"Uke Ant Dude Is Honor Get Are" a ukulele experiment by Ted

[Ted]

Uke Ant Dude Is Honor Get Are

(You can't do this on a guitar)

By Ted Johnson
Ukulele: Ted
Background Noise: Ted's laptop, Ted's dog chewing on a toy, neighborhood noise out my open window.

Chords per JGuitar.com Chord Namer

Gmaddb2add2   
F#madd2addb2
Fmbb5add3
FMb5add2
B7
Ddim7
C#m7#5 (I'd call this A9)
Cm7
G7
C#dim7
Am7
E7
C#dim7
Am7
G
D7

One thing I like about ukulele is the close chord voicings that aren't possible on the guitar. I got curious about creating the most discordant chords possible – four contiguous chromatic notes. I found two ways of achieving it, and they are the first two chords in this sequence.
I wanted to create a series that began discordant, and gradually becomes harmonious. The other rules are (a) that each chord has a minor-third interval, (b) that this interval descends by a half step with each chord change, and (c) every chord had to have four notes – no triads until the G chord at end. And the challenge was to make the progression flow – to conceal the contrived chromatic thing: to make it musical, I suppose.

Gmaddb2add2


   
F#madd2addb2

[AndyR]

Cool!

I saw the "(You can't do this on a guitar)" and nearly took it as a personal challenge

I decided that life was too short

I did wonder, though - you know about Nashville Tuning? I didn't until recently. It is an actual thing, and would create colour on an arrangement that a 6 string guitar in standard cannot produce... I have no intention of going near it, but I suspect you could start approaching voicings like this.

Anyways, this recording is kinda growing on me as a listen rather than just an interesting experiment.
I think you have made it musical, there's a definite and obvious thread through it, and I suspect there are more depending how you focus when listening...

OK - I want to hear someone to take it as a backer and write a song over it (not me!!)
That would be a cool challenge - you can't add any more instrumentation, no drums, bass, keys, nothing ... just a vocal melody line and lyric. I'm aware of at least one songcrafter on here who I believe could do it. Actually, at least two (off the top of my head).

[Ted]

OK - I want to hear someone to take it as a backer and write a song over it (not me!!)
That would be a cool challenge - you can't add any more instrumentation, no drums, bass, keys, nothing ... just a vocal melody line and lyric.

Funny, but I was tempted to do something like this – but I would have re-record the whole thing, and added drums, bass and chords (guitar or keyboards). When I play these discordant chords as arpeggios, I can lay a more harmonious chord under it. For example: It works to put an Eb chord underneath the arpeggiating Gmaddb2add2 chord. Similarly, it works to put a C chord under an arpeggiating FMb5add2.

But I decided to just record the strumming version (on my phone – not even my Micro BR), because...

I decided that life was too short

[Hook]

That is excellently cool brother. I dig the dissonance with that falling progression.
Rock on!

[StephenM]

I dig your title for the song.  I dig the fact that you are reaching for new sounds, chords,  and things that are difficult to attain. 
It shows up in your songs as I have listened. 

I find in practice for whatever I am into at the moment, bass, drums, guitar, and to a lesser extent keyboards (and I play harmonica but that one is easy for me so I play it the least) that turning practice into fun and enjoyment makes it a spring board to my improvement and to new song ideas.  I suspect you do that also. 

[Geir]

Really cool and a nice listen too.

Love these kinda things.

My favorite chord is the Gmaddb2add2 or "Gee, mad dB to add to" as I like to call it

[Mike_S]

I am all into weird, so this sounds good to me. I love the tension in these chords. Moments of relief followed by moments of anxiety. Great stuff.

Mike

[Ted]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are some experimental weirdos here. There are some moments in this that I really like, and may reuse in new songs.

Just for fun, I redid this in Garageband using a piano sound. The chord voicings are exactly the same, but I added some bass notes that aren't necessarily the root notes of first few discordant chords (as identified by the JGuitar.com Chord Namer).

I particularly like the visualization of the chords as the notes spread out.

[chapperz66]

Yes - love experimental!  And I love left-field kind of stuff.  I like both versions but am particularly fond of the piano take.   Smokey, jazz-club vibe.

[AndyR]

Oh I LOVE the piano version.

(And that is singable!)