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.
The Alberti bass makes use of broken triads with notes typically played in this order: lowest, highest, middle, and highest note. It is a kind of alternating bass.
You can hear the Alberti accompaniment in Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away.”
Named after the Venetian pre-classical composer Domenico Alberti (1710 – 1746) who used it extensively in his harpsichord sonatas, this left-hand accompaniment can also be heard in the works of composers in the classical period such as Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.
Right hand fingerpicking: two fingers only p i or three fingers p i m
Bar 4 strum pattern: down — up, down, up.
Pick! Pluck! Play!
“Alberti Zucchini” is aimed at the second level in the “Pick! Pluck! Play!” book.
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.
