Product Details

• Actors: Ledward Kaapana, Bob Brozman, Happy Traum
• Directors: Ledward Kaapana, Happy Traum
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rating: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hal Leonard
• VHS Release Date: November 1, 1999
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B00005YDXK
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,715 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Multi-instrumentalist Bob Brozman jumps right into this fascinating lesson with a potpourri of strums, rolls, triplets and syncopated fingerpicking patterns for the ukulele. You'll combine all these techniques on the traditional Hawaiian piece "Hi'ilawe," and segue into a medley of other traditional songs, "Tomi Tomi" and "Meleana'E." Two Tin Pan Alley era "Hawaiian" songs, "The Beach at Waikiki" and "My Own Iona," will add to your repertoire of chord shapes, progressions and parallel harmony lines. The blues is not normally associated with the uke, but in Bob's hands the instrument can play funky chord progressions, turnarounds and down-and-dirty blues licks. Bob shows how chord inversions and extensions can create a full-blown blues instrumental.

You'll then go on to arrangements of early jazz standards "Sweet Georgia Brown" and" I'll See You In My Dreams," complete with hot chord solos and fingerpicking melody. As a special feature of this lesson, Bob introduces the Hawaiian ukulele master Ledward Kaapana, one of the world's greatest players, as his "special guest." Led breaks down his version of "Blue Spanish Eyes," demonstrating double stops, right- hand damping, tremolo, and a terrific right-hand exercise rolling on pairs of strings. Ledward then performs a spectacular solo of his show-stopper, "L and D Slack Key," complete with amazing fingerboard acrobatics. This video will give you an excellent overview of the ukulele's potential for a variety of musical styles, and a renewed enthusiasm for what Bob Brozman calls "this noble little instrument."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you can't play it's fun to watch, February 22, 2004

By A Customer

I bought this video because I wanted to learn some simple melodies and just have fun with my recently purchased ukulele. At first I was discouraged by the video's fast pace but after taking everything step by step I'm slowly progressing through the lessons on the tape. This video may be a little intimidating to complete novices such as myself, but if you have patience and you are willing to practice this video will definitely teach you the sounds that you're looking for. I would also like to say that the solo performed at the end of the tape by Ledward Kaapana is absolutely amazing! I would definitely recommend this video as an instructional tool and a private concert.