Ukulele Guy – Page 23 – All things uke, all the time.

Video: Original Song – Santa Claus Needed a Drink by Ukulele Guy

Alright, so in the last 12 mondays, I've given you 11 original songs. Today is number eleven! I have to admit that when I woke up this morning and remembered that it was #MusicMonday on Twitter, I got a little frightened. I didn't really have an idea of what song I was going to do for you and then suddenly one popped right in my brain. I think this might be my first #MusicMonday original song that was actually written on the day I posted it. So... that's fun, right?

There just aren't enough Xmas drinking songs, either, so maybe I can be the guy that fills that little niche. Also, unlike my other original song posts, I'm actually giving you the chords for this one. Usually I just promise to do it and then promptly forget. So, check out the chords below the video if you are interested. I'm not 100% married to this arrangement yet and it prolly needs another verse, but who has time to polish, right? I'm too busy make the rough outlines of songs.

Santa Claus Needed a Drink
by Ukulele Guy
C&P Ukulele Guy 2009

Am 
well I stayed up real late 
   G
on Christmas Eve this year
Am
I was waiting for Santa 
               C7                  G7
cause I didn't believe that he was real
Am
So it came as a bit of a shock
        G
when he walked through my front door
        A      C                 G
moaning nobody believes in me no more

G7 
yup Santa Claus needed a drink
Am
well who was I to stop him
      C7
so we grabbed a bottle of bourbon 
                            G
and we drank til we hit the bottom

G7 
so don't be surprised on Christmas day 
          A9 0102
if your presents don't appear
    A                          C             G
see Santa Claus is pretty damn hungover this year

Am
Well I slept in a little late
   G
on the morning of the day of Xmas
Am
there were daggers behind my eyes
            C7                  G7
and I could barely keep down my breakfast
Am
I clutched my head and stumbled around
     G
just trying to remain upright
                    A                 C                        G
when I tripped over Santa Claus, I  guess he the spent the night

G7 
yup Santa Claus needed a drink
Am
well who was I to stop him
      C7
so we grabbed a bottle of bourbon 
                            G
and we drank til we hit the bottom

G7 
so don't be surprised on Christmas day 
          A9
if your presents don't appear
    A                               C              G
see Santa Claus got pretty freaking hammered this year

Chords:
A 2100
Am 2000
G 0232
G7 0212
C 0003
C7 0001
A0 0102

New Song from Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer

Hail the Chap! Yup, that banjolele b-boy wizard has once again dipped his pen into ink and wrote some mad rhymes for us. I listened to it about a half dozen times and I still feel like I'm only getting about half of the references. It makes me wish I knew more about the Edwardian Golden Age ;). It also makes my desire for a Banjolele that much stronger. That thing sounds great!

Video: The Omen by Ukulele Guy

So, nobody busted my chops about it, but I broke my Twitter promise last week. You remember my Twitter promise, right? Yeah, I made a promise that every #MusicMonday I would release an original ukulele song. Well, last week I let ya down. But, this week I'm back in the saddle with an original ukulele song (in video form).

This is one of the first songs that I wrote on ukulele and it's still unfinished. I believe it was inspired by The Omen (you know, the movie with Gregory Peck)? I've also been told that it's reminiscent of Hotel California. Hmm... all I know is that I'm still not 100% happy with it and I don't think it will ever have words. But, I'll let you listen and judge for yourself.

The ukulele that I'm playing in this video is my trusty Lanikai CK-TEQ tenor ukulele. It desperately needs new strings.

Silver Creek Baritone Ukulele

So, after showing off my somewhat crappy Baritone Ukulele in, Video: Ukulele Guy – Naughty Song, I realized that I talked trash about my baritone ukulele but I didn't offer you any alternatives. So, what if you want a good Baritone Ukulele and you are on a budget? Well, it turns out that the Silver Creek All Solid Baritone Ukulele Natural is on clearance right now at Musician's Friend! This uke is normally $209.99, but they are selling it for $169.99 right now. Here's a picture.

Silver Creek All Solid Baritone Ukulele Natural

This baritone uke is made of solid mahogany on the top, back and sides so you get that rich, warm tone that you can only get with solid wood. There are only 2 reviews up right now, but the average rating is 4 1/2 stars out of a total of 5 possible. So, people seem to be happy with their purchase. Here's some more details about this ukulele:

* Solid Mahogany Top, Back & Sides
* One-Piece Mahogany Neck
* Geared Tuners
* Bone Nut & Saddle
* D'Addario Strings
* Scale Length: 20-1/8"

So, if you are looking for a good quality Baritone Ukulele and you don't want to spend $200-300, then this could be the uke you are looking for.

Souvenir and Toy Ukuleles (Smurf?!)

Let's face it, if you are interested in ukuleles then you are probably (even if it's just a little bit) weird. Ukulele players are like the Shriners of the music world. We have these tiny little instruments and we like to have fun and maybe goof off a little bit.

Well, maybe you embody all of those characteristics but you don't actually know how to play ukulele. Maybe you'd like to just play the part a little bit? Or, maybe you are a competent player and you want the challenge of a novelty or toy ukulele? I mean, some toy ukuleles can be almost unplayable, but therein lies the challenge, right? I mean, what if you are able to pull off some hot "Tiptoe Through the Tulip" licks on a plastic smurf ukulele? That's pretty much a trophy-worthy feat, if you ask me.

So, for you goofballs out there, here's some pretty hilarious toy and souvenir ukuleles that are on ebay right now.

SMURF SOPRANO UKULELE

The Strummin Smurf! Ahhh yeah! Solid.. um... plastic with a blue finish (duh!). It features Smurfette and whatever the name was of the smurf who played the Lute. If you are (or were) the "weird kid" in high school, then you need this uke. Just think of how great it will go with your trench coat. 😉 When I was wearing my undertaker's suit coat and doing yo-yo tricks in 11th grade, I would have killed for this instrument.

HAWAIIAN POLYNESIAN LUAU COCONUT UKULELE

That's right, folks! A Ukulele made out of a coconut. Although, I think it might be more of a decoration than anything. I mean, look at that action! The freaking strings are almost a half inch off of the neck. Still, just think how bad-ass you'd look if you could actually play this beast. Heh.

LEOLANI SPRUCE HIBISCUS FLOWER SOUVENIR UKULELE

Alright... I live in Montana. So, to me, Hawaii is a magical fantasy land where you don't freeze to death and you don't worry about bears destroying your compost pile. Ahh.. heaven. I've never been to Hawaii but something tells me that the first thing you see in the hotel gift shop is a plastic ukulele resembling the one above. Heck, I bet your aunt and uncle have one of these in their closet already. In fact, it's how I got started on ukulele. My mother-in-law had a very similar souvenir ukulele that I spent hours on, trying to figure out why I couldn't play it correctly. Turns out, it was impossible to tune. But, if you want to just look the part, then this little guy is adequate.