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339 posts
Republic — Szállj el, kismadár
Tamás GállI know there is no comma in the original title, but I put one in. Sorry. :) It needs one. We continue the Hungarian section with a popular song by Republic which appeared on their 1995 album Tüzet viszek. The chords in this song really are not difficult; it is built from basic shapes. If I wanted to…
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The Guest from Portland II
Tamás GállA little late, perhaps, but I would like to report on another "cross-border" ukulele meeting we had at the end of August. Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Mike, Neal and Alex. We talked and played music together for a long time; they are the subject of the blog post "The Guest from Portland".…
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Kiskarácsony, nagykarácsony - Hungarian Christmas Song
Tamás GállAlthough it is only early October, I thought I would post this video in good time so that anyone who feels like it has plenty of opportunity to learn and practise this very sweet and popular Hungarian Christmas song. In December 2011, my arrangement of Silent Night was posted on the blog - perhaps a…
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If Freddie Mercury Had Owned a Ukulele...
Tamás GállYesterday afternoon I was excitedly waiting for Bea, Sanyi and Imi so that we could spend a few hours under the spell of a total of sixteen strings. The intercom rang, and moments later I was sitting in a circle with three friendly, enthusiastic ukulele players. After a quick tuning we started playi…
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Blues for Ukulele and Piano
Tamás GállToday my twin brother and I recorded the raw footage for two videos, which we are still cutting and editing. After the serious studio work came some free time, so we played a little blues. In this video the ukulele only provides the accompaniment: Sharp-eared listeners will immediately notice quite…
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Mennyből az angyal - Hungarian Christmas Carol
Tamás GállHere is a lovely and popular Hungarian Christmas carol. If you learn it on the ukulele and play it at Christmas, you are guaranteed to create a magical atmosphere. For now, here is the song itself - this is how it can sound (or much better than this): The proper background would be a snowy garden, b…
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Mennyből az angyal - How to Play It
Tamás GállIn the previous postI promised to show you how Mennyből az angyal can be played on the ukulele. Naturally, the way I play it is not "scripture"; it is simply one arrangement, and everyone is free to shape and change it as they like. Even so, I hope many of you will enjoy this version and learn it!
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Dream a Little Dream of Me
Tamás GállDream a Little Dream of Me was written by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt in 1931. This brilliant song achieved its greatest success in 1968 in a version by The Mamas & the Papas. The quality of the song is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that at least sixty "official" recordings are known, i…
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Dream a Little Dream of Me - How to Play It
Tamás GállHere, then, is the video intended to help you learn how to play Dream a Little Dream of Me on the ukulele. What I wrote earlier about Mennyből az angyal also applies to this arrangement: naturally, this is not the one and only correct way to play the song. Everyone can adapt it to their own taste. O…
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Three Years of Outtakes
Tamás GállAs the end of the year approaches, besides football my other favourite kind of sports programme starts appearing on television: the compilation of funny sporting moments collected throughout the year, shown on Eurosport under the title WATTS. The Ukulele Blog will be three years old in a few days, a…
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Kala Soprano Banjolele
Tamás GállIn this blog post we take a look at Kala's banjolele, officially designated the Kala KA-BNJ-BK-S. I did not dare put that full model name in the title of the post in case it frightened anyone away . Not long after the blog started, I already wrote a post about the banjolele, but at the time I could…
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Risa CWS - A Walnut Ukulele
Tamás GállWe ended the old year by presenting a banjolele, and we begin the new one with a ukulele review. I can wholeheartedly recommend Risa's concert-size ukulele to anyone: both to someone who does not yet own a uke and wants an instrument that is beautiful in both appearance and sound, and to someone who…
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