Tag Archives: ukulele

The next essay

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Anne Ku

Since October 2017, I’ve been looking forward to writing an essay on “music and relationships” — a topic I’m not only intimately familiar with but also crave to research and write about. Yet, I procrastinate writing the first word. It’s … Continue reading →

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Ukulele Workshops & Jam Sessions in Historic Lower Mills

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Anne Ku

To introduce the joy of ukulele to this area of Dorchester, Milton, and Quincy around Boston, Massachusetts, I’m giving workshops followed by thematic jam sessions. A workshop is a group learning experience, where I teach specific skills needed to play … Continue reading →

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Dido’s Lament for ukulele

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Anne Ku

Dido’s Lament is one of the saddest but most beautiful arias, sung by a woman grieving over a broken heart before she dies. Such is the famous lament of Dido, Queen of Carthage, when her beloved Aeneas leaves her for … Continue reading →

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Auld Lang Syne for ukulele

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Anne Ku

Auld Lang Syne for ukulele arranged by Anne Ku for low G and high G ukulele as we welcome the new year and good on Burns’ Night Continue reading →

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Annie’s Song in C for ukulele

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Anne Ku

When I was growing up on the island of Okinawa, I listened to John Denver whose songs of love, nature, and beauty described my childhood. I took a personal interest in “Annie’s Song” identifying myself with the name. When I … Continue reading →

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Easy peasy ukulele duet on open strings

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Anne Ku

After arranging music for easy piano solo and duets for several years, I am now developing material for teaching the ukulele to complete beginners. It’s an eye-opener to observe how quickly, after a short introduction to this four-stringed instrument, one … Continue reading →

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Only You by Yazoo for ukulele and four-part harmony

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Anne Ku

During Freshman orientation week, I heard the Pitchforks sing a song that was so beautiful that I spent the rest of my life looking for the sheet music. When I eventually found a copy with piano accompaniment, I begged my … Continue reading →

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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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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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