I just discovered that someone named Lyndon Johansen had left the following message for me on April 4 as a reply to a February 2007 post.

I found The Viper & His Famous Orchestra while searching iTunes > ukulele. I’m a mandolin picker attempting to play tenor ukulele. All new to me. Does the “Reply” reach anyone that can provide me with a chord changes for Hey! Rounder? It’s a great song but a bit difficult to figure out. Thanks, Lyndon

This was nice to get for a couple of reasons: 1) it means our stuff made it through CD Baby to iTunes! and 2) it means someone wants to sing lines like:

Hot butter in the pan
Hot baby in the diaper
All for the man
And none for The Viper

So I sent him the following reply today, and I’m going to paste the chord changes below just in case anyone else might want to play along too:

Hey! Rounder,

I just saw the comment that you left on my Viper blog (as you can maybe tell, my blog and I aren’t on the closest of terms) about “Hey! Rounders.” I’m flattered that you’d like to be able to play it, so I’m attaching the basic chord changes for it.

By way of explanation, each cell of the table represents a four-beat measure of the music, so if two chords are in a given cell, then each gets 2 beats. The degree symbol after a chord means a diminished chord (e.g. C dim = C+Eb+F#+A, which are actually the same notes as F# dim) — you probably already know that. In actually playing, I sometimes substitute 9th or 13th chords for the D7 and G7 chords, and C6 for C.

In the recording on “Everything for Everyone,” I’m playing a baritone ukulele, which is tuned D G B E. (How are you tuning your tenor ukulele?) You’re also hearing a trombone, double bass, and suitcase.

So here’s a recording, and the chord changes to go with it:

“Hey! Rounders” (download here)

INTRO

VERSES

BRIDGE

CODA