For today's session we take on the third string, deploy strums, and play the world famous ʻImo ʻImo.
Moonrise Over Tantalus | Peter Kun Frary
Notes on the Third String
The diagram below illustrates the notes on the ʻukulele's third string, the C string.
Memorize the new notes by speaking their names aloud as you play them. Once memorized, play through the notes on the first, second and third strings while speaking their names out loud.
Study Tips
ʻImo ʻImo is based on the French folk song, Ah! vous dirai-je, maman (Oh! Shall I tell you, mama), commonly known in the English speaking world as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. The melody is straightforward and uses notes on the first, second and third strings. It should be smooth sailing after a small amount of practice.
Vamp
ʻImo ʻImo features a Hawaiian style vamp or short introduction: the first two measures—8 beats—are taken up with D7, G7 and C chords. The melody enters on beat 1 of the third measure. After you've practiced with the audio track for a while, you'll be able to feel those 8 beats. Until then, count 1-2-3-4 twice so you come in correctly.
Listen to the Track
Before practicing, become familiar with the sound and feel of ʻImo ʻImo by listening to the audio track.
'Imo 'Imo | Peter Kun Frary, ʻukulele
Play the Melody Now!
Practice the melody of ʻImo ʻImo until smooth and flowing with the beat. Read the music—don't just copy the finger movements in the video. Play along with the audio track or video to help shore up your rhythm.
Once the melody of ʻImo ʻImo is solidly beneath your fingertips, work on playing the chords.
Chords
The main challenge of ʻImo ʻImo lies with the chords: four different chords with a harmonic rhythm of mostly two changes per measure, but here and there a full measure of the same chord. Watch your count! No shame in counting out loud to help keep your chord changes on target.
No Chord Symbol?
Some measures, or beginnings of measures, lack a chord symbol. The musical convention is to continue playing the prior chord until otherwise indicated. Thus, in the example below, strum a C chord at the red arrow.
Chords in Blank Measures | The second line of ʻImo ʻImo lacks a chord at the beginning of the measure. Continue playing the prior chord.
Down 2X Strum
We used the Down 2X strum earlier in the course and it's ideal for ʻImo ʻImo:
Strum downwards on beats 1 and 3.
Down 2X Strum | ʻImo ʻImo chords strummed twice per measure (no vamp).
Use the flesh of the thumb in a brisk motion, maintaining even pressure across the strings.
Flat-Four Strum
When the song repeats, you may wish to change things up and use the Flat-Four strum we practiced earlier in the course:
Strum downwards four times in each measure.
Flat-Four Strum | ʻImo ʻImo chords strummed four times per measure (no vamp).
When played well, each down strum sounds rich and fat, imparting an old timey jazz feel: chomp-chomp-chomp-chomp.
Light Touch
When you play ʻImo ʻImo with another ʻukulele player, do not overwhelm the melody with a boisterous strum. The melody should be louder than the chords, so listen to your partner and strum gently.
In the ʻImo ʻImo track, we use the Down 2X strum the first time through and switch to the Flat-Four strum on the repeat.
ʻImo ʻImo Chords and Melody Demo | Professor Peter
•••
Notes on the Third String
Study Tips
Vamp
Listen to the Track
Play the Melody Now!
Chords
Down 2X Strum
