About Pick Pluck Play!

Pick Pluck Play! is a series of ukulele books composed for fingerstyle ukulele by Anne Ku, available worldwide on Amazon. Owners of Pick Pluck Play! are invited to attend, participate, or watch the livestream recordings of 3 Chord Thursday in 2026, which dives into the contents in the one-hour session in Zoom. It’s a new ukulele curriculum.

Pick Pluck Play! is one of the four ukulele books nominated for the best ukulele book award in the Anarchy of Ukuleles 2025 The Ukies (voting form).

This collection of original fingerstyle ukulele compositions in a variety of musical styles, designed for both practice and performance was first published in mid-October 2025 with Book 1. The second book was published in late November 2025.

Each piece is written for solo (melody or chord melody) with duet possibilities with ukulele and other instruments. Practice fingerpicking techniques while building skills in reading standard notation and tablature for high G ukulele.

The series progresses from the absolute beginner in Book 1 to advanced levels in Book 5, with each book containing 12 carefully sequenced pieces. All pieces include chord names. Each book concludes with a chord diagram look-up table.

Each title is available in paperback — both Color and Economy editions — as well as on Kindle.

The Pick Pluck Play! Series contains two streams:

1. Performance Repertoire: Books 1 to 5; Chinese Zodiac, Step by Step to Chord Melody
2. Technique Practice: Harmonized C Major Scale Studies; Chromatic Scale Studies

The schedule is to release (publish) a book each month, in the following order. [Number of pages include the inside black & white front/back covers.]

• Book 1: Dance on Open Strings to Waltz Up the Neck 3 Chord Thursday (YouTube Playlist) – published on 14th October 2025 [54-pages]
• Book 2: Major Minor Magic, Fretful Fingers, Left Hand Techniques (YouTube Playlist) – published on 19th November 2025 [52-pages]
• SPECIAL EDITION World Ukulele Day Step by Step to Chord Melody, 12 Progressive Miniatures – published on 15th January 2026 (Amazon.com) [46-pages]
• Technique Exercises – Beginners: 24 Progressive Studies on the C Major Scale with Harmony – published on 23rd January 2026 [108-pages]
• SPECIAL EDITION Valentine’s Day 12 Timeless Love Songs Chord Melody Arrangements published on 13th February 2026 [104-pages]
• Collector’s Edition PREMIUM COLOR: 12 Timeless Love Songs – 27 February 2026 [94 pages]
• Chinese Zodiac: 12 Pentatonic Pieces, one for each of the 12 animal signs, illustrated by Eve Myles
• Technique Exercises – Beginners: Finger Fitness for Flexibility with Chord Choregraphy Warm-up Workouts and Common Chord Progressions
• Special Edition: Birthday Celebration – Take on BACH 12 Progressive Miniatures (March 2026)
• Book 3: Counting Sheep to Sleep to Travel with Travis: Hammer, Pull, Slide (waltzes, arpeggios, Alberti bass, travis picking)
• Book 4: Wasp’s Sting, Thrice Blinded by Mice, Glistening Glass, Suss the Suss, Roman Hands & Russian Fingers, Sense the Sicilienne, and four waltzes
• Book 5: Err on the G String, Mish Mash Monster Bash, B-A-C-H in a Waltz,
  and lyrical pieces up the neck
• Technique Exercises: 12 Chromatic Scale Studies
• Chord Choreography Finger Fitness for Flexibility
• Common Chord Progressions and Popular Pick Patterns

Reviews by published ukulele composers

Pick Pluck Play! fills a much-needed gap in the fingerstyle ukulele repertoire. Anne Ku takes you by the hand—one finger at a time—walking up the frets and skipping over difficult notes, piece by piece, until you graduate to the next book. This series is a welcome addition to any ukulele player’s library. Daniel Ward

These pieces are fun, engaging and musically interesting. Today, there is far more music available for ukulele than ever, but not all of it necessarily good. This music is good! Highly recommended.  Jeffrey Weinberger

Anne Ku’s background in composition and pedagogy, as well as her thorough understanding of the ‘ukulele, shine in these carefully crafted pieces. They are not only musically delightful, but also methodical in their approach to learning this joyful instrument.  Daniel Ho

With her usual clarity and thoroughness, Anne introduces ukulele players to a wide range of musical treats. By the end of Book 2, the student will be able to approach fingerstyle playing with a certainty of technique and understanding of the ukulele’s musical possibilities, and enter the wonderful world of fingerstyle ukulele playing that lifts the instrument from being a mere strummy accompanist.   Colin Tribe

Pick Pluck Play! provides a solid foundation for understanding the rudiments of fingerstyle ukulele. Anne Ku’s graduated pieces are eloquently structured to ensure repetitive applications of each new technique. Clear instructions for mindful practicing preface each piece. This is the perfect method book for the adult learner. Andrea Gaudette

AMAZON CUSTOMER BOOK REVIEWS

…  a wonderful book which shows ukulele players that finger picking is both fun and easy!…

 great not only for beginners for also for ukulele players of any level …

great holiday book for any ukulele player you know! 

…  the definitive guide for ukulele beginner

Great book for developing disciplined playing for ukulele players of any level. 

Progressive approach helps one manage and evaluate one’s own development.

How to find the latest release

Because I’m publishing a new book each month – and sometimes both FULL (PREMIUM) COLOR and economy editions (black & white inside), it’s best to search for the SERIES name or click on AUTHOR to see my listings.

Here are the links for the Pick Pluck Play Series in various Amazon marketplaces.

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.co.uk

An aerial view of published books in Pick Pluck Play!

• (number of sample pages including outside color covers shown in Amazon listing)
• [number of pages in Kindle]
• * number of interior pages including inside black & white covers, not including exterior color covers

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Color Options and Editions

Premium Color: The “Coffee Table” Choice (60-71 lb paper)

• Visuals: Vibrant, sharp, and high-contrast. This is the only version that looks like a traditional bookstore quality art book.
• Paper: Thick, sturdy pages that feel “heavier” and don’t allow images to bleed through to the other side.
• Best for: Children’s picture books, photography collections, and cookbooks where you want the food to look appetizing.
• The Trade-off: It is the most expensive version. You are paying for the ink density and paper weight.

Standard Color: The “Budget-Friendly” Choice (50 – 61 lb paper)

• Only available for books with over 72 pages
• Visuals: Noticeably thinner ink. Colors will look more “matte” or slightly muted (think of a high-quality newspaper or a textbook).
• Paper: Thinner, standard paper. If there is a dark image on one side, you might see a faint shadow of it on the back of the page.
• Best for: Workbooks, reference manuals, or non-fiction books that have simple charts and diagrams where the color is helpful but doesn’t need to be “art.”
• The Trade-off: Great savings, but not recommended if the book’s primary value is its beauty.

Black & White: The “Reader’s” Choice (50 – 61 lb paper)

• The Trade-off: It’s the most affordable option, but you lose all the impact of color-coded information or vibrant art.
• Visuals: No color at all. Any photos or illustrations will be rendered in shades of gray.
• Paper: Available in white or a soft “cream” (which is easier on the eyes for long-form reading).
• Best for: Novels, memoirs, and text-heavy books.

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