Play Ukulele Hymns During Quarantine and Make the Best of a Difficult Situation

Play Ukulele Hymns During Quarantine and Make the Best of a Difficult Situation

by | May 3, 2020 | About our books | 6 comments

Some of us play ukulele hymns during quarantine to help us get through these trying times. We try to make the best of a difficult situation and remain hopeful.

The novelty of being at home is wearing off

Now that most of the world is sheltering in place during the outbreak of Covid 19, the novelty of being home is wearing off. Some places are beginning to re-open here in the United States, but none of us know when we will go back to “normal” and if the “new-normal” will look anything like how we were living before. There is a sense of loss and grief that all of us are experiencing and that is for those of us who are lucky enough to simply be stuck at home.

Why play ukulele hymns during quarantine

In this time of crisis, we need something that offers us light and hope. What better than easy ukulele hymns? The lyrics are uplifting to your spirits. The songs are easy to play and can either be sung, or simply played. Many of the songs are presented in two different keys so you can choose the key that is best for your voice or is easier to play. Some of the songs with more complicated strumming patterns have the strumming pattern written underneath the melody so you can easily figure out how to fit the strumming pattern with the melody. Each song comes with a suggested strumming pattern and melody tab underneath so you can play the melody even if you don’t read music.

Our songs are beautiful to look at:

Each hymn has:

  1. chords used at the top of the song.
  2. suggested strumming pattern.
  3. melody tab underneath the lyrics.
  4. many verses.

What is included?

So, now you’re probably wondering what hymns are included. There are several options available. If you simply purchase the book, you will get 22 hymns.

If you decide to get one of the online hymn kits, you’ll get online video lessons, instruction on how to move from one song to another using tags and turnarounds, and thirteen chord melody versions of the hymns. You also get either six or twelve extra songs depending on which kit you get.

We are planning on having our hymn book and hymn kits ready sometime in May, so we hope you will keep a lookout for it. Here are the hymns in our book and online hymn kit.

What songs are in the hymn book?

  • Simple Gifts
  • What a Friend We have in Jesus
  • Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
  • Church in the Wildwood
  • Shall We Gather at the River?
  • Nearer My God to Thee
  • Fairest Lord Jesus
  • Jesus Loves Me
  • Give Me That Old Time Religion
  • Blest Be the Tie That Binds
  • How Great Thou Art
  • Rock of Ages
  • This Little Light of Mine
  • I Come to the Garden Alone
  • For the Beauty of the Earth
  • Be Thou My Vision
  • The Doxology
  • Amazing Grace
  • Prayer of Thanksgiving
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful
  • Be Still My Soul-Finlandia
  • A Mighty Fortress

Get our hymn kits and play ukulele hymns during pandemic

These hymn kits include:

  1. Online video lessons
  2. Thirteen chord melody versions of the hymns.
  3. Six or twelve extra songs depending on which kit you get.
  4. Instruction on how to move from one song to another using tags and turnarounds.

 

 

Extra Songs in the Hymn Kits:

  • Chatter With the Angels
  • He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
  • Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In 
  • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 
  • Michael Row the Boat Ashore 
  • Kumbaya
  • Beautiful Robes So White
  • We Shall Overcome
  • In My Heart There Rings a Melody
  • Wayfaring Stranger
  • Wondrous Love
  • Eternal Father Strong to Save

 13 Chord Melodies included in Hymn Kits:

  1. Simple Gifts
  2. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
  3. Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee- 2 Key
  4. Shall We Gather at the River?
  5. Nearer My God to Thee
  6. Jesus Loves Me-2 keys
  7. Amazing Grace
  8. A Mighty Fortress is Our God
  9. Fairest Lord Jesus
  10. Prayer of Thanksgiving
  11. Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
  12. Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In
  13. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

We hope you purchase our ukulele hymn products and play ukulele hymns during quarantine. We thought you might also want to check our playlist of ukulele hymns on YouTube.

Do you want to play hymns with confidence?

In our Hymn Kits you'll find something for varied learners, from beginners to a little more advanced.

Get your Hymn Kit today!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll enjoy these related posts:

These posts will show you how to play other hymns on the ukulele.

Why 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns?

Why 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns?

by | Feb 25, 2020 | About our books | 9 comments

“21 Easy Ukulele Hymns” is finally available!

Finally! After much delay, we have finally launched our new book 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns in April 2020. This book will have songs ranging from 2 to 7 chords and will include many of your favorites. Each hymn will have a suggested strumming pattern with melody tab underneath. The book also comes with a FREE video course.

Many of the hymns are presented in two keys, so you can more easily play with musicians on other instruments or with a pianist in your congregation.

What are the 21 Ukulele Hymns?

Simple Gifts
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Church in the Wildwood
Shall We Gather at the River?
Fairest Lord Jesus
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Nearer My God to Thee
Jesus Loves Me
This Little Light of Mine
Give Me That Old Time Religion
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
How Great Thou Art
Rock of Ages
I Come to the Garden Alone
For the Beauty of the Earth
Be Thou My Vision
The Doxology
Amazing Grace (extra value song because it is in other books)
Prayer of Thanksgiving
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Be Still My Soul-Finlandia
A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Three Versions Available:

1. Ebook: You’ll get

  • the ebook in three formats ((ePub, pdf and .mobi file)
  • chord melody versions of 10 hymns not in the Amazon version.

2. Paperback book from Amazon

3. The Hymn Kit which includes:

  • eBook in three formats (ePub, pdf and .mobi file)
  • Digital Book which you can print. Includes chord melody versions of 10 hymns not in the Amazon version.
  • Bonus pdf with 12 bonus songs
    • Wayfarin’ Stranger
    • He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
    • When the Saints Go Marching In
    • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
    • Michael Row the Boat Ashore
    • Chatter With the Angels
    • We Shall Overcome
    • Kumbaya
    • In My Heart There Rings a Melody
    • Wondrous Love
    • Eternal Father Strong to Save
    • Beautiful Robe So White

Why 21 Ukulele Hymns?

I’ve thought a lot about this question. What are some of the uses of a book of hymns for ukulele? Who will enjoy this music?

What comes to mind, is that many churches close as older members die off and newer, younger people do not join congregations. To counteract this trend, there is a need for music that will unite and excite people.  Ukulele music will bring people to church buildings to sing and to play with a joyful noise. What better than a group of hymns for the ukulele?  This music builds community by bringing together people of all ages. Churches can have ukulele choirs combining children and adults.

Folks can also use the ukulele to sing to the youngest children or to visit the elderly. Familiar hymns can make people feel connected with their community. 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns can also be used at summer music festivals and camps as a source of traditional music reimagined for the ukulele.

Do you enjoy playing and singing hymns? If so, what are some of your favorites? Do you play ukulele in your church or in a ukulele choir? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Do you want to play hymns with confidence?

In our Hymn Kits you'll find something for varied learners, from beginners to a little more advanced.

Get your Hymn Kit today!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll enjoy these related posts:

These posts will show you how to play other hymns on the ukulele.

Music and the Church: A Wonderful New Podcast

Music and the Church: A Wonderful New Podcast

by | Feb 24, 2020 | About our books | 0 comments

My Research Uncovers a Treasure

I recently found a wonderful podcast called “Music and the Church.” The host Sarah Bereza presents many thoughtful ideas about music and worship.

I discovered the podcast as I researched ideas for our new book, 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns. I was looking for ways to meet church musicians. Church musicians will be interested in using our book to promote community in their churches. A ukulele choir or people playing ukulele will bring together people of different ages.

The Role of the Hymnal

One of my favorite episodes talks about the role of the hymnal. Sarah has served as a church musician in many denominations. She grew up in a Conservative Protestant tradition but has served in liberal churches as well. I found it very refreshing to hear that concerns about the role of music in worship exist among all faiths and are similar across denominational lines.

What is the role of music in worship? Is it simply textual, or are there emotionally deeper roles as well? What role does the hymnal serve? As the times change, do we “modernize” lyrics to represent our currently more sensitive use of language? When we modernize a lyric, do we destroy its poetry? What is the role of the choir in worship? What is the role of a praise band?

Co-host Crawford Wiley Brings a Fresh Perspective

Dr. Sarah Bereza addresses all of these questions and more as she discusses her favorite hymnals with her co-host Crawford Wiley. He has served in the Catholic Church, so he brings a fresh pair of eyes to this topic. Together they delve into the choice of music, lyrics, indexes and how a church musician or congregation uses a hymnal to plan congregational worship.

I was so excited to learn more about music, text, and worship as Rebecca and I get ready to add our contribution to this genre with the publication of 21 Easy Ukulele Hymns. I fervently hope our book will bring together communities of young and old to build connections and to serve communities. After all, together we spread love and joy with each other by raising our voices in songs of praise.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll enjoy these related posts:

These posts will show you how to play other hymns on the ukulele.

Do you want to play hymns with confidence?

In our Hymn Kits you'll find something for varied learners, from beginners to a little more advanced.

Get your Hymn Kit today!

How to Play Silent Night Ukulele Chord Melody

How to Play Silent Night Ukulele Chord Melody

by | Dec 29, 2019 | About our books, Chord melody, Video lessons | 0 comments

Learn how to play the chord melody of another Christmas song with our Silent Night ukulele chord melody tutorial. If you’re bored with the sing and strum method of playing the ukulele, trying the chord melody method is a great challenge to take.

Have you watched someone play a ukulele and convey both the melody and accompaniment of a song without actually singing and thinking it was really cool? You can learn to do that too. Or if you simply don’t want to sing and want to play the ukulele to do the singing for you, then playing the chord melody is the best option for you.

What is chord melody?  A chord melody combines both the melody and the accompaniment such as strummed chords into a single arrangement that one person can play. The following video tutorial shows Jenny teach how to play Silent Night ukulele chord melody.

If you’ve missed the videos on Jingle Bells ukulele chord melody, check them out here. You can also subscribe here to receive sheet music and get notifications of new ukulele lessons.

Silent Night Ukulele Chord Melody

To play the Silent Night ukulele chord melody, Jenny demonstrates how to use three techniques – pinch style, single pluck method and standard strum. Learn them all in this ukulele tutorial.

 

Chord Melody for the Rest of Us

You’ve probably watched and admired videos of the ukulele greats playing chord melodies.

And you thought, “Wow, that is really cool! I wish I could do that but it’s probably too hard for me.” Well, weep no more.

We’ve created a brand new course to give you everything you need to know to get started playing chord melody at an easy level. If you can play the songs in our books, you can learn easy ukulele chord melody with our new course.

Wow, chord melody sounds rich and full, with melody and chords at the same time!

But it’s probably too hard for me. Not true!
In this course you’ll learn easy full-sounding music using techniques you know.

Get your course now

Silent Night – Three Interesting Trivia

Here are three interesting trivia about the song Silent Night. We think these are also great reasons why you should learn how to play Silent Night ukulele chord melody.

  • most popular Christmas song

In an article published December 2014, Time declared Silent Night to be the most popular Christmas song ever. According to records from the U.S. Copyright Office from 1978 to 2014, Silent Night has more than 700 copyrighted recordings. In comparison, Joy to the World, which was the next song on the list had nearly 400 recorded versions.

  • fourth best-selling single of all time

As previously mentioned, Silent Night has over 700 recorded versions. Bing Crosby recorded this very popular Christmas carol in 1935. Crosby’s version is ranked the fourth best-selling single of all time with an estimated sales of 30 million copies.

  • message still resonates two centuries after it was written

In 1816, an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr wrote a poem about peace, hope and Christ’s birth. It was written in German and entitled Stille Nachte. Two years later, Franz Xaver Gruber set this poem to music. Silent Night was first sung on Christmas Eve of 1818. More than two centuries later, people all around the world still sing and perform this famous Christmas song. Its simple message resonates to this day and transcends culture and religion.

Check out these other popular easy ukulele tutorial videos…

Jingle Bells Ukulele Chord Melody

Silent Night – Sing and Strum Plus Tabs

 

White Christmas Ukulele Tutorial

Give Me That Old Time Religion Easy Ukulele Tutorial with Melody Tabs

Give Me That Old Time Religion Easy Ukulele Tutorial with Melody Tabs

by | May 20, 2019 | About our books, Video lessons | 1 comment

Learn how to play a gospel song  with this week’s Give Me That Old Time Religion easy ukulele tutorial!

In this video, you will see lyrics, chords, strumming pattern and melody tab on the screen. 

If you visit our blog page, you will see our other videos and tutorials of easy ukulele songs. These contain the same information to help you easily learn how to play different easy songs on ukulele!

Sign up here to receive free sheet music and video lessons in your inbox every week.

GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION EASY UKULELE TUTORIAL

In this tutorial, you will be using 3-9 chords. That’s because normally, as Jenny mentions, this song has 3 chords. But it really depends on what key(s) you use and whether you play the “turnaround”. 

In this video, Jenny sings and plays in 2 keys to give you a choice of which one to use. And she’s also used a technique called a “turnaround” to connect these 2 keys. Finally, she also plays solo ukulele with such a beautiful melody!

For this song, here are the chords that you will use, depending on which key you choose. Ukulele chords for Give Me That Old Time Religion easy ukulele tutorial in the key of C are: C, F and G7.

You will notice that after singing the song in C, Jenny uses a “turnaround” which uses the chords Dm, C7 and F.  In the video, you will notice that the “turnaround” gives her a way to change to the other key.

In the Key of F, you will then use these chords: F, C7 and Bb.  This second option is a bit tricky and you will find out why when you watch the video (specifically at 0:54). All in all, remember that these are both good keys to sing in!

 

GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION SHEET MUSIC AND LIVE LESSON

If you want the sheet music for the song, contact us and we’ll email it to you. Or subscribe here and receive weekly newsletters with our featured song video for the week. Most importantly, you’ll also get free downloadable sheet music in your inbox to go with the ukulele video tutorial.

Lastly, Jenny conducts ukulele lessons on Facebook Live every week and later this week, she will teach more on Give Me That Old Time Religion easy ukulele tutorial. So if you haven’t yet, follow us on Facebook. Schedule for the Facebook Live lesson and the sheet music for the song will be posted on the page as well.

CLASSICAL GOSPEL TURNED TO AN UPBEAT SONG

Although this song has been sung with different melodies by various groups and artists, it originated as a traditional gospel song in the late 1800’s.

Charles Davis Tillman helped to make this song famous by jotting down the melody and lyrics when he heard the song being sung by field workers in 1873. 

In the same year, the song then appeared in a list, together with other Jubilee songs. A Jubilee song is a religious song of African Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness. Give Me That Old Time Religion continues to be a well known and favorite hymn among Protestant churches and gospel singers 

Various singers performed different and popular versions of this song including Mahalia Jackson, Johnny Cash, The Caravans, Gary Cooper & Walter Brennan and Gospel Rev. James Cleveland.

Due to the song’s versatility, many films have included it. For instance, “Inherit the World” used it as an opening song while the film “Sergeant York” had it as a background song.  The movie “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens” has also featured this song as well as HBO’s “Carnivàle”.

Do you want to play hymns with confidence?

In our Hymn Kits you'll find something for varied learners, from beginners to a little more advanced.

Get your Hymn Kit today!

Shall We Gather at the River Ukulele Tutorial

Shall We Gather at the River Ukulele Tutorial

by | May 8, 2019 | About our books, Video lessons | 2 comments

Learn how to play a beautiful Christian hymn with this “Shall We Gather at the River” ukulele tutorial! As with the previous videos, it includes lyrics, chords, strumming pattern and melody tab on screen.

SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER UKULELE TUTORIAL

To follow and play along to this easy ukulele tutorial, you’ll need just three chords. However, Jenny plays the song in two keys – key of C and key of G. So you’ll actually see six different chords on the video tutorial. Firstly, for the key of C – the chords are C, F and G7. Then, we have the key of G and the chords are G, C and D7. Finally, for the turnaround to shift from one key to the other, you’ll need Am, D7 and G. Strumming pattern is easy with the D-DU-D-DU repetition (D-down, U-up). Of course, Jenny also does solo ukulele in both keys for those who love playing melody tabs. 

Subscribe here ~ https://ukulele.io/get-free-ukulele-sheet-music/ to receive sheet music of our weekly ukulele tutorials. If you want sheet music for the previous videos, contact us at https://ukulele.io/contact-us/. And let us know which song or video you’d like sheet music for.

Lastly, Jenny conducts ukulele lessons on Facebook Live every other week. So if you haven’t yet, follow us on Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/UkuleleSisters. Schedule for the Facebook Live lesson and the sheet music for the song will be posted on the page as well.

HANSON PLACE

Robert Lowry, an American poet and hymn composer, wrote the lyrics and music of Shall We Gather at the River in 1864. He entitled it Hanson Place in reference to a Baptist church located at 88 Hanson Place in Brooklyn. Lowry was a Baptist minister and sometimes preached in this church. Nowadays, however, the song is more commonly known as Shall We Gather at the River or At the River. Moreover, a different Christian denomination now runs 88 Hanson Place. Seventh-day Adventists acquired the building in 1863. The building has since been known as the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church.

 

Do you want to play hymns with confidence?

In our Hymn Kits you'll find something for varied learners, from beginners to a little more advanced.

Get your Hymn Kit today!