Loser - Beck - Slide Ukulele (Patreon)
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Content
Standard Tuning Sitar Riff (1:44)
Standard Tuning Slide Riff (4:41)
Tuning to Open D (6:38)
Open D Sitar Riff (7:54)
Open D Slide Riff (11:05)
Today we are going to learn how to play "Loser" by Beck on the Ukulele. To really get the vibe of this song you want to play it in open D with a slide, but I know not everyone has a slide and not everyone wants to retune their ukulele for one song, so I also did a standard tuning version so you you can play it in standard or open D, with or without a Ukulele, it is up to you!
This is our first one chord song, the entire song is just two riffs based on a D chord. Beck is rapping through the song, so the melody isn't as important, when the melody is less important, so is the harmony, but all those things mean the rhythm and the groove become super duper important as the song is designed to make you move it is designed to make you dance. Rhythm is the oldest aspect of music, the most primal and hone of the hardest to get to pop on its on with the Ukulele. That is why it is so important when practicing this song to really take the time to get the groove of the lick and the fingerpicking part right.
The song is composed of two basic pieces, the slide riff intro and in the verse there are sampled drums, a bass riff and a sitar riff. We transcribed the sitar riff for the ukulele so that is what you would be playing as you, or someone else, is doing the rapping part.
Will improve
Playing with a slide
One Chord Song
Experimenting with Alternate tunings (Open D)
The drums Beck sampled in the song are from a song called "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxYQCWyBVk0