Unfinished Waltz by Anne Ku

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Anne Ku

Why bother posting something that’s unfinished? I don’t want to forget about it. There’s more to be done. But the versions of the waltz I’ve written can be played and recorded. Here’s my story. Like my two-colored scarf, the waltz is unfinished. I ran out of yarn. But it doesn’t mean that I can’t wear it. Similarly, I will play the waltz.

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Waltz Down the C for high G ukulele

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Anne Ku

When I was recording “Waltz Up the Neck,” after I had put aside the piece to stew, I realized it was not as easy as I had intended. Here’s my second attempt to write an easy to play waltz. The short piece is also in the key of C major but the melody is a descending C major scale, hence “Waltz Down the C.” So far, I am deliberately writing for high G ukulele (rather than low G) for good reasons.

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Tweak the Twinkle for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

Mozart wasn’t the first to write variations on the famous tune of Twinkle, “Twinkle Little Star.” Unknown to many, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, a cousin of Johann Sebastian, also wrote one. The Piano Brothers have recorded theirs, called “Twinkle Lullaby.” I wonder how many others have made such variations on the theme. Here’s my take on the nursery rhyme tune, hence “Tweak the Twinkle for high G ukulele.”

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Thirst for Third for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

What kind of sound do we get if we focus on using notes on the third fret of the high G ukulele? Try as I must to use only notes on the four open strings and the third fret, I found the occasional use of notes on the first and second frets, albeit minimally. “Thirst for Third” is a piece for high G ukulele that starts with a pick-up in a minor key.

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Step In and Out for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

The basis of Travis Picking is “inside, outside.” Fingerpick the two inside strings (C and E) then the outside strings (G and A) of the ukulele. Most of my new piece “Step In and Out” uses such movement of inside and outside pairs of strings of the high G ukulele, hence the title of this piece from my new book “Pick! Pluck! Play!”

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Thrive on Five in Five (pentatonic) for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

Add one more beat in every measure, common time becomes 5/4 time. “Thrive on Five” (pentatonic) becomes “Thrive on Five in Five.” It’s still pentatonic, for only the five notes from a major pentatonic scale are used. This is one of the 12 pieces in the new book “Pick! Pluck! Play!” that I’m writing for beginners to play on the high G ukulele.

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Thrive on Five (pentatonic) for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

When I wrote the Five Note Dance, it was before I started my pentatonic journey which created a pentatonic piece for each of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. However, the Five Note Dance was not pentatonic, despite having five notes. Why not?

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Gallop on First for high G ukulele

Posted on March 23, 2025 by Anne Ku

Skipping a few notes from “Wander on One” changes the movement from wandering (meandering) to a gallop. “Gallop on First” is a short piece for high G ukulele in 6/8 time. The left hand finger movement should be the same. The two pieces can be played one after another for comparison. Appearing as the 9th piece in Book 2 Pick Pluck Play, this piece has been renamed Fix on First Fret.

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Skip the Second for high G ukulele

Posted on March 23, 2025 by Anne Ku

Following “Wander on One,” I aimed at composing a short piece deliberately using only the four notes on the four open strings and the four notes that requires pressing the second fret on the high G ukulele. To this end, I also enlisted a few “necessary” notes on the third fret. “Skip the Second” doesn’t mean to not play the second fret. On the contrary, it requires playing on the second fret as well as a few instances of the third fret. Because the first fret is not used at all, I recommend to use your left hand index finger on the second fret.

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Harmonizing B-A-C-H

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Anne Ku

One reason why the four notes of B-A-C-H work so well on the ukulele is that these notes can all be played on the A-string on frets 1, 0 (open), 3, and 2 consecutively. As we tend to hear the melody as the highest pitch in any chord, it makes sense to explore all the chords that offer this possibility. And there are many indeed to harmonize any melody with the notes of B-A-C-H.

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