Before writing this song I only had a Ukulele so I thought I should write a song on that instrument seen as it is the only one I owned at the time. So I looked at some songs that would suit the sound of the ukulele and not a lot would match or make sense to the sound like rock wouldn’t match the sound of a soprano ukulele or any ukulele for that matter but I wanted to find a genre that would normally suit a ukulele that was when I found songs like Paris in the rain and Let’s fall in love for the night and noticed that love ballads fit the sound of a gently played the ukulele so I thought about looking into Paris in the rain and what made that sound so much like a love song.
When thinking of chords I knew I had to look at some romantic pieces of music played on acoustic instruments, so I googled romantic chords and a recurring one was Cmaj7 so I wanted to see what that sounded like once I heard it I was hooked I really loved how it sounded and I knew from there what type of song it was, so I had the first chord I had to think what comes next so I went to A major by instinct and then to F major but I knew now I am at F major I wanted to build tension so the closes chord for me was G7 which held so much tension and knew that it had to go back to the root which was C major.
The strumming pattern was something I am very proud of as well because it’s so simple but adds so much to the sound of the chords and made the lyrics more meaningful and complete. Most time when playing the ukulele you would strum with your fingernails on three fingers but I used my thumb to do one simple strum.
The lyrics came as soon as I played the first chord with the strumming pattern because of how it sounded in my head and the theme of the song which is about sneaking out at night with a loved one and the type of things that would happen that night. It was a nod to what my dad told me about growing up when he was younger so I thought about putting the spin on it where it’s with someone you like rather than your friends because when my dad told me about his best years I always try to have my best years while I’m still in them but there’s a difference between what we are told then to what we do because while I try and enjoy my best years the more I fear I’m wasting them so this song reminds me of the to make me feel like I’m not wasting them but to that, I’m still living them.
I think the sound of the instrument helps predict a song if it sounds high and bright it must be a love song and that’s what I thought when I wrote the lyrics to the song. Any song can use them but to have the Ukulele as a main instrument and to cry the song you would need the song to be happier light-hearted or a bittersweet love song.
reference
Finneas, 2020. Before you continue to YouTube. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaKzNtwPQxE> [Accessed 19 March 2020].
Lauv, 2018. Before you continue to YouTube. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Kw3NDnSQA> [Accessed 23 September 2018].
The Ukulele Teacher, 2013. Before you continue to YouTube. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eqH_jZp1Ow> [Accessed 7 March 2013].