Alberti Zucchini

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Anne Ku

At the final class of the 6-week beginner ukulele course I taught at the Boston Public Library near Harvard University, I led the eight adults to play a duet I arranged, which was the last piece in the Fun with Uke Festive Edition.. The accompaniment was the famous Alberti bass. We were awarded by a homemade “zucchini loaf” which I later coined the new name “Decadent Chocolate Courgette Cake.” The result is this “Alberti Zucchini” to remember the occasion.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Alberti Zucchini

Arpeggio Curioso for high G ukulele

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Anne Ku

The short definition for the Italian word arpeggio is harp like. A longer definition is the individual notes of a chord played in succession. An even longer definition is to play the single notes in succession, either ascending or descending in pitch. If you’re curious about the arpeggio, check out my latest composition “Arpeggio Curioso” for the high G ukulele.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Arpeggio Curioso for high G ukulele

Long, Long Ago ukulele duet

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Anne Ku

We spent most of our sixth and final one-hour beginner ukulele class playing a duet with Alberti accompaniment, the last piece in the 20-page Fun with Uke Festive Edition. The melody is used for many songs, most famously Alphabet, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Miss Arabella Miller, and Twinkle Twinkle. What else can the Alberti accompaniment used for? The folk song “Long, Long Ago” requires only two chords. You might have heard of it, long long ago.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Long, Long Ago ukulele duet

What’s It Waltz for high G ukulele

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Anne Ku

As I went through the day in want of sleep, I thought about the “Whirlwind Waltz.” It was a first draft. Why did I start in one key and end in an unrelated key? Couldn’t I have returned to the original key? Could I have made it easier for the beginner by using open strings in the three note introduction? “What’s It Waltz” is very similar to Whirlwind Waltz. Can you tell the difference?

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What’s It Waltz for high G ukulele

Whirlwind Waltz for high G ukulele

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Anne Ku

Here’s a short waltz that got me out of bed before 4 o’clock in the morning. Was it the copious amount of homemade chai tea that kept me awake or the buzz of the Long Island Guitar Festival last weekend? I hear notes screaming to get born. I named it “Whirlwind Waltz” because I couldn’t possibly call it “4 O’Clock Waltz” and not get asked why.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From lead sheet to chord melody arrangement

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Anne Ku

One of the burning questions I get asked is how to get from the melody to chord melody. In other words, how do you create a solo instrumental version from a lead sheet that provides only the melody notes, lyrics, and chord names. With practice, you will be able to play the melody and the harmony together by fingerpicking and strumming with only the bare skeleton of melodic notes and chords. Let’s take the well-known two-chord nursery rhyme “Skip to My Lou” and see the steps required to go from lead sheet to chord melody.

Continue reading →
Posted in self-help, sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on From lead sheet to chord melody arrangement

Suss the Suss for high G ukulele

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Anne Ku

Suspended chords are intriguing because they keep you in suspense. Is the next chord a major chord or a minor one? Which major chord? Each suspended chord has two names. Where does it go next? If you suspect that harmony will go one way, you may be surprised. Suss the suspended chord is a short piece using the same “Calypso” strum in this journey of suspended chords.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Suss the Suss for high G ukulele

Pick Strum Scale for high G ukulele

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Anne Ku

As usual, I get way ahead of myself when I get a new idea and immediately try to realize it in one day. Once again, I aim to write an easier piece than the previous one. This time, it’s about the C major scale. How can I make it easy and fun to practice? Before long, I had gone from C major to the chromatic scale. I could keep going. But I must stop at Pick Strum Scale for high G ukulele.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pick Strum Scale for high G ukulele

Pick Strum Chromatic Scale for high G ukulele

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Anne Ku

Following “Pick Strum C Major Scale” it’s important to learn the chromatic scale to get to know ALL the notes instead of a select few. Writing this section of the bigger “Pick Strum Scale” piece is my first venture into harmonizing the chromatic scale. Aimed at beginners, I hope it will whet their appetite to explore the entire ukulele fretboard afterwards.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pick Strum C Major Scale

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Anne Ku

My new piece “Pick Strum C Major Scale” lures you gently into the world of C major scale on the high G ukulele by first using just your right thumb to pick and strum before ending with the alternating index and middle fingers to play the entire scale.

Continue reading →
Posted in sheet music, ukulele | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments