Ukulele Trick Of The Week: #15 The Cliff 'Ukulele Ike' Edwards Strum

[@felixchaplin]

You had me at Cliff Edwards

[@Oldtimemusiclover]

Would love a sequel to this video!

[@ElenaDuffMusic]

thanks so much for this. I was trying to figure out for ages what exactly he was doing. Even downloaded one of his books but couldn't translate the words in print into his actual technique!

[@lukulelesu]

Thanks for this. I'm a big Cliff Edwards fan.

[@Sheeppdog27]

Brilliant breakdown and lesson Phil, many thanks! Cheers!

[@SkippyTheClown]

I’m inspired to master this strum. Thanks for breaking it down!

[@Oldtimemusiclover]

I absolutely adore Cliff Edwards, so this tutorial is so amazing! Thank you so much.

[@filmsforallnations]

Cliff Edwards was a great musician and actor.

[@PhilDoleman]

Absolutely, I'm a big fan.

[@filmsforallnations]

What is your favourite Cliff Edward song? I like Louise and Over the Rainbow.

[@PhilDoleman]

@@filmsforallnations Over the Rainbow is very possibly my favourite vocal performance by anyone, full stop! "Hang on To Me" is a favourite too, and just for the sheer fun and joy of it, the performance of "Give a Little Whistle" from the Mickey Mouse club with Jose Oliveira & Clarence Nash kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYW9kopubr5pbrs

[@filmsforallnations]

I like Cliff Edwards singing The Horse with The Dreamy eyes in the 1937 film Saratoga (Jean Harrow’s last film). Cliff Edwards was entertaining on the 1950s Disneyland TV show.

[@Moccason]

Thanks for this! I’m just starting to learn ukulele thanks to Cliff Edwards (I came across him because of Buster Keaton). I adore his rendition of ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ and his ‘Singing in the Rain’ from the Hollywood Revue of 1929. Thanks again for this, it’s a great lesson and helped me loads as a beginner :)

[@PhilDoleman]

I can't think of a better inspiration to learn that Edwards!

[@denisehennington9807]

My idol=ukulele Ike. Thank you for the video. Keep playing that happy instrument. From: Tucson Ukulele Lady. ⭐

[@lynpantalley5503]

This is terrific! It's so much easier than I expected because of your excellent instruction!

[@richdavis4007]

Well, I got exactly what I was looking for here, and lots more. I'm thrilled to have found this excellent video.

[@dough.1355]

It is fun to learn about forgotten or little known ukulele performers. Thanks Phil.

[@dieabm]

Danke!

[@jillhumbert8122]

Great stuff! Thank you, from Florida!

[@dianemcarthur7667]

Thanks so much Phil - another great tip to put to use!

[@MatthewQuilliamMusic]

Thanks for a great clarification on this amazing style

[@howlinhobbit]

my ukulele "style" was developed while I was busking in a place that didn't allow amplification. alas, it had traffic noise *and* crowd noise, so I ended up madly flailing away just to be heard. I started thinking of Ike as the "slowhand of the ukulele" because he looked like he wasn't doing much at all, but his playing was interesting and rhythmically complex.

[@derrickjohnny9350]

i guess im randomly asking but does anybody know of a method to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the login password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me!

[@garyalden4289]

@Derrick Johnny Instablaster :)

[@derrickjohnny9350]

@Gary Alden i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out now. Takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@derrickjohnny9350]

@Gary Alden it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thank you so much you really help me out!

[@garyalden4289]

@Derrick Johnny glad I could help :D

[@jeffreyotterman7850]

Hey Phil. Appreciate your talent and monstrous generosity with Patreon. I'm usually involved in about 3 songs at once. I have a few requests any would be great With a little magic. Ukelele Ike Count your blessings George Formby Or another chord solo with Misty?

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks. Misty is already on the list! I love 'With a little Magic"!

[@stanleysokolow]

Cliff Edwards shows this strumming technique in this movie, where he is playing either a baritone ukulele or tenor guitar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKLVipSLbpp_rNE . Here he plays melody notes with his thumb and sometimes a pinch then throwing in his strums and when he runs out of lyrics he does some scat singing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2nUh6SEatmKmbc . He was in one of the earliest technicolor movies. Notice that he sometimes does some up-strums with his index finger: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3KqfWaqmdxjipo . He was one of the wealthiest movie actors in his heyday, but he lived it up, bought luxury cars, had 3 marriages, 3 divorces, became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and died as a pauper in a screen actors' society old-folks home in the Los Angeles area. Here's a short but good biography: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKDQlpSkn8aqm6M .

[@PhilDoleman]

Some great links there, thanks! The Cliff Edwards story is nice, but I really hope a proper life story is produced, it's sad that he's so unknown by the general public after being a household name.

[@stanleysokolow]

@@PhilDoleman Wikipedia has a detailed biography: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Edwards . Archive.org has his complete recordings, digitized from 78-rpm records: archive.org/details/CliffEdwardsCollection1927-1933 .

[@PhilDoleman]

@@stanleysokolow Archive.org is a real goldmine. His vocalisations/ scat singing really comes across like a trumpet on those old recordings! I did manage to get copies of his radio show, which are excellent. I was really thinking of a 'biopic', his life story with music. I hope someday someone makes something like that...

[@stanleysokolow]

@@PhilDoleman Tom Russell wrote and performed a brief biographical ballad: "The Lonesome Death Of Ukulele Ike (Cliff Edwards)" by Tom Russell kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpbco2ZniNJ_msU

[@stanleysokolow]

@@PhilDoleman Here's a recent biographical article: jazztimes.com/features/profiles/ukulele-ike-cliff-edwards-sings-again/

[@briandilhomick6488]

Wow

[@terrymcnamara4408]

Hi Phil, will you do a video on your thoughts on tenor guitars tuned like the GCE a ukulele? Also, I understand that Steel strings can be used on these ukes. I think I’m liking the sound of a Guitar but I don’t like holding it and I don’t want to relearn cords. Do you have any thoughts?

[@PhilDoleman]

Hi, I've never tried gcea tuning on a tenor banjo (I don't own a tenor guitar), but from listening to others I think they sound very 'thin'. Tenor guitars are designed for steel strings and really don't work well with nylon. I think the best option is to tune DGBE, which is baritone uke tuning. The shapes will be the same, but the names change.

[@robbrown8483]

Repeat after me, Ras - gay - ah- doh ( rasqueado)