Question About Fly Me To The Moon

[BiosphereDecay]

https://jollyrogerukulele.com/songs/FlyMeToTheMoonUkulele.pdf

I just don't have the finger strength for those hammer-ons, but I do like this arrangement, and am using the sheet music over the tabs when I can. Having both right next to each other is very nice. Anyone have alternatives to the hammer-ons?

In the tabs, it shows a chord on every rest, which seems like... Not a rest at all.

I've also noticed that the chord charts above the sheet music don't always match up to the fingering shown in the tabs. Which should I be listening to?

 

[rainbow21]

Not spotting the hammer ons. But two alternatives are to use a slide or (easiest) to just play the notes separately, as if no hammer on.

 

[merlin666]

What symbol do you think is hammer on? Looks pretty straightforward, though the TuffUke tab could be improved with indicator on when to pluck or when to strum multiple strings at once.

 

[BiosphereDecay]

I typed slide originally, then looked it up, and Google told me the curves connecting notes were hammer ons, and a straight line was a slide. Either way, how do I play the parts where the singer holds a note for a long time? If they are slides, then how do I deal with the notes being on multiple strings?

 

[man0a]

I typed slide originally, then looked it up, and Google told me the curves connecting notes were hammer ons, and a straight line was a slide. Either way, how do I play the parts where the singer holds a note for a long time? If they are slides, then how do I deal with the notes being on multiple strings?

An arc between notes could be a hammer on if the second note is higher than the first note (or lower for a pull off). When the 2 notes are the same, then just pluck the first one and let it ring through the second one. Of course, a good quality ukulele will usually ring longer than a cheaper ukulele.

You can also use a vibrato to try to make the extended note more interesting. Here is a tutorial from the Ukulele Underground YouTube channel.

 

[LorenFL]

I saw this thread title in passing a couple hours ago. Didn't even click on it.

Then I was in the kitchen cooking some soup singing "fly me to the moon" and I had no idea why.

Now I know why. Just thought you should know.

 

[merlin666]

The arc means that you hold the note and if you compare notation with the two tabs the melody tab plays around the long notes on some instances and the one with chords just plays chords through the long notes. So you can mix it up as you like. Mandolin players often use a trill technique for long notes, but this is challenging without a pick and takes a lot of practice.

 

[UkingViking]

I think that Google pointed you in a wrong direction when it said that the lines were hammer ons. Perhaps to some example where it was, in general it is not necessarily.

Here the lines are between notes of the same value. It just tells you to hold the note for very long, the combined length of the notes shown. This is longer than the sustain of most ukuleles. Quite frankly, it looks like it is just the standard notation for the vocals converted to tab, and no though has been put into how to make it sound good on ukulele. That is what the lowest tab is for, where it has been worked over more. The top tab can be played as a solo, but is probably more a reference if you want to know where you can pick the note you need to sing. You probably cant really hold the note for that long with ukulele sustain.

If I see a curved line between two different notes, I would assume to use either a slide, hammer on or pull off depending on the context. I may be wrong, but I would usually assume a slide to be appropriate. One thing that is easier in ASCI tabs, or what it is called when it is just written in courier new so it lines up, is that people usually write s for slide og h for hammer on between the notes

Edit:
I see Jan naming the line between different notes a slur in the post below. I will just add the notion that in standard notation, this then tells you to "slur" from one note to the other. Standard notation tells you what to play, not how to play it on your instrument. Because standard notation is not instrument specific. You have to figure that out yourself. On an ukulele your bag off tools includes slides, and hammer ons/pull offs, and you must decide which one works for you. If the slur is translated directly to tabs without additional information, like you might see in ASCI written tabs, the arranger has not chosen for you - and must still decide for yourself.

 

[Jan D]

There are no hammer-ons or slides in this arrangement. All of the curves are called “ties.” A tie connects the same note/pitch two or more times. It’s a way of holding the length of the note past the end of the measure and into the next measure. (If the curve connects notes of different pitches, the curve is called a “slur.”). Using a tie is simply a way of indicating that the original pitch should be held for a longer period of time.

A chord over a rest: The rest only applies to the lyric/singing line. While the singer takes a rest, the person playing the TuffUke version plays an additional chord in that measure to enhance the arrangement and sustain the sound longer. The chord names above the lyric line can apply to either the Ukulele Melody line or the TuffUke line, or both. For example, if you look at measure 4, the C7 chord only applies if you are playing the TuffUke line.

 

[JukeManJole]

Thanks for posting this PDF very much.

I have been learning the chords. On measure 35, I got royally confused and thought I should try to do the 5fr version of Dm7 for two counts and then the normal version for two counts, and I worked really hard on that transition for a long time. Then I came back and looked at it again and realized that’s not what it was asking. Good exercise though. I could do it with strumming on each quarter note, but can’t yet pull off a flawless DxDUDxDU, which is the pattern I use when I have to switch chords 1/2 way through a measure.

I’m about to start learning the TuffUke finger style line. What do the little dots mean next to the numbers? For example, the first thing to play is 3000 but there is a little dot next to the 3. Is that staccato? That’s my best guess after looking through this: https://www.theukulelereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/uke_tab_legend.pdf

Thanks again for posting the pdf.

 

[man0a]

Thanks for posting this PDF very much.

I have been learning the chords. On measure 35, I got royally confused and thought I should try to do the 5fr version of Dm7 for two counts and then the normal version for two counts, and I worked really hard on that transition for a long time. Then I came back and looked at it again and realized that’s not what it was asking. Good exercise though. I could do it with strumming on each quarter note, but can’t yet pull off a flawless DxDUDxDU, which is the pattern I use when I have to switch chords 1/2 way through a measure.

I’m about to start learning the TuffUke finger style line. What do the little dots mean next to the numbers? For example, the first thing to play is 3000 but there is a little dot next to the 3. Is that staccato? That’s my best guess after looking through this: https://www.theukulelereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/uke_tab_legend.pdf

Thanks again for posting the pdf.

A dot next to a quarter note (or any note) means to hold the note for 1.5x the nominal note value (so a 1/4 note becomes 3/8). This is standard musical notation adapted to tablature.

 

[JukeManJole]

A dot next to a quarter note (or any note) means to hold the note for 1.5x the nominal note value (so a 1/4 note becomes 3/8). This is standard musical notation adapted to tablature.

Gotcha! Makes a lot of sense. I knew that for notation…. not sure why I didn’t just assume same for tab!

 

[Nickie]

I rarely if ever use a hammer on or a pulloff. I consider them intermediate tricks. But I do some sliding. Sliding down the neck (toward the headstock) is more challenging than sliding up.