Harry Reser's Ukulele Method and Song Folio

S O N G S

Title Page

ABOUT A QUARTER TO NINE ... 46

A CUP OF COFFEE, A SANDWICH AND YOU ... 58

ALABAMA JUBILEE ... 24 AURA LEE ... 27 BEDELIA ... ...' ... 20 BILLY BOY ... 12 BOWERY, THE ... 55 BUFFALO GALS ... 10

BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON ... ... 41

CLAP HANDS, HERE COMES CHARLIE ... 56

CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER ... 64

DON'T FENCE ME IN ... 32

GIRL FRIEND, THE ... 52

GOLD DIGGERS' SONG, THE ... ... 60

IF I COULD BE WITH YOU (ONE HOUR TONIGHT) ... 34

I'M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY ... 28

I WONDER WHAT'S BECOME OF SALLY ... 44

LET'S PUT OUT THE LIGHTS (AND GO TO SLEEP) ... 48

LULU'S BACK IN TOWN ... 50

MEMORIES ... 30

PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I'M GONE ... 18

POLLY PUT THE KETTLE ON ... 15

PRETTY BABY ... 14

RED RIVER VALLEY ... 23

SHOO FLY, DON'T BOTHER ME ... 35

SKIP TO MY LOU ... 11

SWEET GEORGIA BROWN ... 62

TIP-TOE THRU THE TULIPS WITH ME ... 38

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A WALK? ... 36

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

THE UKULELE-Its Model And Parts ... ... 2

HOW TO HOLD THE UKE - GENERAL INFORMATION - THE STRINGS ... 3

THE RIGHT HAND ... 4

PHOTOS (6) - FELT PICK - FINGER POSITIONS ... 5

THE LEFT HAND (Four Photos) . . ... 6

TUNING THE UKE - (With Pitch Pipes Or Piano) ... 7

TIME SIGNATURES AND RUDIMENTS ... 7

ADDITIONAL TIME SIGNATURES AND RUDIMENTS-TIPS ON FINGERING 8 YOUR THIRD CHORD GROUP PHOTOS AND DIAGRAMS OF ALL DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS ... 16

YOUR FOURTH CHORD GROUP PHOTOS AND DIAGRAMS OF ALL AUGMENTED (Aug. 5th) CHORDS ... 17

THE REMAINDER OF THE MOST NEEDED CHORDS NOT USED IN THIS FOLIO ... 65

THE UKULELE

ITS MODEL AND PARTS

HOW TO HOLD THE UKE

As illustrated in the following pictures, which should be studied carefully the Uke is generally held chest high in a horizontal position against the body. A slight pressure should be applied by the fatty portion of the forearm. Press just enough against the chest to keep the instrument in correct playing position.

UKE _{1 UKE 2 UKE 3}

PREFERRED POSITION HOLDING UKE IN LAP STANDING POSITION

FURTHER EXPLANATION OF PICTURES NO. 1 THRU NO. 6. 1. The correct holding position whether standing or sitting.

2. The Uke is too small to be played in the lap. It would be difficult to maintain adequate control over the instrument, and it presents a poor appearance.

3. If the occasion should ever arise when a standing position becomes necessary, place your right foot upon a stool or chair as illustrated and rest the Uke upon the right leg.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The dictionary shows the American pronunciation of Ukulele to be "yuke-uh-lay-lee " The Hawaiian pronunciation is the same with the exception of the first syllable which changes the word to "oo-koo-lay-lee."

THE STRINGS

Use nothing but the best quality strings for replacement on the Uke or Bary. Observe the manner in which the factory has mounted the strings on your instrument, enabling you to put on a new string in case of breakage. It is always best to purchase your strings and accessories from a reliable music shop that specializes in "small goods."

THE STRINGS (continued)

STRING PRESSURE

Many persons who purchase inexpensive Ukes are so discouraged with the "sound" and "finger action" or pressure needed to make the strings touch the frets, that they soon give up the attempt to play in disgust.

If you have an inexpensive Uke and are troubled about it sounding "out of tune" — even after it has been correctly tuned, check the "nut" for height. You will probably find the strings are too high above the frets. This is the most common fault of the cheaper

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THE STRINGS SHOULD NOT BE OVER l/32nd OF AN INCH FROM THE TOP OF THE FIRST FRET.

If you are mechanically inclined, you may deepen the string notches on the nut, or better still, have the store where you purchased the instrument make the correct adjustments, i.e., if they are equipped for this kind of work.

THE RIGHT HAND

... A knowledge of the correct position df the right forearm in its relation to the hand

is necessary when stroking, or picking the strings. Carefully examine all of the illustrations on page 5 and adopt the correct position for the forearm and hand at the very beginning of your attempt (successful we hope) to master the Ukulele.

STROKING THE STRINGS WITH THE FOREFINGER

Picture No. 1 illustrates the correct position of the forefinger and thumb to produce a good tone on the Uke. This method of stroking the strings with the bare fingers is to this day the most favored way of playing the Uke. However, a new method of tone production has come into professional favor due to the increasing popularity of the Uke on phonograph records and TV. Professionals have found that the use of a "pick" produces a louder and clearer tone. Playing the Uke with a pick enables the tone to "cut through" with more definition.

Picture No. 2 illustrates the most favored pick which is made of pliable quarter-inch felt. For a stronger tone a "stiff" felt pick can be secured at most music supply stores and when real "punch" is needed for maximum volume a celluloid or tortoise shell guitar pick may be used. The use of the hard guitar pick completely alters the natural tone of the Uke and for that reason should be used sparingly for special effects.

Once again, study the illustrations and text on page 5 concerning the right hand, felt pick and the style of strumming with the fingers.

SLANTED LINES (l I I I) or Chord Names (C7) are used throughout this folio t indicate where the strokes of the pick are to be played. While each slanted line or choi name represents a down stroke, or one beat, it does not mean that the player cannot mat use of different rhythms. In order to encourage you to employ different rhythmic effects I present next the more simple strokes which may be used instead of the single strokt

THE RIGHT HAND

1 2 3

STROKING WITH 1ST FINGER FELT PICK HOLDING THE PICK

Picture No. 3 illustrates the correct manner of holding the pick. Picture No. 4 illustrates the incorrect position of the fingers and wrist. Picture No. 5 illustrates the correct angle of hand to forearm.

Picture No. 6 illustrates the correct position of the fingers and hand when strumming without a pick.

4 5 6

WRONG POSITION OF CORRECT RIGHT CORRECT STROKING

THE LEFT HAND

(A) Keep the left arm close to the side of your body. (See photos on page 3.)

(B) Rest the neck of the Uke in the crotch formed by the thumb and first finger of the left hand. (C) Most of the time the neck rests on the base of the third joint of the first finger and against the

first joint of the thumb,

(D) In order to have better contact points from which to exert greater pressure (when needed for some of the tricky chords) it will be found necessary to have the fleshy part of the thumb on the bottom of the fingerboard.

(E) The fingers must press the strings down almost at right angles to the fingerboard in order not to touch any of the adjacent strings and thereby cause a "buzzy" tone. Believing that pictures tell a story better than paragraphs of explanation, examine carefully the following poses:

1 2 3

FINGERS NOT ARCHED CORRECT THUMB POSITION CORRECT POSITION OF LEFT HAND

Picture No. 1. This "wrong way" picture illustrates the need for keeping the fingers arched when playing single tones. When two or more notes are to be pressed down on adjacent strings by the same finger and on the same fret, it calls for a flattening of that finger as shown and explained below under The Bar (Barre).

Picture No. 2. This illustrates the position of the neck resting in the left hand.

Picture No. 3. When "barred" chords are to be played, more pressure is needed. This illustration shows the position of the thumb and fingers for such a chord.

A "bar" is made by the fingering of three or four notes across the same fret. There are many chords that call for the use of the bar even though all of the notes so formed do not sound. Here are a few examnles:

TUNING THE UKE

UKE PITCH PIPES

You can buy an inexpensive Uke "tuner" at most music stores. The "pipes" of the tuner will be named A (4th string), D (3rd), F# (2nd), and B (1st). If in doubt as to the name of a string refer to Inside Front Cover.

Blow lightly into one pipe at a time and tune its corresponding string to the pitch of the pipe. Pick the string continuously as you blow the pipe so that you can tell when the pitch of the string is the same as that of the tuner.

TUNE WITH PIANO

The pitch of the 3rd string (D) is found by the key to the right of "middle C," the 28th white key from the right of the keyboard. Tune the D string first, then the 2nd, 1st, and 4th strings in that order.

Keep the "loud" pedal of the piano depressed when sounding each note. This will cause the piano tone to remain sounding while your hands are busily engaged in tuning the Uke/

TIME SIGNATURES AND RUDIMENTS

B or 1st string — the 23rd white key from the right of the keyboard. F# or2nd string —the black key between the 25th and 26th white keys. D or 3rd string — the 28th white key from the right of the keyboard. A or 4th string — the 24th white key from the right of the keyboard.

The four vertical lines represent the strings; the horizontal lines represent the frets. The black "dots" indicate where the fingers are to be placed, and the numerals show which fingers are to be used. A zero indicates an "open" string and is not to be fingered. The name of chord is placed above the diagram.

The slanting lines / / to the right of the chord diagrams mean that you play the previous chord once for every slanted line.

TIPS ON FINGERING

Diagram No. 1 illustrates three notes barred with a single note to be played on the first string. All chords of this and like formation are actually fingered like diagram No. 2. In other words, it is very awkward to bar the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings without including the 1st string, so, always bar all four strings. Only the note on the 5th fret of the 1st string will be heard, not the barred note behind it. The curved lines that appear in the above diagrams are for the purpose of

explanation and have not been included in the songs that follow as the fingering

YOUR FIRST CHORD GROUP

BUFFALO GALS

SKIP TO MY LOU

BILLY BOY

Words by

POLLY PUT THE KETTLE ON

YOUR THIRD CHORD GROUP

DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS

In manuscript or printed music one may come across several symbols that arrangers have used to indicate the "diminished seventh" chord. A "C diminished seventh" chord, for example, may be written:

OUR CHOICE OF SYMBOL WILL BE THE CHORD NAME FOLLOWED BY A SMALL ZERO (C°).

ONLY THREE CHORDS WITH IDENTICAL FINGERINGS ARE NEEDED TO SUPPLY US WITH ALL OF THE DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS USED. HOWEVER, EACH OF THESE DIAGRAMMED DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS REPRESENTS SIX DIFFERENT CHORDS!

THE 1st POSITION

THE 2nd POSITION

YOUR FOURTH CHORD GROUP

AUGMENTED CHORDS (AUG. 5TH)

THE 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th POSITIONS

OUR CHOICE OF SYMBOL WILL BE THE CHORD NAME FOLLOWED BY A SMALL PLUS (+). FOUR CHORDS WITH IDENTICAL FINGERINGS SUPPLY US WITH ALL OF THE AUGMENTED FIFTH CHORDS USED IN HARMONIZATION.

PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I'M GONE

Words and Music by SIDNEY CLARE SAM H. STEPT

BEDELIA

Words by Music by

RED RIVER VALLEY

24

ALABAMA JUBILEE

Words by Music by

AURA LEE

27

I'M

JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY

Words and Music by NOBLE SISSLE and EUBIE BLAKE

30

MEMORIES

Words by Music by

DON T FENCE ME IN

Words and Music by COLE PORTER

IF I COULD BE WITH YOU

Words and Music by HENRY CREAMER and JIMMY JOHNSON

SHOO-FLY, DON'T BOTHER ME

By BILLY REEVES FRANK CAMPBELL

36

38 TIP-TOE THRU THE TULIPS WITH ME

Words by Music by

BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON

41

Words by Music by

44

I WONDER WHAT'S BECOME OF SALLY

Words by Music by

46

ABOUT A QUARTER TO NINE

Words by Music by

LET

'

S PUT OUT THE LIGHTS

Words and Music by HERMAN HUPFELD

50

LULU'S BACK IN TOWN

Words by Music by

52

THE GIRL FRIEND

Words by Music by

54

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY

Words by Music by

THE BOWERY

CHARLES H. HOYT

PERCY GAUNT

56

CLAP HANDS

BILLY ROSE and Music by

60

THE GOLD DIGGERS' SONG

Words by

(We're In The Money)

Music by

64

CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER, LOVEY MINE

Lyric by Music by

Harry Reser's LET'S PLAY THE BARITONE UKE

A Basic Method and Collection of 29 Familiar Songs • Chord Photos and Chord Diagrams •

Outstanding

UKULELE

Folios

Harry Reser's UKULELE METHOD AND SONG FOLIO

Basic Instruction • Learn by Playing and

Singing 31 Songs • Photographic Illustrations All Chords Most Used

Partial Contents: ALABAMA JUBILEE . A CUP OF

COFFEE, A SANDWICH AND YOU . YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY . MEMORIES . BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON . SWEET GEORGIA BROWN . CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER . IF I COULD BE WITH YOU

GREAT THEMES FOR UKULELE Arranged by Dan Fox

Hit Songs from Stage, Motion Pictures and TV

Partial Contents: DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES • THE

HIGH AND THE MIGHTY . MY OWN TRUE LOVE (Tara's Theme) . MACK THE KNIFE . 77 SUNSET STRIP . HAWAIIAN EYE . RETURN TO PARADISE . BIRTH OF THE BLUES .

BROADWAY SHOWCASE FOR UKULELE Arranged by Harry Reser

Partial Contents: SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN •

MOUNTAIN GREENERY • I FOUND A MILLION DOLLAR BABY . LULU'S BACK IN TOWN . KISS ME AGAIN . ALABAMA JUBILEE . DON'T FENCE ME IN .