Colin Tribe’s new book offers new possibilities for ukulele players who aspire to fingerpick their way through thirty of the most popular songs of all time. These chord melody arrangements show a variety of ways the high G ukulele can be used for instrumental solo or duet (such as chord accompaniment and melodic fingerpicking) . Whether reading notation or tablature, fingerpicking is not for the faint-hearted. The book is well suited for intermediate and advanced players hungry for interesting arrangements that stretch the limits of the high G ukulele.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Discovering Fingerstyle Ukulele Songbook by Colin Tribe”Tag: instrumental
Holiday greetings: the gift of music
Another kind of holiday greeting is the gift of music. Denver-based singer and composer Melissa Axel and tuba player James Jacoby share their original tune “Sleigh Ride in Bora Bora” with the world. Download any of the 3 versions for free and pass it around. Support their fund raising campaign for their forthcoming debut album.
Here is an original Christmas tune written and performed by the multi-talented singer/songwriter Melissa Axel and her partner, James Jacoby, tuba player and augmented by their back-up band of vocals, violin, percussion, and more. There’s also an instrumental version and a karaoke version with lyrics.
Bora Bora is a tropical island in the South Pacific. I had googled it when I first moved to the small Dutch village of Bussum in January 2004. It was a symbol of escape from the short and dark winter days that lay ahead. The idea of flying to Tahiti — somewhere on the other side of the world — occupied my mind and fueled my daydreams.
For Denver-based composer Melissa Axel and her team, perhaps the idea of Bora Bora, such a contrast from the snow-capped Rocky Mountains and below-freezing weather conditions, also keeps them dreaming of the warmer days to come. Certainly, Robert and I are living their dream in Hawaii.
How does a sleigh operate without snow? Well, here’s the clue:
we’ll still find a way to have our Christmas
stringing leis on palm trees by the sea
tie this rope around the sleigh, help me hitch it to the boat
we don’t need no reindeer, and we sure don’t need no snow
we’ll turn this Bali Hai into a Bali Ho-Ho-Ho
it’s a sleigh ride in Bora Bora
Listening to this song put a smile to my face. Here we are — not quite in Bora Bora — but in the tropics nevertheless. Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. It’s not a white Christmas but a blue one with perfect surfing conditions.
Axel and Jacoby’s gift of music is a free for all. Download it. Pass it on to your friends. Share it on facebook.
If you like their music, check out their fundraising campaign for their debut album.
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