Category Archives: ukulele

Opus: Live is Life for ukulele

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Anne Ku

On my first trip to Europe, I heard a song in the Greek islands that roused me to get up and dance. Because I heard it everywhere, it became the single defining song of my first backpacking trip as an independent solo … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday chord melody arrangement for ukulele

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Anne Ku

A chord melody arrangement is one in which the melody (of a song) is embedded in the chord. While you can play the melody separately from the harmony, the idea is that the notes you need for the melody is … Continue reading →

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Anak for piano solo

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Anne Ku

When I lived in Singapore in the late eighties, I hung out with my Malaysian neighbors off River Valley Road. One of their friends, named Cel, sketched me (below). I’m not sure if he was the one who introduced me … Continue reading →

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Most commonly used chords for ʻukulele

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Anne Ku

The common chord progression assignment I gave to my beginning music theory class caused an uproar. It was the secret formula that explained the Pareto Rule of Pop Music: 80% of pop music used only 20% of the chords. “You mean, … Continue reading →

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Chord shape thinking from guitar to ukulele

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Anne Ku

In my forthcoming paper on teaching yourself to play the ʻukulele, I venture into similarities between guitar and ʻukulele chords. If you already play the guitar, thinking in intervals and chord shapes will give you a head start to playing the … Continue reading →

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