Roz Wound Up

Thought Roz Forgot about the Ukulele?

My friend Marsha sent me this link to Eddie Vedder playing a uke and singing. Check it out. If the embedded video doesn't work, watch Eddie Vedder on YouTube. Have a musical Saturday!

Dog Studies, No Ukulele Music

Above: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and gouache, in the 9 x 12 inch Fabriano Venezia journal. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

No more Ukulele music today. I've decided that the somewhat regular Saturday series on me focusing on ukuleles would end.

Frankly after yesterday's post I realize that I have too many journal pages to fill before December 31, 2011 to be spending any time on the internet searching out fun Ukulele music. 

If you find the tabs/chords for uke for "Have Gun Will Travel" send me a link. 

This Is Roz Focusing: The Ukulele Question—Part IV

Today's Ukulele post is about the amazing Taimane Gardner who has a flamenco style of playing. Now tell me you don't just adore her!

If the above embeded video doesn't work go to YouTube to See Taimane Gardner play "Eleanor Rigby."

(You'll find additional videos of her playing at the first link, her website.)

This Is Roz Focusing: The Ukulele Question—Part III

Saturday means it's time for a ukulele break. Today I found a helpful tutorial by a lovely young woman with the screen name pnaigrlrizz. According to her Youtube channel pnaigrlrizz is a 20-year-old woman named Rissa. You can see her other tutorials listed there. I wish the writers and producers of "Glee" would write a part for her!

And here's a lovely bit from my childhood, played on a ukulele. On his blog Uke of Carl uses the tagline, "TV Themes + Ukulele = Happiness." He couldn't be more right. Check out his rendition of Quantum Leap for Solo Uke.

(I also enjoyed this series and while I thought Scott Bakula was great in it and continues to be fun to watch ["Men of a Certain Age"] I have long been a Dean Stockwell fan. My favorite episode happens to provide details of Admiral Al's character—"The Leap Home [Parts 1 and 2]" from season 3—I can't say more or I'll spoil it.)

Let's go out with Uke of Carl playing the theme of one of my favorite TV comedies "Parks and Recreation." (He's right the tune is excellent and delivers everything needed in one brief shot—and it also perfectly fits the mood of the show.)

Now it's back to work. (Don't spend too much time with Carlton [that seems to be his name] but just in case you don't go back far enough with his blog check out this piece of John Phillip Sousa's that you're sure to recognize.)

Oh, what the hell, don't leave Uke of Carl until you hear him play "Bonanza." (I never liked the show, and I LOVE westerns, but it is a catchy tune and he plays it well.)

I seem to remember someone around here has a deadline to meet…

UPDATE: A short time later…

OK I couldn't stop. Check out Uke of Carl's Black Adder. 

This and That: Aquash Brush Pen, Boston Terriers, Roofers…

Left: Boston Terrier sketch (from dog park sketches as reference), made with the Pentel Aquash brush which comes with light black ink (waterproof if that matters to you). Click on the image to view an enlargement. (9 x 12 inch page from my Venezia studio journal.)

It has started. There are men on the roof. Everyone told me when the roofers came I'd have to leave, and in truth I'm ready to bug out of here, get out on my bike and work on my new ukulele song: "You Can't be a Stunt Woman Past 50." It came to me yesterday when I was dodging folks on the greenway and an 80-year-old woman with sun-tanned skin like wrinkled leather, a spine as stiff as my headmistress', and a shocking crown of pure white hair, peddled towards me. My mind works that way. There is a nifty chorus about osteopenia, but it needs some work as all I'm coming up with are slant rhymes.

And no, I haven't purchased a ukulele yet, but we did go to the guitar store so I could smell them. (I'm allergic to many woods and all varnishes [unless aged].) There are several possibilities.

But the most important news I have for you this morning is that the Aquash brush pen with light black ink is now empty. (There is a slight stream still coming out but no sloshing noise and no extra ink when you squeeze it so I doubt I'll get even another full sketch out of it.) It lasted about 3 weeks of daily sketching. I got over 80 large sketches or complex page spreads out of it. So for slightly less than $10 that pen seems to me to have more than delivered on FUN (yes, all caps). I'll see about getting a replacement cartridge because I want to see how long the brush tip holds up (it's still doing well after a lot of abuse). But I already feel I have got my money's worth.

I'll have other images made with that brush pen to post as the days go by. But now I'll be using some other pens more again. (I do have a second Aquash brush pen that I can start using as well.)

There you have it. I am into my tights and out of here!

This Is Roz Focusing: The Ukulele Question—Part II

Above: Cockatoo sketch using Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and watercolors on a journal handmade with Stonehenge paper. (Journal is approx. 7.5 x 7.5 inches.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Saturdays are days I allow myself to check out some ukulele music on the internet. Really we have to keep a cap on this obsession. The other day I wrote 4 songs, one of which, "I Used To Be a Valley Girl" makes me giggle (which I don't ever do; and no I will never sing it for you, some things are too personal). Then I came up with a couple album titles, of course. So we all know where this is going—and I don't even have a ukulele yet (though we are going to look at some tonight)—I'm going to be making fake album covers just as I enjoy making fake book covers! I have to fill my spare time some how.

In the meantime I thought I would share a little movie scene I wish would find its way into a movie:

Sir Sean walks into a subway and down the platform, and as he walks we hear it, the little picky tones and strumming of the busker playing on his uke. Sir Sean tosses a couple bills into the gig case and keeps walking.

Once you fall in love with ukuleles you can't help imagining them being used EVERYWHERE!

Left: Detail from the cockatoo sketch so you can see how the watercolor works on the paper, and see the little bit of white gouache added in the orbital ring. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

So what's with the cockatoo sketch for today?

1. I'm still working on my State Fair scans.

2. I'm making two artists books (one an edition of 6 and the other an edition of 30) based on the State Fair scans and the deadlines are perilously close.

3. Despite the heartfelt encouragement of other ukulele fans who've written in to me, I doubt that I will ever sketch a uke (mine or someone else's) so I had to come up with something to illustrate this post.

4. Haven't you caught on by now that 99.9 percent of my bird portraits are self-portraits and that this one, even though it pre-dates the creation of the song is exactly what I would look like if I were to sing, "I Used To Be a Valley Girl." I thought you could enjoy it this way. (Actually I lived in San Jose, but I can do a good Valley Girl if I have to—just don't ask me under which circumstances such a portrayal might be necessary; my life is complicated.)

Oh, and the fortune that's stuck to the featured page spread reads: "The difficulty is not on [sic] coming up [with] new ideas, but to undo the old one."

Now how is that for serendipity!?

Fade out to a snazzy ukulele tune (just perfect if you're being chased by spies), which is actually a fun little tutorial as well.

This Is Roz Focusing: The Ukulele Question—Part I

While there might be 1,000,000 reasons not to learn to play the ukulele surely this video by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain provides one of the strongest reasons FOR learning to play. (That's also primo whistling!)

Just as fun "Life on Mars" played by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain  manages to work in "My Way," "Once in My Life," and a couple other tunes.

And if you are in the listening mode check out the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's rendition of "Misirlu" (known to many from the film "Pulp Fiction").

For information on the group, or to purchase recordings, go to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's web site.

The Mighty Uke: A Revolution

If the first few minutes of the documentary "The Mighty Uke" don't fill you full of joy and the next several minutes don't make you want to jump up, rush out, and learn the ukulele, then go to the doctor because there's something seriously wrong with you.

I found this delightful short film a couple weeks ago while channel flipping (I think it was on IFC or Sundance).

No, I'm not going to go out and learn the ukulele. I have to focus! But I did have to take several calming breaths to prevent myselve from seeking lessons.

Watching this film made me smile harder than I have in weeks, or months. And it also made me feel even more certain that we need to do everything we can to support music education in the schools.

So please check out the clips on their website, rent or buy the full documentary, and let a little joy into your life. (And if you take up the ukulele, drop me a line.)

OK, and if you are having trouble resisting the ukulele check out this short information page on the right ukulele to buy. (I said "I have to focus." I didn't comment on how successful I was going to be at focusing. Of course I had to look.)