Category: Songs for Beginners

  • Falling rain jig (old timey)

    From English hymn to African-American spiritual to Fahey acoustic guitar blues to christmas carol to jazz piano to cabaret to falling rain version, another improvised arrangement on a theme.

  • G clef piano part arranged for ukulele and voice

    Might also post this without my voice, because though the strums and plucks can be labored, there’s a reasonably successful set of parts, lead, counterpoint, bass, and chords all overdubbed by machines of loving grace.

  • Oh say, can you struggle?

    Not sure who I’m channeling on this stumbled-upon patriotic standard, but I’m sure who I’m not.

  • No East or West (classic-rock uke take)

    Add to my vocal take and Cecil’s sepulchral midi piano take (the “15-foot Christian” one) this reasonably crisp run-through of the melody on ukulele, processed to sound like electric guitar. Note the hymn originally had a right-boring Anglican melody called St. Peter and this version is set to an African-American spiritual, hence its lovely pentatonic…

  • Effervescing Elephant (take 7)

    By Jove, I do believe I’m getting a real feel for this song, Effervescing Elephant, by Syd Barret, played and sung by me, xian. Needs keybs… Cecil? Help me dethickenize the mix! (Update: Compare with the much more straight-ahead if rushed and frightened sounding take six of this same tune. Need general category.)

  • Double-filtered uke

    Adding my secret special Jerry-shimmeree effect and that basic little uke feel track gets positively cosmic, man!