Category: Folk
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San Francisco Bay Blues — Travis Picking
I used Travis Picking in my video, alternating my thumb between the 4th and 3rd strings. If you need help with the picking, refer to the first three examples on my Fingerstyle Tutorial. “San Francisco Bay Blues” is a folk-blues song written by Jesse Fuller in 1954. It tells the story of a heartbroken man…
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My Dog Has Fleas — Clawhammer Tablature
This is an original song I wrote back in 2001. I kept hearing references to ukulele tuning sounding like “My Dog Has Fleas,” but I couldn’t find anything that actually sounded like that, so I decided to write it myself. The first four notes of the melody are G-C-E-A, just like standard ukulele tuning. I’m…
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Dueling Banjos for Ukulele — Clawhammer Tablature
This was the very first video I ever posted to YouTube on January 1, 2007! At that time, I called it “Ukey Duel Dandy” because copyrighted songs were not allowed on YouTube, and I was afraid it would be kicked off of YouTube if I called it Dueling Banjos. I had recently joined YouTube, and…
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House of the Rising Sun — Travis Picking
I took a slightly different approach to House of the Rising Sun than usually played by uke players. I chose the key of Dm (instead of the commonly heard Am) and played “Travis Picking” style with alternating thumbs in 4/4 time. If you need help with Travis Picking, check out the first three examples in…
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Vincent (Starry Starry Night)– Clawhammer
I love the way this song sounds when played clawhammer style—it’s one of my personal favorites to play and sing! My version uses only six easy ukulele chords. Watch my four-video Clawhammer Tutorial if you need help with the clawhammer style. “Vincent” by Don McLean is a tribute to the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.…
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Cripple Creek — Clawhammer Tablature
The traditional song “Cripple Creek” arranged for clawhammer uke. I played several verses of the song with chords and lyrics with a break between most verses. After the song I included tablature for both a simplified arrangement with no slurred notes as well as the break as I played it on the recording. If you’re…
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All I Want Is You — Clawhammer Tablature
I like this quirky song by Barry Louis Polisar, which was featured during the opening credits of the movie Juno. It works great on clawhammer ukulele. After the song, I explain the fairly simple break that I played between most verses, including tablature.
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Mr. Bojangles — Strum-Along
“Mr. Bojangles” is a folk and country song written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968. Over the years, it has been covered by numerous artists, with the most famous version recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970. The song is well-known for its poignant storytelling and melancholic melody,…
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Pack Up Your Sorrows — Clawhammer Tablature
“Pack Up Your Sorrows” is a folk song by Richard and Mimi Fariña in the early 1960s. The song is about finding solace in the face of heartache and life’s struggles. It conveys a message of resilience, encouraging listeners to leave their sorrow behind and move forward. The song was popularized by Joan Baez, who,…
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Oklahoma Hills — Clawhammer
“Oklahoma Hills” is a song written by Woody Guthrie and his cousin, Jack Guthrie, that celebrates the beauty and spirit of the Oklahoma landscape, and it’s the official folk song for the State of Oklahoma. It expresses a deep connection to the state’s hills and natural surroundings, with the narrator longing to return to these…
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