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6 | ʻUkulele Project No. 4

La Bamba

Peter Kun Frary

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La Bamba is among the most challenging songs in this course. It only has three chords but the melody darts about the fingerboard and can dog the best of us with its rhythm and passage work.

Kala Doghair ʻUkulele | ©Peter Kun Frary

kala_doghair_FT_BW_1821smm

La Bamba Musings

La Bamba is a Mexican folk song from Veracruz, dating from the 17th century. It is an example of classic son jarocho musical style. In the United States, La Bamba is best known from a 1958 chart buster arrangement by Ritchie Valens. Ritchie's track is ranked 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is the only song on the list not sung in English.

Para bailar La Bamba Para bailar La Bamba Se necesita una poca de gracia Una poca de gracia Pa' mí, pa' ti, ay arriba, ay arriba Y arriba, y arriba Por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré

Yo no soy marinero Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán Soy capitán, soy capitán Bamba, bamba Bamba, bamba Bamba, bamba, bam

Para bailar La Bamba Para bailar La Bamba Se necesita una poca de gracia Una poca de gracia Pa' mí, pa' ti, ay arriba, ay arriba

Para bailar La Bamba Para bailar La Bamba Se necesita una poca de gracia Una poca de gracia Pa' mí, pa' ti, ay arriba, ay arriba Y arriba, y arriba Por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré

Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba

Study Tips

Melody

La Bamba should be performed with a lively tempo. When learning La Bamba, play slowly but with a steady beat, gradually building up the tempo as you gain confidence. Most melody notes are in the first position and sound best with a bright nail attack and pronounced metric accents.

Chords

For chords, the flashy Wall Strum 4/4 is suggested. Using the index finger, strum down and up in eighth note rhythm. Place an accent on the first strum of every grouping of four.

Wall Strum 4/4 | Down-up strums in eighth note rhythm.

strum_wall_strum

You may substitute a flat-four strum, down 2X strum, Reggae strum, etc., if you prefer a more laid back interpretation.

Listen to the Track

Begin your studies by listening to the audio track:

La Bamba | Peter Kun Frary, ʻukulele

Play Now!

Practice the melody until smooth and rhythmic. Play along with the audio track to check your rhythm. Once the melody is smooth, take on the chords.