# Song and Tune Projects > Song and Tune Projects >  Somewhere over the Rainbow

## benhoffman17

Howdy,

I work for an Outdoor School in California for 6th graders.  Music is a big part of our methodology and my friend can play a wicked version of somewhere over the rainbow on his ukulele.  I am wondering if anyone has information on how to pick that one away for the kids to enjoy.  

Thanks a lot and I wish ya well

-Ben

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## Mandobart

Here is a clip of how I do it on mandocello.  Key of G.  Only chords are G, D, C then a n Em near the end.

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## AlanN

John Reischman picked a luscious solo version, I think the tabledit is on Mandozine. 

Simply perfect.

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## SternART

Grisman did it with Martin Taylor on Tone Poems, Mel Bay has a book with transcriptions.   I learned it out of there, in the normal key.........but then had to play it in a different key for the range of a vocalist........took me some serious homework to pull that off.  Nice jazz chord tune on the mandolin.  Jethro Burns must have a version out there........

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## benhoffman17

Thanks ya'll for your help.  I am wondering if anyone knows where I can find a tab to it since I am a beginner.

Cheers!

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## Bill Snyder

Try Mandozine  HERE.
They title it _Over the Rainbow_.

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## Trey Young

> John Reischman picked a luscious solo version,


so has JR ever recorded this on an album or is there a version floating around out there somewhere...if so I'd love to be pointed in that general direction...

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## Hal Loflin

There are several different versions on You Tube but this one is my favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xraVMt7Hq_4

Simple...Looks like G, C, D...And the kids could sing along.

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## ralph johansson

The key is Bb.

A standing joke among jazz musicans is to oversimplify the changes of standards,
e.g. play the A part of Georgia or The Nearness of You with just two chords. 
But this is no joke, it's seriously atrocious.  There is no substitute for knowing a bit of harmony when approaching this kind of material.

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## johnparrott

What should we call this kind of chord simplification, Ralph...Izzification?

To the original poster who wanted to play this in a way that kids could enjoy and (I think) sing along with, I'd say, have fun and keep it simple. 

You could also learn the official chords, if you can find them,  and take the time to play it both ways for the kids while they sing the melody. Take a poll on which one they like better. 

The Iz ukelele version has touched a lot of people and revived the number; sure, it's an example of chord reduction, but I find it lovely and moving in its own way, even after a few hundred listenings. It makes me wonder where we'd all be if only Iz had tried it on the mandolin...

Jazzers are also no strangers to altering or simplifiying changes to standards, and it's not always resulted in improvement, to my ear. Lots of dimished and augmented chords that were heard in film or Broadway versions have hit the scrap heap over the years because they sound "old-fashioned", and now no one's sure how the original versions of  some tunes sounded .  I must confess, I too transgress,  and will probably continue, as long as there's a book on the stand and we're trying to get through the gig. 

You're right Bruce. Jethro's version, which is on the "Tea For One Record as part of a Medley with "When You Wish Upon a Star", is a great example of what Ralph's talking about when it comes to keeping an ear open to harmony. His chord changes are quite different in many places than most jazz and fakebook versions, and to me they really light up the song. 

As for the kids, well... play them Homer and Jethro's early King Records rendition, It's atrocious oversimplification at its very best. Corrupt a minor today!  It's your civic duty!  It goes,..

"Somewhere over the rainbow-ho, way up high;
There's a land that I heeerd of, onst in a lull-a-buy"
and so on... 

All the best,

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## re simmers

I learned it from a music teacher.   She helped me transpose it from Bb to C.   There are quite a few chords if you choose to play it as written.   Beautiful on mandolin.
I don't have tab to it.

Also,. didn't Don Reno record it at banjo speed?

Bob

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## mandroid

E.Y. 'Yip' Harburg and Harold Arlen .. 1938. 

I have a C arraignment in a book [ Some ^ Where  .. is an octave jump]

[A]
C Em C7 F Em7 Gdim

Dm Fm6 C A7 D7 G7 C G9

C Em C7 F Em7 Gdim Dm  Fm6

C A7 D7 G7 C

[B]
C G7  C6 C  Adim Em G+ Dm G9

C Em C7F Em7 Gdim

Dm Fm6 C A7 D7 G7 C 

(transpose key as suits your voice)

Put on the Blacklist in Hollywood,  Mr. Harburg  shifted his talents to Broadway, NYC, and the theater..

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## AlanN

JR version in G, as I remember.

Not sure if mentioned here, but Barry Mitterhoff plays this in his Wizard of Oz medley on his fine recording Silk City. For some reason, that medley holds up to repeated listening, perhaps due to the 'orchestra' feel it has going on.

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## Anti

Mandocello. I think I have a new favorite insturment.

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## Mandolin Mick

I knew a dog that, whenever he heard Somewhere Over the Rainbow, started howling like he was singing. He actually knew the tune. It didn't matter if it was Judy Garland, if you whistled it, or whatever; he sang along. I tried singing "Somewhere My Love" from Dr. Zhivago and he did nothing so it wasn't the word "somewhere". It was the tune.

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## Bernie Daniel

Nice job Mandobart!  Good sounding manodcello -- is that an Eastman?

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## Mandobart

> Nice job Mandobart!  Good sounding manodcello -- is that an Eastman?


Thanks Bernie!  Yes it is an Eastman MDC805.

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## keith

does anyone out there have tab for bob marley's    is this love

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## ralph johansson

> What should we call this kind of chord simplification, Ralph...Izzification?
> 
> To the original poster who wanted to play this in a way that kids could enjoy and (I think) sing along with, I'd say, have fun and keep it simple. 
> 
> You could also learn the official chords, if you can find them,  and take the time to play it both ways for the kids while they sing the melody. Take a poll on which one they like better. 
> 
> The Iz ukelele version has touched a lot of people and revived the number; sure, it's an example of chord reduction, but I find it lovely and moving in its own way, even after a few hundred listenings. It makes me wonder where we'd all be if only Iz had tried it on the mandolin...
> 
> Jazzers are also no strangers to altering or simplifiying changes to standards, and it's not always resulted in improvement, to my ear. Lots of dimished and augmented chords that were heard in film or Broadway versions have hit the scrap heap over the years because they sound "old-fashioned", and now no one's sure how the original versions of  some tunes sounded .  I must confess, I too transgress,  and will probably continue, as long as there's a book on the stand and we're trying to get through the gig. 
> ...



It's the playing, this relentless pounding on all strings or courses. Of course, the harmony is determined by this. A common harmonization of the first two bars is Bb, gm, dm, Bb7, but the guitarist plays Bb --- F (not F7, IIRC).
With a capo at the third fret the dm would require a bm shape for which there is no 6-string cowboy shape. 

In bars 5 and 6 of the bridge an undulating sequence of d-f is to be followed by e-g, with the e note outside the Bb major scale. The standard chord would be dim chord; jazzers might apply a ii-V thing possibly with flatted fifths and ninths. Again, there is no comfortable
cowboy shape so (IIRC, I don't want to hear it again) they play an Eb chord there instead. In other words, they don't even get the melody right.

Perhaps I should elaborate on this example in the next capo thread ...

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## ald

Evan Marshall does a nice duo-style version of Over the rainbow.

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