UCL 1 - WEEK 5
"THREE LITTLE BIRDS"​

This week you will explore a syncopated rhythm using 3 basic chords that work great with the song "THREE LITTLE BIRDS" 

​This song was written back in 1977 by Bob Marley and was the opening song for the set of the annual 2020 WORLD UKULELE DAY at Liverpool One where over 300 ukulele players gathered to perform and celebrate the joys of the ukulele whilst raising over 3k for charity - it was a cold day but the ukes warmed our hearts!

PDF DOWNLOADS

Click the button below to download the song sheet and song structure - both attached to one PDF.  

​AUDO TRACKS

Click on the button below to download the song to help with practice when offline. 

​CHORDS

The song is made up of 3 chords with two different 16 bar sections that make up the song. 

STRUMMING

The strumming pattern illustrated below works well with many genres of music including reggae when played at a moderate speed and various types of country music when played much faster. The emphasis being on beats 2 and 4 creates a syncopated rhythm that accentuates the offbeats, known as beats 2 and 4. 

To make it simple, play beats 1 & 3 lightly and beats 2 + 4 with a bit more power. Have a listen to the audio below to listen to the strumming pattern starting at 80 BPM ending on 100 BPM.

Chorus sections

Here is the chorus section which starts the song off. As you can see there are only 2 chords, A & D major, used throughout the whole 16 bar section. It repeats 3 times throughout the song with a verse section in between each one. 

Verse Sections

The verse section contains all 3 chords. Notice how bars 13 and 14 change rhythm to just two downbeats per bar. 

C Major Scale TUTORIAL

Here is a reminder of the C Major Scale you had a brief look at last week. Try this exercise and make sure all your correct fingers are fretting and plucking the right notes - The more you practice this exercise the better equipt you will be for advancing to level 2 where you will use the notes from this scale for riffs. 

FINGER GYM @ 80BPM​

Use the PDF to work through this finger gym exercise at 80 Beats Per Minute. 
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