5 Remarkable Ukulele Performances

Herein lies charming performances by talented ukulele players; the ukulele has an effervescent quality that's distinct to its compact built and 4 string format - if it looks like a miniature guitar to you, then someone must've also taken a shrink ray to the cello and made a viola. A lady friend of mine once assured me that size does not matter, she was talking about my ukelele.

Sit back, relax and enjoy our selection of Ukulele music!


Billie Jean by James Hill



James Hill is a prominent Canadian ukulele player who's been playing the folk instrument for well over 20 years since his first music lessons in fourth grade. He has a laid back demeanour that understates the technicality of his performances - it's a hallmark of musicians who have been at their craft for many years.

Another noteworthy effort of James Hill would be his attempt to play the Ukulele with chopsticks.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain



In this video, English musical ensemble 'The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain' faithfully recreates the sounds and auditory experience of 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti western film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. In addition to the ukuleles, the group incorporates narratives, whistling, chants and humming to great effect.

The band does a number of creative reinterpretation of popular songs, such as American alternative rock hit, 'Teenage Dirtbag'.


Rolling in the Deep by Jake Shimabukuro



Hawaiian jazz and rock ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has been playing the instrument since he was 4 years old, he's produced critically acclaimed musical covers of classic songs like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. In one of his newer performances, he rocks out to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". If you notice some distortion during the video, it's probably because Jake's warping the fabric of space and time with his awesome.


Pokemon Medley by Aldrine Guerrero



This faithful re-creation of Pokemon videogame music by Filipino Hawaiian musician, Aldrine Guerrero is an entertaining example of the versatility of the ukulele. This is one of the 28 year old musician's more popular efforts on Youtube, garnering over 200,000 views, this is probably due in part to his evoking of the audiences nostalgia and the 8 bit musical goodness in his video.

Watch Aldrine play more classic game tunes like Legend of Zelda and Tetris!

Super Mario by Sungha Jung



The korean boy wonder of string instruments, Sungha Jung, does a spot on performance of Super Mario's theme music - he even incorporates various sound effects for good measure, just in case you weren't already impressed by his effortless playing. Sungha Jung is very well known for his guitar skills, but the teenage heartthrob does some mean ukulele too, watch his rendition of Pirates of the Caribean and Billie Jean.


Which of these performances was your favourite? Let us know your thoughts!
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