Notes

Guitar and Ukulele Tabs for I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon (Ernie from Sesame Street)

Digital Citizen 2 Comments

I came across this song at the end of May 2010 via one of those YouTube recommendation feature (enough to blog about it). The feature where because you watched something, its algorithms think you might like something else. Every now and then, it’s good, but this was something I really liked. I just think it’s a cute song, that’s all… and I don’t even have kids. OK, maybe I was influenced by the fact it was Ernie singing it since Ernie has always been my favourite Sesame Street character. But I like the song a lot, nevertheless, and I think lots of people will, too.

I thought when I first heard that song that it’d be a great lullaby for kids, but if you play the guitar or ukulele, you can now pull it out to accompany yourself with that lullaby. Or just sing it for fun like I do.

Ernie, from Sesame Street

The hardest thing about this song is the syncopation. The breaks in the lines are a little bit awkward in places. That’s why all the dashes and commas in the tabs. If those breaks don’t feel natural, then just take a little time to learn them and try not to think about them afterwards when you play. Trust your instincts after you’ve learned where the little breaks are in the lines.

I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon, Sesame Street Guitar Tabs Letter Sized PDF

I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon, Sesame Street Guitar Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon, Sesame Street Ukulele Tabs Letter Sized PDF

I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon, Sesame Street Ukulele Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

These tabs all fit on one page to avoid the inconvenience of page turns. However, the letter size tabs (8.5″ x 11″) may be too small for your eyes. If so, you can either enlarge to tabloid size (11″ x 17″) using an automatic enlarge feature on many photocopiers, or download the tabloid sized versions for printing. The tabloid size tabs can be inserted into a typical letter sized binder on the 11″ size, and folded almost in half to fit. You just open each tab to use it.

Another challenge to this song is that there are lots of up stroke chord changes, denoted by the / in the tabs. Read left to right, the line goes up like your strumming motion does. If you’re not used to this, it’s not hard to pick it up. Try it and then try not to think about it is how I’d advise you learn. Just go with the flow.

I hope you, your kids, or someone else’s kids (good for entertaining), like this song!

Please click here for guitar and ukulele tabs and chords to other songs on this blog.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 5.9

Guitar and Ukulele Tabs for All I Want Is You (U2)

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This is a song that’s definitely harder to learn to sing than to play, mostly because of the high vocal range required at the end. I found a very nice fan video for it, with the original recording to which I created my guitar and ukulele tabs.

All I Want is You, U2 Guitar Tabs Letter Sized PDF

All I Want is You, U2 Guitar Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

All I Want is You, U2 Ukulele Tabs Letter Sized PDF

All I Want is You, U2 Ukulele Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

These tabs all fit on one page to avoid the inconvenience of page turns. However, the letter size tabs (8.5″ x 11″) may be too small for your eyes. If so, you can either enlarge to tabloid size (11″ x 17″) using an automatic enlarge feature on many photocopiers, or download the tabloid sized versions for printing. The tabloid size tabs can be inserted into a typical letter sized binder on the 11″ size, and folded almost in half to fit. You just open each tab to use it.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

U2

I’ve tried to put a strumming filler between verses like in the song with the main chords and slight modifications of them. You strum to the rhythm of the phrase, one stroke for each note and resting when there is a rest. It would only take you a few minutes to figure it out and once you do, it wouldn’t be very hard to play because I’m not trying to show off any skills here. I’m just trying to avoid gaping holes in the song played by one person and one instrument when there doesn’t need to be such a gap.

The capitalized letter of the song notes are meant to be an octave higher than the notes with non-capitalized letters. The ending, as you can hear on the song, is very high. Most guys will have to use falsetto to sing this, but give it a go.

Don’t snap your vocal chords, though! 🙂

Please click here for guitar and ukulele tabs and chords to other songs on this blog.

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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 7.4

Guitar and Ukulele Tabs for You Raise Me Up (Josh Groban)

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At last count, there’s over 125 official cover versions of You Raise Me Up. This song was basically new lyrics written for the old Danny Boy tune. That was, in turn, ripped off from the lyric lacking Irish anthem, Londonderry Air. However, Londonderry Air has had many other incarnations with other sets of lyrics, some of which, I must say, are pretty epicly elaborate.

You interpret what all that means in whatever way you like, but this is a very beautiful and uplifting song.

I’ve chosen to tab the version of You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban because I knew it best and was introduced to the song by his cover.

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Josh Groban

I’ve replaced the intro violin with just a hum and strum of a verse. The rest should be fairly simple to follow. I’ve included notes of the tune because there are some crazy interval jumps in there. That’s about the only challenging part to the song. The strum should be a very slow strum to suit the speed of the song.

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban Guitar Tabs Letter Sized PDF

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban Guitar Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban Ukulele Tabs Letter Sized PDF

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban Ukulele Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

These tabs all fit on one page to avoid the inconvenience of page turns. However, the letter size tabs (8.5″ x 11″) may be too small for your eyes. If so, you can either enlarge to tabloid size (11″ x 17″) using an automatic enlarge feature on many photocopiers, or download the tabloid sized versions for printing. The tabloid size tabs can be inserted into a typical letter sized binder on the 11″ size, and folded almost in half to fit. You just open each tab to use it.

If you’re going to play this on a traditional soprano, concert or tenor ukulele with a high G string as the first string, you’re going to have to “dig deep” to find your first note because it is an octave below that. That’s if you don’t capo it to get it in the same key as it should be, but that’s not necessary. You might want to capo it quite a few notches if you don’t sing so low, even if you sing it all an octave higher.

I hope you enjoy the tabs because it is a gorgeous song, indeed!

Please click here for guitar and ukulele tabs and chords to other songs on this blog.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 7.5

Guitar and Ukulele Tabs for My Back Pages (Bob Dylan)

Digital Citizen 2 Comments

This is just a great song, especially the version performed at Columbia Records’ 30th Anniversary Tribute for Bob Dylan that seems to have been ripped off the Net, but here’s a close version in rehearsal.

https://youtu.be/F-mtEml1coo?t=3m00s

It is also the version I tabbed. I never thought I’d say it but thank goodness for Chinese video sites that still holds videos like the one above as YouTube has grown up and wimped out to copyright threats.

My Back Pages, Bob Dylan Guitar Tabs Letter Sized PDF

My Back Pages, Bob Dylan Guitar Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

My Back Pages, Bob Dylan Ukulele Tabs Letter Sized PDF

My Back Pages, Bob Dylan Ukulele Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

Bob Dylan

These tabs all fit on one page to avoid the inconvenience of page turns. However, the letter size tabs (8.5″ x 11″) may be too small for your eyes. If so, you can either enlarge to tabloid size (11″ x 17″) using an automatic enlarge feature on many photocopiers, or download the tabloid sized versions for printing. The tabloid size tabs can be inserted into a typical letter sized binder on the 11″ size, and folded almost in half to fit. You just open each tab to use it.

Just a few notes to the tabs. In verses 4-6, there is a slight change in one of the lines from the same line for verses 1-3, so I have highlighted the note in red. It’s a little thing, but gives the song a little “ooomph” after 3 go arounds of the verse and chorus. Despite having 6 verses, a great song doesn’t get boring with repetition. You just find ways to lift it even more, like with that little note in red.

On the ukulele tab, I have added a little chord modification for that note. I have labeled the chord with an asterisk and denoted it as basically a C chord but with the finger on the bottom A string to be on the 5th fret instead of the 3rd fret. Written out in fret and string numbers, it is 0005 (fifth fret fourth string from top down) rather 0003 for a regular C chord. The labeling is in the tab sheet. I have not done this for the guitar tabs because there isn’t anything similar and the C chord on the guitar handles the slight disharmony (C chord, D note) just fine.

Please click here for guitar and ukulele tabs and chords to other songs on this blog.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 8.1

Guitar and Ukulele Tabs for You Ain’t Going Nowhere (Bob Dylan)

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Bob Dylan

This Bob Dylan classic is a favourite of mine for warming up. It has a nice lilt to it and doesn’t require a great vocal range to sing it, when your voice isn’t necessarily ready if it hasn’t yet warmed up.

I tabbed this to the version done at Columbia Records’ 30th Anniversary Tribute to Bob Dylan, as performed by Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Rosanne Cash. You can get a 30 second sample of it here. Unfortunately, the Bob Dylan empire seemed to have exercised its rights over the wimpier by the day crumbling YouTube empire and those videos have been removed for copyright purposes. The closest performance I can find to the one I tabbed is by the Byrds in the video below. However, you’ll be able tell soon enough there are some subtle differences. Good thing I tabbed notes with my chords. Just pic out the notes and you’ll get the version I had in mind.

Man, I need to set up my recording mics soon so I can just record the tabs for users to hear rather than rely on “similar” versions!

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Bob Dylan Guitar Tabs Letter Sized PDF

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Bob Dylan Guitar Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Bob Dylan Ukulele Tabs Letter Sized PDF

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Bob Dylan Ukulele Tabs Tabloid Sized PDF

These tabs all fit on one page to avoid the inconvenience of page turns. However, the letter size tabs (8.5″ x 11″) may be too small for your eyes. If so, you can either enlarge to tabloid size (11″ x 17″) using an automatic enlarge feature on many photocopiers, or download the tabloid sized versions for printing. The tabloid size tabs can be inserted into a typical letter sized binder on the 11″ size, and folded almost in half to fit. You just open each tab to use it.

Please click here for guitar and ukulele tabs and chords to other songs on this blog.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 8.2