Sing a Song on Terrwyn

Lately we've been thinking/researching/learning all about the music we will be playing while on our voyage.  I have been concentrating on learning how to play the classical guitar... with Bill as my very talented teacher.  It's coming along, but I really have to do a lot of practising to ever hope to become even close to where Bill is... oh well, must persevere!  We will be taking one of our guitars on Terrwyn so I'll have lots of time to practise (those 4 hour watches can really drag without something to do).

Bill, on the other hand, has become very interested (read obsessed) with ukuleles...

and since Hawaii is the home of ukeleles...

and Hawaii is in the South Pacific where we are heading (although we will be skipping Hawaii)... then it makes sense that we need to learn how to play the ukulele and serenade all of the locals in French Polynesia, Cook Islands and Tonga!

Interesting info from Wikipedia about ukuleles:
 The name roughly translates as "jumping flea",^[4] perhaps due to the action of one's fingers playing the ukulele resembling a "jumping flea". According to Queen Lili'uokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, the name means “the gift that came here”, from the Hawaiian words uku (gift or reward) and lele (to come). Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on two small guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the cavaquinho and the rajão, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde.^[5]

A great place to go to if you want to learn about ukuleles is at Ukulele Hunt.  This website has everything you would ever want to know about the ukulele instrument, tabs, chords, rhythm and strumming etc. etc. and it even includes a ukulele blog.
 
Bill has ordered a beautiful new ukulele (correctly pronounced oo-koo-lay-lee) from the famous Kamaka factory which has a very interesting history in its own right...




 We are now continually searching for wonderful ukulele music and, of course, love listening to the King of Ukelele,

Iz (Israel) Kamakawiwo'ole-  try to say that quickly even once! 

Iz (Israel) Kamakawiwo'ole

 He died very young in 1997 at the age of 38 but his rendition of "Over the Rainbow" lives on and is unforgetable and very inspiring...



I am hoping to learn the words and music to this version so that I can sing along while Bill plays it on his beautiful new ukulele! 

Somewhere over the rainbow... or over the horizon...

See you when we see you!

Singing and Playing Ukulele Co-caps Catherine and William
SV Terrwyn