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The Sum of the Parts (music)

Community Music - Ukulele Groups - Ukestras - Ukulele Teaching - Newcastle NSW

Ukestra Song Suggestions

We constantly get song suggestions from ukestrans. We can’t always accommodate these requests and, over the last 15 years, we have done many of them already. But it doesn’t mean we can’t revisit them!  If you are a current student, you can access that list of songs here. We pay a community music licence fee to provide our ukestrans with suitable music.

Songs we do select must meet at least one of our needs in doing a song.

  1. It suits the demographic of our ukestrans (which is quite wide-ranging – but each ukestra has its own). Nostalgia is a key attractant for most folk, no matter the age.
  2. We like to have possibilities to use the song for teaching, at least teaching something.
  3. Complex songs are fine, occasionally, but we like to try to be inclusive to newbies as well. Not on everything mind you, but mostly.
  4. Preferably already be written out (see Jim’s songbook at ozbcoz or Richard Gibson at Scorpex for examples or possibilities). Preferably on one page. Must have the chord shapes written on. If you desperately would like a song – have a scout around the internet for it (such as the above links), or edit your own version through Jim’s songbook (it’s quite good really!)

 

From Murray (a Thursday newbie – October 2024 – the cheek!)

  1. Paul Simon
  2. Tallest man on earth.  The gardener.
  3. The river.  Leon bridges. Beyond
  4. Sufjan Stevens
  5. Destroyer
  6. Iron and wine.   Upward over the mountain
  7. Birds of a feather . Billie eilish

From Lynda Expressway January 2024

  1. Senorita – Shaun Mendes
  2. Perfect – Ed Sheeran
  3. Bad Habits – Billy Fields
  4. You May Be Right – Billy Joel
  5. Don’t Think Twice – Bob Dylan
  6. Mr Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
  7. Have You Ever Seen The Rain – CCR
  8. Midnight Special – CCR
  9. New Kid IN Town – Eagles
  10. Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
  11. Pasadena – JPY
  12. Silver Threads and Golden Needles – Linda Ronstadt
  13. Wonderwall – Oasis
  14. Slip Sliding Away – Paul Simon
  15. Travelin” Soldier – The Chicks
  16. Roclin’ All Over The World – Status Quo
  17. The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel
  18. One Man Band – Leo Sayer
  19. Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) – Peter Sarstedt
  20. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas

 

From Ailsa and the Tomaree Ukestra

  1. Walk and don’t look back
  2. In the quiet morning
  3. I’ll always remember us this way (lady gaga)
  4. Cups.  
  5. Rod Stewart mandolin wind
  6. Circle – Harry Chapin – needs editing –
  7. Everybody’s Talking – same feel as Circle
  8. Could do the Circle Game by Joni Mitchell – but also needs editing from ozbcoz
  9. Walking into doors – Archie Roach – C
  10. Always on my mind – Elvis – G
  11. Don’t think twice – C
  12. Four strong winds
  13. Shelter – Eric Bogle – G
  14. The Gambler
  15. Living next door to alice
  16. Two out of three
  17. Took the children away
  18. Walk on the wild side
  19. Foolish games – Jewel
  20. Into the Mystic
  21. Blue – Leanne Rimes/ Patsy Cline

From Dini and the Thursday nighters

  1. Night after Night
  2. One Week – barenaked ladies
  3. Drops of Jupiter
  4. Paul Weller – Shout to the Top and others?
  5. David Gray – The One I Love
  6. https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZT2nJ16P7jjXWNYd3cVNztmqRYVtHC-D
  7. Eyes open – snow patrol

 

From Saturday Morningers

  1. Uncle Kracker – Follow me

Elizabeth – A Wednesday nighter

Hi Mark,

I’ve been collecting a little list of songs that I thought might be good to play with the group; some I love to sing; others I just think are great tunes and may suit a uke version. Finally got around to check all of the places to see if they’re available and whether they meet the ukestra criteria. Most of these are simple enough that I didn’t baulk at the list of chords, although some are easier than others.
Mostly because of the election in the US, I’ve been listening to Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks – but it’s not in any of the lists. It exists elsewhere on the internets. Other songs not in the Ukestra/Jim/Scorpex lists but would be great to do sometime:
  • Case of You – Joni Mitchell (this was the song that apparently turned Prince into a Joni groupie; he used to write her letters…Inspired by her relationship w Graham Nash… coincidentally Military Madness is on my list of songs below)
  • Not ready to make nice – Dixie Chicks
  • The Captain – Kasey Chambers
  • Talkin’ Bout a Revolution – Tracy Chapman
  • Lighthouse – The Waifs
  • Bridal Train – The Waifs
  • I can’t believe we were married – Paul Kelly.
One’s in Jim’s songbook:
  • Always look on the bright side of life – Monty Python (thought this would be a fab Jeff song)
  • I’ve just seen a face – The Beatles
  • You’ve got to hide your love away – The Beatles
  • Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn
  • Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
  • Need you now – Lady Antebellum (or Lady A)
  • Jolene – Dolly Parton
  • River – Joni Mitchell
  • Heart of Gold – Neil Young (love the James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt brief harmony)
Scorpex:
  • Someone like you – Adele
  • Military Madness – Graham Nash
Another song I heard recently just through Spotify recc’s but I don’t know was Bloom – The Paper Kites. Don’t know if that’s anywhere as chords.
That’s it from me!
Elizabeth.