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A big box of shiny new books landed on my doorstep. Memoirs of a Parrot is the fourth "memoir" book, written by the very talented Devin Scillian and published by Sleeping Bear Press.
"Yay, new books!"
When I read that a parrot would be the main character, I had to choose an African Grey parrot. I have fond childhood memories of my grandpa and his African Grey, named Chico. I chose a Hyacinth Macaw as the other parrot in the story. Mostly because of the color. I live in Ohio and Devin Scillian lives in Michigan, so it just made sense to use Ohio State (scarlet and grey) and Michigan colors (maze and blue). Plus, my wife's family is from the state up north (we're a "blended" family).
A drawing that I did in High School of my grandpa and his parrot, Chico.
Also, the main character (human) in the story plays a ukulele. I said, "hmmm, I need to get a ukulele (as reference) and begin my career as a ukulele rock star". Then I met Emily Arrow, a true ukulele rock star, so I bought one. Now I need to start practicing my ukulele licks.
"Hey, I think that I need a ukulele."
Anyway, you must take a look at Memoirs of a Parrot. It's got parrots, ukulele players and a very funny story.
End papers from Memoirs of a Parrot.
Thank you, Heather Hughes, Felicia Macheske and Sleeping Bear Press.
Now, back to the drawing board. -Tim
0 Comments on I Found a box of Parrots on my doorstep. as of 1/1/1900
The ukulele, a small four-stringed instrument of Portuguese origin, was patented in Hawaii in 1917, deriving its name from the Hawaiian word for “leaping flea.” Immigrants from the island of Madeira first brought to Hawaii a pair of Portuguese instruments in the late 1870s from which the ukuleles eventually developed. Trace back to the origins of the ukulele, follow its evolution and path to present-day popularity, and explore interesting facts about this instrument with Oxford Reference.
1. Developed from a four-string Madeiran instrument and built from Hawaiian koa wood, ukuleles were popular among the Hawaiian royalty in the late 19th century.
2. 1893’s World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago saw the first major performance of Hawaiian music with ukulele on the mainland.
3. By 1916, Hawaiian music became a national craze, and the ukulele was incorporated into popular American culture soon afterwards.
4. Singin’ In The Rain vocalist Cliff Edwards was also known as Ukulele Ike, and was one of the best known ukulele players during the height of the instrument’s popularity in the United States.
Cliff Edwards playing ukulele with phonograph, 1947. Photography from the William P. Gottlieb Collection. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
5. When its sales reached millions in the 1920s, the ukulele became an icon of the decade in the United States.
6. Ernest Ka’ai wrote the earliest known ukulele method in The Ukulele, A Hawaiian Guitar and How to Play It, 1906.
7. The highest paid entertainer and top box office attraction in Britain during the 1930s and 40s, George Fromby, popularized the ukulele in the United Kingdom.
Headline image credit: Ukuleles. Photo by Ian Ransley. CC BY 2.0 via design-dog Flickr.
This is a tune called the Laughing Ragby Roy Smeck from the 1920s. Buster Keaton would have certainly known this one and probably could have played it better than I can. Anyway, here's a version recorded during the packing and moving from my old studio. I'm using my 1930 Reed/Regal ukulele purchased fromAntebellum Instruments.
Happy New Year, everyone!
6 Comments on Happy New Year!, last added: 1/15/2013
Rebecca Sugar writes some of the best songs for Adventure Time, and she also writes some of the best stories for the show. This is an earlier work of hers that demonstrates the further depth of her brilliance.
Oh, you grammar mavens are cringing over the possibility of an ‘ukulele, I just know it. But while you’ve probably known this tiny four-stringed instrument as a you-ka-lay-lee, that’s an anglified version of a Hawaiian word. The Hawaiian pronunciation is oo-koo-ley-ley. Pronounce it Hawaiian style, and “an oo-koo-ley-ley” sounds just fine.
It’s a problem for someone like me, who writes frequently about Hawaii. If I write it so that it feels comfortable to me, my editor will likely think I’ve skipped Grammar 101. When I do write about ukuleles* I present the issue of pronunciation to my editor. Invariably, ‘an ‘ukulele’ is trashed for the more common ‘a ‘ukulele.’ Editorial license trumps my comfort zone.
10 Comments on AN Ukulele or A Ukulele?, last added: 9/24/2010
I guess each region has their own *proper* pronunciation of words specific to their area. From now on whenever I see the word ukulele I’m going to remember reading this post!
Christine @ Origami Mommy said, on 9/23/2010 11:26:00 PM
oh, the things I learn reading your blog! I had no idea about these pronunciation issues with the word “ukulele” but being multilingual, I well know how common it is for the pronunciation of a word to diverge from its native origin. Christine @ Origami Mommy recently posted..End-of-summer sewing
MyKidsEatSquid said, on 9/24/2010 3:39:00 AM
This is great. I’m forwarding this to my nephew who handcrafts–ukulele’s. He’s even trying to teach his mom how to play:) MyKidsEatSquid recently posted..Thank you- Jeff Potter for cooking like a geek!
MarthaandMe said, on 9/24/2010 4:54:00 AM
Quite an interesting conundrum! I think it’s great that you’re using the traditional Hawaiian pronunciation. I think Hawaiian is a beautiful language.
Susan said, on 9/24/2010 7:25:00 AM
Hadn’t given this much thought, but that’s an interesting conundrum. Here in Massachusetts, we have several towns with multiple spellings. “Plymouth” is the town and “Plimoth” is the historic site, because that’s the old spelling. There’s also “Attleboro” and “Attleborough” and “Westboro” and “Westborough.” (same place, just different spellings, which makes it tricky for newspaper copyeditors!). I think it’s because many of the old New England settlers couldn’t read or write so it was tough to standardize language back then.
Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart said, on 9/24/2010 7:25:00 AM
Oh, the many ways we butcher our own language and the languages of others. Who would have known something like this would be so hotly debated?
Caitlin @ Roaming Tales said, on 9/24/2010 11:47:00 AM
Very interesting – I didn’t know about the Hawaiian origin and pronunciation.
Generally though I think it’s fine to Anglicise/Americanise pronunciation of words. Otherwise there are tons of words that we are saying incorrectly. Do you roll your Rs every time you say “croissant”? Caitlin @ Roaming Tales recently posted..Photo Friday- Cable car in Barcelona
Jesaka said, on 9/24/2010 3:47:00 PM
I had no idea that this was such a hot topic. The Hawaiian language is so beautiful that it’s hard to think of the oo-koo-ley-ley pronunciation as snobbish. And applause to your son for having an editorial style. Sometimes the key is just being consistent.
Stephanie - Wasabimon said, on 9/24/2010 10:47:00 PM
Wow, this is fascinating. The grammar nazi and language nerd in me is captivated! Stephanie – Wasabimon recently posted..The Herbfarm’s 100-Mile Dinner
So I started playing the ukulele a couple months back (”playing” in the most generous use of the word) and the tiny instrument has since formed a special place in my heart. Lately I’ve noticed that they have been appearing all around me: on the little scraps of paper that I keep beside my desk to doodle on, in my sketchbooks, and sometimes, in my illustrations of hat lovin’ flamingos.
“If you’ve had a rough day, whatever you’re doing … you pick up the ukulele and strum it a few times,” McAuliffe says. “..and all of a sudden, things are better.”
nice. play on.
Joanna Davidovich said, on 7/1/2009 7:15:00 PM
I “play” the ukulele too- its fantastic. All you have to do is learn the chords to “Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue” and suddenly you know about twenty songs.
While we're all fretting about the proposal for a national marine monument, federalization issues, economic issues and more, at least somebody in Saipan is practicing music! Wow!
0 Comments on 222. Shin Kimura as of 5/1/2008 3:25:00 AM
Lucia had heard me play Pete Seeger's Abiyoyo before, and I think I even got the book out of the library for her, but it wasn't until her grandpa showed her a Youtube video of a young Pete Seeger peforming the story-song that it had sticking power for you. It's got a boy playing the ukulele, a father with a magic wand that goes "Zoop!" and a giant with slobbery teeth (because he never brushed
0 Comments on Song of the Week: Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger as of 4/11/2008 9:59:00 PM
Andrea V. said, on 4/11/2008 10:26:00 PM
Fantastic!
Noodle said, on 4/12/2008 3:44:00 PM
We LOVE Abiyoyo! We have the book (read it often!). We have the song as well, but it's not sung by Pete Seeger.
Thankyouthankyouthankyou for posting this! My urchins will love it.
girasole said, on 4/13/2008 8:45:00 AM
My son just sent me an iTunes gift of this song, remembered so fondly from his childhood. Delighted to see it coming to another generation. GraceAnneLadyhawk
Alkelda the Gleeful said, on 4/13/2008 3:33:00 PM
Andrea V: Thanks!
Noodle: You're welcome! Who sings your version?
Girasole: When I was a little girl, I really thought Pete Seeger was my friend (though we had never met) and was singing to me. I suspect Seeger has that effect on other children, too.:)
As it turns out, "I've Been Working on the Railroad" really is two songs stuck together. Walter Minkel of The Monkey Speaks has the story (and the chords for your ukulele).
0 Comments on What kind of a horn did Dinah, play, anyway? as of 1/1/1900
For this week's edition of Song of the Week, I point you to Walter Minkel's Jungle Bells. Walter provides his send-up of a classic secular winter holiday song using easy ukulele chords. If you're playing guitar, you can transpose the song into the key of D thus:
C becomes D
F becomes G
G7 becomes A7
As you might have guessed, this blog will be updated on a lighter schedule for the remainder of
4 Comments on Song of the Week: Walter Minkel's Jungle Bells, last added: 12/22/2007
I realize that (1) the Kidlitosphere is a big place (2) I'm a big girl and should have probably found this site by myself, but still... how can it be that I didn't know about The Monkey Speaks, a blog maintained by puppeteer, ukulele-player and children's librarian extraordinaire Walter Minkel? Walter used to work for Multnomah County Library (i.e. Portland, Oregon and surrounding cities) and is
1 Comments on The Monkey Speaks, last added: 12/1/2007
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Buster would be proud.
Happy New Year!
Impossible to keep the smile off my face while watching this! Happy New Year!
You are just so talented! I love this. Happy New Year!
Thanks, everybody! And Happy New Year to you all!
I love that, Matt!! I've always wanted to play the ukulele— it looks like so much fun! Happy New Year to you :)
Lauren, sounds like you have a new resolution. The uke is easy and fun to learn (but a bit addictive). I'll give you some tips!