SOTU 554 "Swayin' to the tempo of a squeezebox melody" Songs About Instruments

[Oldscruggsfan]

I wouldn't doubt it. Here's a comment from Tim O'Brien: "When I heard Kelly Joe the first time, I was amazed how it all made so much sense. His music is a wide world with three hundred and sixty degrees of influence.... Kelly Joe is a musical slight of hand master. He pulls world wide sounds out of his guitar."

I first heard the tune at least 10 years ago and was never able to recall the title. When I’d search online for “high top sneakers”, all I’d get was rap garbage with filthy lyrics. I finally relocated Tim’s tune a few months back and saved the web link for future reference. The chord progression is somewhat boring for a uke but the lyrics always make me smile.

 

[Canada Jim]

At this time, the guitar is in the lead with 14 entries, followed by ukulele with 12. I'm gonna bring that up to 13 now.
Ukulele Lady - Kahn and Whiting

 

[Canada Jim]

Here's Loudon Wainwright III's The Ukulele Song to bring the uke up to a tie for first place with the guitar. I think I've used allof my uke songs so I'm depending on all of you Seasonistas to push the uke to the top.

 

[Ms Bean]

I hope to bring another one later, but I'll add this one for now.
I discovered Tom The Piper's Son, apparently a traditional nursery rhyme. The pipe I used for the prerecorded bass line is an alto flute.

If you've never heard about the song either, you can find some information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom,_Tom,_the_Piper's_Son

The sheet music with the melody and lyrics I based my version on is available via this link:
https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1524

I'm nursing a sore throat, there are a lot of colds around. Last night the heating came on for the first time now summer's well and truly over...

 

[Canada Jim]

WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE - Written in 1926 by Jack Yellen & Milton Alger puts the ukuleleon top again until someone comes up with a guitar song (or 14 people come up with Taishogoto songs)

 

[Flatbaroque]

WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE - Written in 1926 by Jack Yellen & Milton Alger puts the ukuleleon top again until someone comes up with a guitar song (or 14 people come up with Taishogoto songs)

Jim funny you should say that. I'm currently working on a Taishogoto concept album. It's called Taisho Go To Oz. About a Japanese tourist and his adventures in Australia. His adventures mainly consist of getting bitten by native animals. eg track 3 is Taisho Go to Zoo
"Taisho go to zoo
what a hullabalo
bitten by an emu
and a kangaroo"
I have 14 songs written and hope to post before seasons end..but dependent on finding a Taishogoto on ebay to do some overdubs.

 

[AlanDP]

Ukulele, piano, violin, and castanet!

 

[DelGriff]

Thanks for hosting, Jim!

Here’s a Coldplay cover - sorry Bob! Bells and drums mentioned here for you, Jim! With added synth bass, strings, bells and drums. I love this song.

 

[joo]

Hi again Jim!
My focus this weekend is to relax and enjoy my time off work, and play my ukulele. Here is another song about UKULELE!
while trying to do some housework I ended up recording this.
I played my new Tanglewood soprano uke that has a solid spruce top. I am in love with it. It sings and squeaks like it has a mind of its own.

Lyrics:
HOUSE-work There's so much HOUSE-work I've gotta do these HOUSE-work I gotta keep it clean and cozy
ME-work There's so much ME-work I've gotta do these ME-work I gotta keep me whole and healthy
THEY-work There's too much THEY-work I don't wanna do these THEY-work I just wanna play my ukulele.



as you can see in my photos there are ukes ambushing me everywhere I turn so it's a bit hard to focus on doing my housework...

 

[mountain goat]

38 instruments in 36 seconds!
can you handle it Jim!!!???
consider this my attempt to bust your abacus mate

 

[Canada Jim]

Friday submissions


-I loved Jon's rendition of the old folk song Old King Quine, which mentioned 4 instruments.
-Rob gave us a beautiful song, Dance Me To The End Of Love, which mentioned a violin, and made use of a phone book as a percussion instrument. Even though the phonebook didn't get a mention in the lyrics, I was impressed enough with his performance to add it to our list.
-Brian gave us a cool old Australian folk song that I'd never heard before, The Drover's Dream.
-Rob brought us a unique interpretation of The Auld Triangle. -Jon & Joo gave us a wonderful rendition of an old song I'd never heard, I Love A Ukulele. -Rick gave us two new instruments and added to three we already had with CCR's Down On The Corner. This sounds like a song about a jug band to me.
-Old Scruggs Fan has given us an instrumental Mandolin Rain, which mentions mandolin and banjo. (It also mentions a bluegrass band, but this is too vague a term. since bluegrass bands have contained, besides the mandolin, banjo, guitar, fiddle, and bass, sometimes Dobro, ukulele, accordion, mouth harp and even piano, drums and saxophone.
-To bring the uke tally up to a tie with the guitar for first place, I've added Ukulele Lady and Loudon's The Ukulele Song.
-Sabine once again showed us her versatility by playing a flute line in Tom The Piper's Son. I was familiar with a nursery rhyme but had never heard it performed as a song.
-I put the Uke back on top (for a while) with this song, Washington At Valley Forge.
-And Alan gave us another uke song Give Me A Ukulele. I'll have to add that one to my repertoire.
-Great song from Del - Viva La Vida
-Another super original song from Joo about avoiding housework and playing the ukulele Housework.
-Well I've finished tallying up Jon's instruments from his great little Instrument Song and I'm goin' to bed.


This brings the list to:

-Ukuleles - 18
-Guitars - 15
-Fiddle -10
-Piano - 10
-Drum -8
-Trumpet - 6
-Banjo - 6
-Bagpipes - 6
-Harp - 4
-Bells - 3
-Zither -3
-Mandolin - 3
-Kazoo - 3
-Mouth harp - 3
-Dulcimer -2
-Clarinet -2
-Trombone -2
-Flute -2
-Cello - 2
-Castinet - 2
-Maracas - 1
-Ocarina - 1
-Flugelhorn - 2
-Tambourine - 2
-Glockenspiel- 2
-Dan moi - 1
-Ondes martenot - 1
-Coronet -1
-Bassoon -1
-Euphonium -1
-Accordion - 1
-Whistle - 1
-Gong - 1
-Didgeridoo - 1
-Tanpura - 1
-Taishogoto - 1
-Jug - 1
-Phone book - 1
-Bones - 1
-Triangle - 1
-Toy hammer - 1
-Gut bucket - 1
-Washboard - 1
-Bass - 1
-Music box - 1
-Euphonium - 1
-Theremin - 1
-Vibes - 1
-Hammered dulcimer
-Saxophone - 1
-Xylophone - 1
-Footstomp - 1
-Cowbell - 1
-Synthesizer - 1
-Viola - 1

​

Please let me know if I've missed putting a video on the Play List.

 

[Strumdaddy]

Here's one that shows the joyful power of the uke... A true story told to me years ago, thought I'd flesh it out for this weeks season.
The bloke telling me about Billy Goss (real name) said they would have died to save Billy and his uke; in hard times a uke and a song or two go a long way!!

 

[joo]

er, Jim, I am here again........!
Today I recorded this song I wrote in 2015 or 2016, using my new ebony baritone uke.
It is about the Seasons of the Ukulele.
I asked Jon to add stuff over and he did something wonderful to it. Thank you so much, Jon!
details in the YT video description.

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

MacPherson was a fine fiddler, and he composed this tune the night before he was hanged and played it on the scaffold. Then he offered to give his fiddle to anyone who would play the tune at his wake. No-one would, so he smashed the fiddle. Anyone who had accepted it would have shown themselves to be a relative or friend of his and so liable to arrest themselves.

The song is also known as 'MacPherson's Farewell'. Robert Burns rewrote the song, but these are the traditional lyrics. The tune is very popular amongst Scottish fiddlers.

 

[LimousinLil]

Hello again, Jim! I think I am bringing you your second washboard! (Actually, I haven't got a washboard, but earlier this week I acquired a "Guiro," which is a Latin American percussion instrument (photos below) and I thought it would do the job ... which it sort of does, if you don't listen too closely; there is also a little tentative kazoo involved. Oh, and there is a sloshy, bubbly, soapy bit at the beginning!) Anyway, herewith ...




And this is a Guiro ....

 

[Ila]

Hello again, Jim! I think I am bringing you your second washboard! (Actually, I haven't got a washboard, but earlier this week I acquired a "Guiro," which is a Latin American percussion instrument (photos below) and I thought it would do the job ... which it sort of does, if you don't listen too closely; there is also a little tentative kazoo involved. Oh, and there is a sloshy, bubbly, soapy bit at the beginning!) Anyway, herewith ...




And this is a Guiro ....

Great pictures, Val!

 

[bird's eye view of my ukelele]

Jumping on the "guitar" bandwagon with a homemade-y...

"Star"



You're a star, on your guitar.
A shining star, on your guitar.
Oh lady, you knock 'em dead, baby, bright like the sun.
You got them moving their feet, to the beat, each and every one.
You're a star, on your guitar.
A shining star, on your guitar.
You're on the radio, oh baby don't you know, everybody's singing.
Singing with you, girl, all around the world, can't you feel the love they're bringing?
Star, on your guitar.
A shining star, on your guitar.
Oh you're a star, on your guitar.
A shining star, on your guitar.

 

[Canada Jim]

Saturday submissions

-Karl (AKA Strumdaddy) gave us a wonderful home-made song, Billy Goss and His Ukulele. Why have I never heard Karl before?
-And another home-made song about us from Joo and John, the Two Little Woodpeckers, called Some Friends.
-Rob has a delightful rendition of a song I love called MacPherson's Rant (AKA MacPherson's Farewell or MacPherson's Lament)
-I learn something new every time I listen to a video. Val sang Coney Island Washboard, one I learned in the sixties Great Folk Scare, but I never realised that it had a verse. Thanks Val.
-Lynda (AKA Bird's Eye View Of My Uke) gave us a home-made song, Star, that fit the topic perfectly.


This brings the list to:
-Ukuleles - 20
-Guitars - 16
-Fiddle -11
-Piano - 10
-Drum -8
-Trumpet - 6
-Banjo - 6
-Bagpipes - 6
-Harp - 4
-Bells - 3
-Zither -3
-Mandolin - 3
-Kazoo - 3
-Mouth harp - 3
-Dulcimer -2
-Clarinet -2
-Trombone -2
-Flute -2
-Cello - 2
-Castinet - 2
-Flugelhorn - 2
-Tambourine - 2
-Glockenspiel- 2
-Washboard - 2
-Maracas - 1
-Ocarina - 1
-Dan moi - 1
-Ondes martenot - 1
-Coronet -1
-Bassoon -1
-Euphonium -1
-Accordion - 1
-Whistle - 1
-Gong - 1
-Didgeridoo - 1
-Tanpura - 1
-Taishogoto - 1
-Jug - 1
-Phone book - 1
-Bones - 1
-Triangle - 1
-Toy hammer - 1
-Gut bucket - 1
-Bass - 1
-Music box - 1
-Euphonium - 1
-Theremin - 1
-Vibes - 1
-Hammered dulcimer - 1
-Saxophone - 1
-Xylophone - 1
-Footstomp - 1
-Cowbell - 1
-Synthesizer - 1
-Viola - 1

​

Please let me know if I've missed putting a video on the Play List.

 

[Canada Jim]

ME AND MR. MARTIN – David Yates

My little brother Dave had left his guitars in the case while he was undergoing treatment for cancer. In a period of relapse , he took out the old Martin D-18 that he and I had bought together in the mid-seventies, (I sold him my half a couple of years later so that I could buy my D-21) and he wrote this song.
The cancer finally caught up to him and we lost him in 2011. This song is about his return to playing after a long lapse.
Of five Yates siblings, all of whom have been playing guitar since the sixties, Dave was probably the most musically talented. I have simplified the changes from the chords that Dave used in order to learn it this week. I had trouble making it all the way through this song without choking up.

The Martin now belongs to Dave's son Steve.


Here are Dave and me jamming in Ottawa - Of course that's not the Martin.

 

[Wiggy]

SOTU 554 "Swayin' to the tempo of a squeezebox melody" songs about instruments

The creativity for this season is amazing!