In today's column I have solved a problem that I bet you didn't even know was a problem. Namely, the singing of the Happy Birthday song...   My sister asked me, “Why is it that every time I sing Happy Birthday at a party it nearly always ends badly?”   So, I...

With Japan’s Olympic games in full-swing I think about how differently sporting and musical achievements are rewarded. Athletes end up with shelves full of cups and medals from countless tournaments while musicians get… well what exactly? Today is my birthday and I...

On Sunday, July 11, 2021, McShane & Shaw were booked to perform two forty-five-minute sets at a small wedding (all weddings at this time were small as restrictions limited them to thirty guests.)   As the day came closer, we realised our second set, scheduled...

While teaching a three-day residential beginner ukulele course recently I found myself wondering what we might achieve in such a short space of time. I mean, I could show my eleven retirement-age students the basics, but to properly play takes time for brain and body...

I want to thank Marian in British Columbia, Canada who asks, “How do you choose which charity (i.e., unpaid) gigs you do? I think it can be a tricky line to walk, because unpaid gigs can be a great way for musicians, who are just starting out, to get experience and...

It finally happened, Saturday June 5, 8pm – the first indoor gig for McShane and Shaw in well over a year. It's been a year of not exercising the muscle of live performance and while some have used this time to learn musical instruments many in the performing...

If you are a fairly novice player and don’t know about stringed instruments it’s nice to have an experienced player with you to help you choose your instrument. But that may not be possible and, ultimately, it is you who will live with the choice. So if you can do the...

Getting three chickens, at the start of last year's lockdown, prompted my friends to ask if I knew what I was letting myself in for. Clarifying, they followed up with the question, “In about four years, when they stop laying, how are you going to feel about killing...

First of all, thanks for your messages and for subscribing to my new youtube music-video: Your Car’s Too Big If you haven't seen it go now! Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzx7kbfSkAU Apparently, some of you found it so catchy you were forced to...

Most parody writers freely admit that they do them because it’s simply too difficult to write good original songs. And yes, while parodies are far easier to write than originals, a great parody still takes thought and care. Below I offer you 6 song-writing tips to...

Although it can be a legal grey area (with multiple shades of grey), for the most part it’s actually perfectly legal to parody an artistic work under “fair use” laws. This is because of two landmark court cases that clarified the once murky situation for parody...

Parody is a fun way to get into song-writing. But what is it exactly? And are there pitfalls when making a mockery of someone else’s work? My friend Ruth said she’d heard a busker making a decent job of Brand New Key (The Rollerskate Song) by Melanie. I had to google...

Here is your final instalment of the ukulele-bike-boat tour I did in 2019. So far, our much photographed 3-masted barquentine has been motoring under engine power close to land. But now it's time, under the guidance of Captain Eelke, to unfurl the sails and let the...

We're off again on our uke-bike-boat tour of the Netherlands. Today, I learn about the world-conquering ingenuity of the Dutch - and Susanna tries her new e-bike - but it's Becky who comes out looking the worse for wear...   Years ago, while listening to a group of...

Saturday, late afternoon The sleet subsided and the crew unloaded bikes onto the quay. Hugo, our bicycle tour guide, adjusted each vehicle for its rider. Everyone was chatty and friendly. We had a few Brits and Australians along but I'd say the majority were Americans...

I want to take you back to a simpler, happier time. Back when the world was idyllic and orderly and every moment spent on this green and pleasant earth was a joy and delight. Basically, any time before 2020 will do but I’m specifically talking about one week in April...

Welcome to 2021! The UK has just entered its third nationwide lockdown, the garden is covered with snow, and I'm viewing quite a bit more telly than I usually do. One thing I watched was a new film called Zappa which sparked some memories and caused me to ponder on...

The end of the year, that will be forever known as 2020, is almost over and Christmas time is upon us. So I've chosen as this week's topic: world peace! Poor Boris Johnson has had to cancel Christmas. With the UK already suffering one of the highest per capita covid...

Many thanks for your many positive responses to last week’s email announcing the return of this newsletter. It was exactly what I needed to give me a powerful starting boost. Some of you told me a bit about yourselves and many more simply wrote, “Yaaay Ralph!!” Which...

The Ukulele Entertainer e-Newsletter is back. Everybody say, "Yaaaay Ralph" The story so far: I've spent my adult life making a living playing the ukulele, first as children's entertainer Ralph the Clown (back when clowns were more funny than scary) and from 1997...