A couple of weeks back on the ukulele subReddit, there was a challenge to cover a Kraftwerk song. Electronic music on the ukulele, really? I was intrigued and Tod was interested, too, so we decided to make it a Frolciaholics project. We spent two weeks selecting a song, breaking it down into bits, learning to play it. We finished the filming and editing today.
The song we covered is Radioactivity, exceptionally apropos as we near the 3rd anniversary of the nuclear disaster here in Japan. We used almost all of our instruments: ukulele, melodica, xylophone and also the stylophone, tenori-on and a wooden frog that didn’t make the final cut.
The tenori-on provides the bass and drums. We played the other instruments over the onslaught of 16th notes. It was a good challenge (aka almost impossible) to stay rigidly on the beat. You’ll see from my grim expression that I was really focussed on getting it right! You’ll hear that I didn’t always mange. But I improved throughout the project and what more can a new musician ask for?
Spare a thought today for the many victims of the nuclear disaster. Three years after the meltdown, very little has improved and they need your good wishes.
