Seeing the tulips and daffodils on a sunny warm day reminds me that this is the best time to be in the Netherlands. But I am in Boston, where spring is sudden and short; winters are long; summer is spent cooling off in natural bodies of water and swimming pools; autumn is famous for fall colors. I take out my bicycle for the first time this year and cycle to the nearby cemetery. I figure out an easy waltz for fingerpickers, which I call “Tulips in Triple Time” because I am missing The Netherlands.
I show samples of the different ways to do chord melody in this waltz.
You can just use the straight right thumb to fingerpick the first two notes and downstrum the third beat or use the thumb and index finger to “twist” and fingerpick the last two notes in the third beat of the measure.
Enlist the right middle finger to fingerpick the two notes of the third beat of the fourth and fifth bars with the index finger.
In bar six, use thumb, index, and middle finger in that order to play the three notes.
The second section opens with single consecutive notes, i.e. broken chords that also support the melody. While it’s possible to use just the right thumb, I prefer to enlist the index and middle fingers for a better sound and better transition.
The single consecutive notes continue and then changes to a different broken chord pattern in bar 27.
When writing this, I’m conscious of my goal to keep it simple. Avoid barre chords or playing “up the neck” as much as possible. I don’t make use of moveable chord shapes.
In the last section, it’s possible to use just the thumb to fingerpick the first note and down strum the remaining three. This is easier than fingerpick with the thumb and then the remaining three notes in the block chord with index, middle, and ring finger.
Thoughts About Tulips
My first visit to the Keukenhof took me by complete surprise – the most beautiful gardens I had ever seen.
I was a graduate student in London in need of a holiday. There was a conference in Rotterdam. That gave me an official reason to visit. My host was a fellow classmate from the previous summer, a two-week summer school in the northern German city of Kiel.
Nine years later, I visited the Keukenhof again. This time I wrote about it in my online journal.
When I googled for that Dutch friend, I was sad to discover an announcement of his obituary.
Is that how I will find the whereabouts of old friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, and contacts?
I hope not.
For this reason, my new ukulele waltz is tinted with sadness even though tulips bloom in the spring. Tulips have no scent. They serve no purpose but to look pretty and colorful. The moment the petals open and fall, they are no longer pretty. Yet, entire fortunes have been lost over the betting of tulips in the olden days. It was the first futures exchange in the world – tulip mania.
Pick! Pluck! Play!
“Tulips in Triple Time” is targeted at the first level of the book “Pick! Pluck! Play!” but it may be a better fit in level two.
The last page “Ukulele Chords” of the new book contains a table of ukulele chord diagrams ordered alphabetically for the chords used in the book.
I’m thrilled about releasing these books as a precursors (prerequisite) to the 12 Chinese Zodiac Suite, which contains three skill levels.
I am recording all my new compositions in the 100 Days of Ukulele 2025 project. To me, this challenge means uploading a new video recording of a new piece each consecutive day from 1st March to 8th June 2025.
For other recent compositions and arrangements by Anne Ku, please visit the Daily Music Writing Project or scroll through the consecutive blog posts.
The Netherlands visit 2022
The last time I visited the Netherlands, I stayed in the places I used to live – Utrecht and Bussum. It’s wonderful to return and not need a tour guide. I borrowed my friends’ bicycles and cycled without GPS, not afraid of getting lost.
Here is one of the most famous Dutch songs – about the canals in Amsterdam.
