Lil' Rev is a friend of mine. Since I started playing music late in life I try to find instructors that are straightforward and clear. He has written a few books that have been published by Hal Leonard Music Books. I have seen him perform in Berkeley and Santa Cruz and enjoy his storytelling and style of music.
I have his books and videos and have worked through much of the material. It gives me a structured way to work through materials. He is quite an instructor as you will see in this instructional video. These books are geared towards beginner to intermediate players.
You can also check out more of Lil' Rev on his blog, Fountain of Uke.
My friend Alistair Wood of Ukulele Hunt has made a detailed assessment of Lil' Rev's new book, 101 Licks for the Ukulele. Alistair has written several ukulele books too and always gives a detailed and thorough account of everything he reviews,
Lil Rev. regularly tours, and is a fantastic multi-instrumentalist, if you can, be sure to take one of Rev's touring classes -- It is a good jumpstart! Or I recommend watching several of his videos on YouTube Channel: lilrevdotcom to get a feel for his style of playing. I have seen LR perform many times and he is quite the entertainer as well as a musical historian. There is something that I feel that Al has missed, and that is, the historical and contextual information that LR shows. He gives many ideas and names of players where these techniques come from and recommend listening to.
I started to become musical with the ukulele when I was about 45 and have spent a lot of time in clubs where basic strumming is the mainstay. This book gives many ideas to start breaking out and implementing a lick/riff and perking up the playing and there are tracks of chord strumming on the CD that allow you a chance to work on the material in the book. Rev recommends implementing a riff or two into your playing, and working from there.
[I should make it clear that this book is GCEA focused but an experienced bari player will quickly realize that licks in C for GCEA are G licks in DGBE.]
I have had my 101 Ukulele Licks Book for a week and took Lil' Rev's class on the same over at Michael DaSilva's Shop (www.ukemaker.com) on Feb 12, 2011. Lil' Rev has long been a favorite of mine. I make it a priority to own each of his books as they become available. They are all reasonably priced and come with a CD. This book with CD is less than $15 before shipping.
So you ask what is so special about this book? It is a book of musical historical knowledge. LR, as a student of music, has listened to and studied to many of the masters of acoustic music. He is a multi-instrumentalist and full time, earn-yur’-livin’-type musician. This book says 101 Ukulele Licks but truly there are closer to a thousand, perhaps more because many of these licks are just as movable as the movable chord. Rev is also a spectacular teacher. My buddy Chris E. and I were listening to LR’s instructions and realizing that the Lick book can be taken in small riff chunks, experimented with and played until they become natural addition your playing.
Blues Licks, Boogie Riffs, Jazzy Blues Licks, Movable Turnaround Licks, Country Licks, Bluegrass Licks, Rock 'n' Roll, and Old-Time music are mixed in with scales, historical anecdotes of the musicians that used them. The book is music, art and history all in one.
This book is great for baritone players too. Lil Rev's next project is a method book for baritone ukulele. So, my opinion is clear, I recommend everything that Lil' Rev produces but this book in particular can really give you the opportunity for your music to have some extra flair. It is a book that you will have for years and get something new from it each time.
Here's a recent example of Lil' Rev playing a tenor ukulele...
Here the Lil' Rev plays a Tony Graziano Baritone Ukulele. Tony is a Santa Cruz Luthier and member of the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz. That starburst Baritone is a beauty.
The audio and video quality of this video is rough but Lil' Rev is playing an old 1950's Harmony Baritone Ukulele. I just got one of these from the local fleamarket with an old herringbone style case. Lil' Rev is a favorite of mine because he's a storyteller, he sings & plays old-time songs, and has so many musical strumming and picking variations that he always keeps fully entertained. Oh yeah, the Bari and Case was a steel at $65. These Harmony's had a bowed back and are quite light.
