How to Contribute Songs to the List
Editors of this website should keep paper copies of existing UUFCC Song Circle song books on hand and use these to select or create website song additions that match the keys and chords for songs in those books. Those selections can be changed if needed, but by and large they have been found to work well with the voice ranges and instrument skills of our amateur singing group. Chord complexity is another issue for a group with a wide range in guitar skill level - follow this link to see Wayne O.'s suggestions on this matter. Wise advice - since our ultimate goal is to achieve enough fluency for this to be a fun activity for all participants.
Editors of this website should keep paper copies of existing UUFCC Song Circle song books on hand and use these to select or create website song additions that match the keys and chords for songs in those books. Those selections can be changed if needed, but by and large they have been found to work well with the voice ranges and instrument skills of our amateur singing group. Chord complexity is another issue for a group with a wide range in guitar skill level - follow this link to see Wayne O.'s suggestions on this matter. Wise advice - since our ultimate goal is to achieve enough fluency for this to be a fun activity for all participants.
When looking for songs online, first try the song search in a website called 'Jim's Ukulele and Guitar Songs'. Set the search to guitar tabs EADGE, then enter one key word of the song title to narrow from the full set of over 3000 songs. If music for your song is there, try it out, and if you like it, simply copy the URL and send it to a website editor (currently only Doug A.) in an email, and the link it will be added to our list. Website editors can view this page to learn the link-adding process. I find the quality of these to be good.
When looking for songs online, first try the song search in a website called 'Jim's Ukulele and Guitar Songs'. Set the search to guitar tabs EADGE, then enter one key word of the song title to narrow from the full set of over 3000 songs. If music for your song is there, try it out, and if you like it, simply copy the URL and send it to a website editor (currently only Doug A.) in an email, and the link it will be added to our list. Website editors can view this page to learn the link-adding process. I find the quality of these to be good.
Another resource I like is the Song Book of the San Jose Ukulele Club. I really like that they add the beats, so it makes it easier to learn the rhythm. Their song sheets are printable pdfs, but again, I just need the URL for the pdf that loads into your browser when you click on the song of interest.
Another resource I like is the Song Book of the San Jose Ukulele Club. I really like that they add the beats, so it makes it easier to learn the rhythm. Their song sheets are printable pdfs, but again, I just need the URL for the pdf that loads into your browser when you click on the song of interest.
As a last resort for internet sources, you can do a google search for 'lyrics guitar chords - song keywords' and you will often find a song in one of the many commercial Guitar Tab websites such as Ultimate Guitar. Note that if you go directly to the link, it will force you to a sign-up page that ends in a paid subscription, but that you don't need to sign-up to see song pages located by a google search. I have heard that Ultimate Guitar does have free ad-supported subscriptions also. Such sites have lots of great music info, but unless you subscribe, the songs comes with many ads and, and the many options of key, instrument etcetera are sometimes confusing for less experienced musicians. Ultimate Guitar and YouTube were recommended by my HVAC maintenance guy Mike, who is a great self-trained singer and guitar player. When I signed up for Ultimate Guitar I was able to download a pdf version of a selected song - so maybe not all of us need to join to get music to share at a church singalong session. Subscription costs $60/yr and the price seems to have gone up recently.
As a last resort for internet sources, you can do a google search for 'lyrics guitar chords - song keywords' and you will often find a song in one of the many commercial Guitar Tab websites such as Ultimate Guitar. Note that if you go directly to the link, it will force you to a sign-up page that ends in a paid subscription, but that you don't need to sign-up to see song pages located by a google search. I have heard that Ultimate Guitar does have free ad-supported subscriptions also. Such sites have lots of great music info, but unless you subscribe, the songs comes with many ads and, and the many options of key, instrument etcetera are sometimes confusing for less experienced musicians. Ultimate Guitar and YouTube were recommended by my HVAC maintenance guy Mike, who is a great self-trained singer and guitar player. When I signed up for Ultimate Guitar I was able to download a pdf version of a selected song - so maybe not all of us need to join to get music to share at a church singalong session. Subscription costs $60/yr and the price seems to have gone up recently.
Ukulele paper book collections are often very good because they have been field tested by ukulele collectives that are geared toward amateur musicians:
Ukulele paper book collections are often very good because they have been field tested by ukulele collectives that are geared toward amateur musicians:
The Daily Ukulele - A Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Songbook by Liz & Jim Beloff (365 songs)
The Daily Ukulele - A Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Songbook by Liz & Jim Beloff (365 songs)
Ukulele Fake Book - over 400 songs to strum and sing - melody, lyrics, chords - by Hal Leonard
Ukulele Fake Book - over 400 songs to strum and sing - melody, lyrics, chords - by Hal Leonard
Christmas Ukulele Fake Book - over 250 songs to strum & sing - melody, lyrics, chords - by Hal Leonard
Christmas Ukulele Fake Book - over 250 songs to strum & sing - melody, lyrics, chords - by Hal Leonard
You can also just write down the lyrics in a word processor and add the chords you find work. Voice-to-text makes the lyric part go quickly. I would convert these to a shared pdf and add the web link to our list. Editors can view this page to learn the process. Some of the song websites have song sheets as pdfs or pages that print nicely to pdfs. To create a pdf that views well on a tablet, I suggest printing without header/footer and using minimal margins. If a pdf is very close to what you desire, if using the Chrome Browser, it gives you the option of converting to a google doc. Often this works well, but beware that sometimes chord markers above the lyrics can shift. Once in the word processor, you can edit as you like. To add rhythm markers for the beats, such as done by the San Jose Ukulele Club, I am experimenting with adding the characters with the 'insert drawing' tool with the draw object set to overlay the text. This is laborious, but especially since we usually lack a drum beat or base line, it is very helpful for coordinating singers if a song has a more challenging rhythm.
You can also just write down the lyrics in a word processor and add the chords you find work. Voice-to-text makes the lyric part go quickly. I would convert these to a shared pdf and add the web link to our list. Editors can view this page to learn the process. Some of the song websites have song sheets as pdfs or pages that print nicely to pdfs. To create a pdf that views well on a tablet, I suggest printing without header/footer and using minimal margins. If a pdf is very close to what you desire, if using the Chrome Browser, it gives you the option of converting to a google doc. Often this works well, but beware that sometimes chord markers above the lyrics can shift. Once in the word processor, you can edit as you like. To add rhythm markers for the beats, such as done by the San Jose Ukulele Club, I am experimenting with adding the characters with the 'insert drawing' tool with the draw object set to overlay the text. This is laborious, but especially since we usually lack a drum beat or base line, it is very helpful for coordinating singers if a song has a more challenging rhythm.
Please let me know what YOU find useful and I can add those tips to this page!
Please let me know what YOU find useful and I can add those tips to this page!