3 Chord Thursday: instrumental ukulele (Ode to Joy)

On Thursday 24th March 2022, we introduce instrumental ukulele, what is fingerpicked, plucked, or known as fingerstyle ukulele. We welcome other instrumentalists to join us because you can always play along muted. We have the chord diagrams so you can follow. Please download the linked PDFs of song sheets and scores BEFORE this session as we will not be sharing screen or scrolling. We follow the format of our classical ukulele theme. As usual, we open our doors in Zoom half and hour before the 3 pm EDT start time to welcome newcomers and performers. 

DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR SUNGLASSES & WEAR STRIPES to represent tablature and staff lines!

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We celebrate Beethoven after the lineup, with the Ode to Joy in different keys. Last December, we sang happy birthday to Beethoven at the end of our classical music concert. Today we will mark his last movement (he died on 26th March).

The Line-Up

  1. Rujero in G by Gaspar Sanz (1640 – 1710) Ginger (MA) — (1-page PDF baritone ukulele) (3-page PDF ukulele GCEA tuning) chords: G – – D7 | …
  2. Für Elise in Dm by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) – Steffi (MA) (2-page PDF with chords)
  3. Study No. 1 Op. 60 in F by Fernando Sor (1778 – 1839) – Errol (BC) (notes/tabs extract) (video)
  4. Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) in G – Hannah (MA) (1-page PDF) (video)
  5. Malaguena in Dm by Ernesto Lecuona (1876 – 1963) – Bruce (IT) (2-page PDF – click on image to print only 2nd & 3rd pages)
  6. Für Elise in Am by Beethoven (1770 – 1827) – Jen (NJ) (1-page PDF)
  7. Deep River Blues in A [5] – Paul (GA)

Ode to Joy – Beethoven

In addition to chord melody arrangements and other fingerstyle traditions, we will take turns playing different versions of Ode to Joy, from the last movement of Beethoven’s last symphony. Read about it HERE. And HERE (to download arrangements for easy piano and not so easy piano in the original key of D).

You can choose any of the parts to fingerpick or just play the chords, with your own choice of strum pattern or pluck pattern. Of course, you can also sing along in original German or a translation into English or other languages.

We will play the Ode to Joy in the keys of C major, D major, and F major.

in C major

  • chord melody (notation, tabs, no chords) (1-page PDF)
  • 3 parts: melody, countermelody, bass (notation, no tabs) (1-page PDF)
  • harmonica, ukulele, guitar, chord melody (2-page PDF)

in F major

  • chord melody for high G (notation, tabs, chords) (2-page PDF)
  • chord melody for high G (notation, tabs) (1-page PDF)
  • chord melody two voices (double stops) (notation, tabs, lyrics) (1-page PDF)

in D major (original key)

in G major

Demonstration of rest stroke vs free stroke; melody vs countermelody

You really want to sit down and watch this amazing documentary of the historical impact of Beethoven’s last symphony.

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