appears. Better install a 100 Watt bulb in the lamp near your favorite chair before you try it.)
The chord in the fourth bar was giving me fits when I tried to get my fingers in position in time to strum it. I substituted a barre at the "high" G note position on the A string and one finger on the "high" A note position. Its simple, permits you to plant your fingers quickly, and it sounds okay.
Bb (used in this and a lot of other compositions) also gives me trouble because my finger tends to rise up off the A string when I push down on the G and C strings on the third and second frets, respectively. I have to "fake" the Bb by only pushing down on the G string at the third fret and using a barre at the first fret with my finger rotated slightly so that the pressure is not exerted in a plane in which the joints are hinged. That tends to keep more even pressure across the strings and stops the buzzing A string (at the price of playing C# instead of D on the C string) - yet another new discovery for me. I experimented and gave up on the legitimate Bb chord tonight. I simply can not consistently get it right. I can get the "faux" Bb (Bb minor) right. Perhaps I too should write a book - "How to Play Ukulele - the "Faux Way"". (Just kidding. I can see Chapter One now: Buy yourself a "smart" ukulele. Press the "on" button. Select tune...)
My fingers don't fit on a ukulele fingerboard because I have thick fingers. Its hard to make a barre work near the base of the neck where the frets are close together. At the same time, they're short, so a wider fret board wouldn't necessarily be a big help. It could make things worse. A longer fingerboard might help if it meant the frets were farther apart. (A long fingerboard that uses the extra space to extend the range with the same fret spacing wouldn't help.) |
Thank you. |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 6:09:28 PM
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Absolute, I wonder if your up or down the neck is the opposite of what the others are describing. I think you are thinking of up and down as toward the ceiling or toward the floor. Mark is thinking in terms of pitch, so as you move your fretting fingers toward the body of the uke, toward the floor, you are moving UP in pitch. Mark's up and down is what most people use and refers to pitch, not gravity.
Your up and down fingering sounds like diminished chords to me. I think of them as zig-zags. They are hard for me to shift to and get a clean tone. Is that what you mean? Or something like an F7 has up and down fingering as I think you mean it.
Instead of looking for easier chords, keep practicing. I've been sloughing off lately and haven't looked at Mark's book for awhile, but I recall he uses fairly basic chords, not jazzy knuckle busters. Practice shifting from one chord to a troublesome chord over and over, slowly at first and then at speed. Use chord pairs from familiar songs so you are practicing common chord progressions you are likely to encounter rather than making up your own combinations. When I say over and over, I mean in spurts with resting or other chord pairs in between. You don't want to injure yourself.
There are no fretting police that say there is only one proper way to fret a chord. Use the most comfortable way. Sometimes, use a different way if that will let you get to the next chord faster. For instance, for a D7 to G7 progression, barre the 2nd fret in the D7 with your 2nd finger and hold the 1st string 3rd fret with your 3rd finger for a faster shift into G7 position.
A tenor has a longer fingerboard with more space between the frets than a soprano has. I think the width is the same, but I've never measured it. Both normally have 12 frets to the body, but the tenor will have more frets over the body. |
Pauline |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 7:26:02 PM
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Yes, I was thinking in a Newtonian and not a musical sense. Apples fall downward, not upward in my brain, although if they were musically inclined, perhaps...
I have a rule with regard to chords. If I attempt to shift into them repeatedly and fail, I find a "sounds like" version that may have a finger off a string, and live with it. Bb and Bb minor are pretty similar, for example. I'm not one of those people with the hands of a musician. Instead of long, straight, narrow levers for fingers, I've got thick, boney, fingers that don't fit well between the strings in a lateral sense, or betweet the frets vertically. (It's a lot of fun to try to play notes on a piano when I have to wedge my fingers between the skinny section of the keys. I try not to laugh when those situations arise! Perhaps there's an idea here for a new product - musician's wax for people with thick fingers, who don't have enough sense not to bother!)
"Ahi Wela" is supposed to be pretty old. Is it public domain? I'll e-mail ASCAP. Dare I try my hand at a pseudo-slack key version for public viewing, or must I contain myself? Don't want to run around violating copyrights. (I'm not going to attempt to copy anyone's recent work. IN FACT, even if the original "Ahi Wela" is public domain, I'll gladly yank any copy off my web site if one should ever appear there if it looks like someone else's work. Just tell me you think so.) |
Thank you. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2007 : 08:03:34 AM
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quote:
I have a rule with regard to chords. If I attempt to shift into them repeatedly and fail, I find a "sounds like" version that may have a finger off a string, and live with it. Bb and Bb minor are pretty similar, for example.
However, Bb major and minor chords serve very different harmonic purposes and cannot be substituted! Yes, this is one of those places where the mean old music teacher's gonna rap yer knuckles with a ruler. Putting a Bb minor in place of the Bb in that arrangement totally changes to flavor of the melody.
It's perfectly fine to substitute some chords that are easier to play-- like a first position Gm7 for a Bb major. Why? Because a Gm7 is the same as a Bb6.
It's also OK to just play parts of chords, which you seem to be doing.
Ahi Wela is PD, so go ahead and fool around with it for your own amusement and education.
You do raise a rather interesting point, which I might address as a general topic. To whit:
quote:
Dare I try my hand at a pseudo-slack key version for public viewing, or must I contain myself?
I respectfully counsel containment. Wait until you can play it with the proper harmony.
Like everyone else who has responded to your posts, I'm going to tell you the truth: you need to practice something over and over until you can play it. Doesn't matter how big or small your hands are. You are already practicing-- "If I attempt to shift into them repeatedly and fail" -- but what you are doing is practicing making mistakes.
Good luck. |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2007 : 1:30:34 PM
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Ouch!!
(Just kidding.) I'm glad "Ahi Wela" is public domain (until Congress extends the copyright law another 30 years). I put your version aside (to avoid infringement) and worked up a litle version with a few chords I can play last night using Uncle Daves slack key structure (or something similar - I don't use the same pattern the second time). It's simpler structurally.
I'd love to play Bb, and your arrangement remains top notch. I'm simply limited by what I can do with my fingers. If you can suggest how I can overcome the problem with the finger coming off the "A" string when I try to depress the G and C strings (instead of just the G string), I'd be happy to use the proper chord. The tendon in the finger on the E and A strings simply pulls it up if I put any tension on the C string. I had to roll the E and A string finger toward the side to even keep it straight enough to put pressure on the E and A string in a manner that produces a consistent result. (P.S. I used to only play D7, instead of D7 and D, but have worked my way into D, so perhaps there's hope for Bb as well. Such a silly little thing to worry about - yet you have a point. You pro's put a lot of thought into the chords you use. It's also a pain to have to keep trying to substitute chords or find work arounds.)
Thanks for trying to give me some pointers. Now can I say I've had professional musical training? |
Thank you. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2007 : 09:42:05 AM
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| Play the whole first fret as a bar with your pointer finger (adjust for comfort). The middle and ring fingers can then cover the G and C strings at the 3rd and 2nd frets. That way you lift off the middle finger and you get the Bb minor chord and you don't have to cramp your index/pointer finger trying only to cover two strings at the first fret. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2007 : 2:07:22 PM
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That's how I've been doing it, but the neck of this new ukulele is a bit wider.
I've reverted to my "birdhouse" ukuleles. Their necks are only an inch and a half wide, and I can form Bb with ease. Of course, it's just painted mahogany plywood, instead of a nice, resonant, sweet sounding, new, spruce top ukulele, but its a lot easier for me to play. Someday I'll build another one, with a longer neck (and adjust the frets accordingly). I think I'll drill a couple of holes near the top of the sound box instead of in the center, so it looks more like Keola Beamer's guitar, and keep the stick one piece from top to bottom (without a bridge to reduce buzzing) instead of two pieces with the sound hole in between. (Won't sound like Keola Beamer's guitar with me playing, but it's such a big box I'm probably killing the sound with only one hole in it.) Probably order some spruce and koa wood from E-bay, and use molding again from Home Depot for the neck, and some Aquila strings. I'll spend more time putting a finish on it if I've got nice wood; now that I also have some success in making something playable. Probably order a nut blank from somewhere now that I've got my needle file set...probably...someday...maybe...don't know when...then I've got to build a coffin case to fit it and line it with...well, you get the idea...someday....
P.S. I just downloaded a free trial of an anti-virus program. It cleaned one off my hard drive. It's from "Pandavision". You can Google it. It runs on my old Windows 98SE, which is rare for commercial anti-virus programs these days. It's good for 14 days. You need high speed to get it in less than a day on-line. |
Thank you. |
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