Taimane plays Eleanor Rigby on ukulele

Here's Taimane Gardner (she's been playing the ukulele since she was five) warming up for a show by playing "Eleanor Rigby."

[#1 posted by Anonymous, January 20, 2009 12:17 PM]

Nice, @_@ but oddly happy (it was good)

[#2 posted by SamSam, January 20, 2009 12:27 PM]

So all you have to do to get on BB these days is be a cute girl under 30 and play the ukulele?

[#3 posted by eclectro, January 20, 2009 12:29 PM]

Freakish. Using an ukulele as a serious instrument and being successful.

[#4 posted by timquinn, January 20, 2009 12:35 PM]

undecorated singing . . .

How refreshing.

[#5 posted by ShadowDancer, January 20, 2009 12:44 PM]

dang, i just found her playing a mix she calls "led zeppelin meets beethoven."

it is awesome. especially at around the 2:30 mark when the energy gets high as her fingers fly on the strings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov5mA7j-CJg

[#6 posted by Gloria, January 20, 2009 12:45 PM]

All buck-toothed girls who excel at the hurdy-gurdy ... your day will come!

[#7 posted by artbot, January 20, 2009 12:54 PM]

Cute girl + uke = the new Steampunk!

[#8 posted by Gadgets123, January 20, 2009 1:17 PM]

um.... OK. Nice fretwork, but rather youtubish overall. Like being stuck at a party where the neighbor's daughter is going to sing.

[#9 posted by Mark Frauenfelder, January 20, 2009 1:29 PM]

Gadgets123: "Like being stuck at a party..."

I enjoy listening to my talented and semi-talented friends and neighbors sing and play instruments. You would *hate* coming to my house, because I have drums, ukes, guitars, strumsticks, kazoos and other instruments in the living room, and whenever people come over we have impromptu jam sessions.

[#10 posted by rosc0bobo, January 20, 2009 1:32 PM]

Ukulele aficionados will also like:
Jake Shimabukuro >> http://www.jakeshimabukuro.com/

Ohta San >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FpLkguY_bg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPAR2F5N6c

Peter Moon >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWWAdo9JZMY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Moon_(musician)

[#11 posted by Hank, January 20, 2009 1:36 PM]

So all you have to do to get on BB these days is be a cute girl under 30 and play the ukulele?

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[#12 posted by allen, January 20, 2009 1:45 PM]

I think living in Hawaii robbed the ukulele of whatever mystique that makes it so fascinating for people here.

We need more cute girls playing irish music on concertinas IMO.

[#13 posted by EH, January 20, 2009 1:46 PM]

Ukeleles: The Steampunk of 2009!

[#14 posted by jimh, January 20, 2009 1:48 PM]

I think it was good, too!
And never mind samsam@#2- more cute girls with ukeleles pls.

[#15 posted by ab5tract, January 20, 2009 1:50 PM]

oOinstathoughtbubbblesOo

Uke is my only physical instrument of any competence. This is because it is awesome, portable, and can bring tears to the eyes of strangers.

She has a really nice uke.

This song asks a question still awaiting a suitable answer.

I think it was good Taimane. Next time you should rock bb with a solo performance though.

Or am I still tripping, thinking the off camera guy was playing as well?

[#16 posted by ab5tract, January 20, 2009 2:18 PM]

Sorry to second post but I really meant to have already said this so,

oOoinstaOthoughtsOcont'dOo

Thank you Mark for all the ukelele coverage. It's a sweet sweet bonus to hit reload and get a uke lesson for free. As well as some validation for what sometimes seems like a relatively silly endeavor.

One day you will all cry to my electric uke ballads. And I will cry also.

I must be tripping. I mean, did you see the news about the majority actually getting to elect their choice as president this year?

[#17 posted by technogeek, January 20, 2009 2:25 PM]

Nice bit of informal jamming... though I really want to put the audio through a scrubber and take out at least some of the background noise, and maybe tweak equalization a bit.

The uke is definitely a serious instrument, no less so than its bigger cousins.

If you dismiss someone because they play an instrument you haven't heard played well (or have never actually seriously listened to), you're going to miss one heck of a lot of good music.

[#18 posted by All Jelly No Toast, January 20, 2009 7:39 PM]

This is some dude on youtube playing the amazingly refreshing rendition of 'Que Sera' from Katamari Damacy on his uke.

It is slightly out of tune, but all the more charming for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-uJXL_ca-k

No singing, not the version of the song you know (unless you are familiar with Katamari, which is perhaps the best video game ever and a bb favourite.)

Enjoy!

[#19 posted by Secret_Life_of_Plants, January 20, 2009 9:18 PM]

I like how her hands move -- not conventionally graceful but more interesting to watch, and I love when I see people getting so much music out of such a tiny instrument.

[#20 posted by winkybb, January 20, 2009 11:44 PM]

Sound Quality. Fail.

[#21 posted by Anonymous, January 20, 2009 11:51 PM]

To the one main guy who's been in love with this girl for years prior: Right now, you might be having a well-founded anxiety attack because every man who sees this video is going to love her too; I salute your having been there first and loving her with more depth than the rest of us. But hey man, "all is fair...".

[#22 posted by chezzo, January 21, 2009 7:24 AM]

Nice, even if she did overuse those triplets a bit.

[#23 posted by stoocur, January 21, 2009 11:23 AM]

The more I watch ukulele performers the more I'm amazed. I love it. The instrument has less "stuff" between the artist and the listener and seems more pure.

Check out this clip of the same girl doing a song called LED ZEPPELIN MEETS BEETHOVEN. I think it's incredible.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=VhDwTFAoqmY