123 Ready Set Go for high G ukulele

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Anne Ku

Sometimes the first title that pops up sticks. No matter how you try to fix it, you can’t get a better title. “123 Ready Set Go” was what came up when I thought about the order of the left hand fingers needed to play this piece. When you say “123” the next thing that comes up is “Ready, Set, Go.” Is it possible to find another title — one that starts with a verb, like the other pieces, for high G ukulele?

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B-A-C-H in a Waltz for high G ukulele

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Anne Ku

On the last day of March, I recall the six BACH organ concerts I attended this month. It’s a wonderful annual tradition to celebrate the work of Johann Sebastian Bach on his birthday. JS Bach not only composed and performed, also actively transcribed and arranged. And then there are works inspired by him — that others composed, arranged, transcribed, and performed. In that vein, I spent my day writing “B-A-C-H in a Waltz” for the ukulele.

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Waltz for Chief Noda for high G ukulele

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Anne Ku

It’s possible to get to know someone after he has or she has gone. Whether the person has left your life or this earth, you can get to know that person through his music and friends. That’s the case with Chief Noda. Today is his birthday. I wrote a short waltz for the short time I got to know him. I posted the one-page score on Facebook immediately.

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Unfinished Waltz by Anne Ku

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Anne Ku

Why bother posting something that’s unfinished? I don’t want to forget about it. There’s more to be done. But the versions of the waltz I’ve written can be played and recorded. Here’s my story. Like my two-colored scarf, the waltz is unfinished. I ran out of yarn. But it doesn’t mean that I can’t wear it. Similarly, I will play the waltz.

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Waltz Down the C for high G ukulele

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Anne Ku

When I was recording “Waltz Up the Neck,” after I had put aside the piece to stew, I realized it was not as easy as I had intended. Here’s my second attempt to write an easy to play waltz. The short piece is also in the key of C major but the melody is a descending C major scale, hence “Waltz Down the C.” So far, I am deliberately writing for high G ukulele (rather than low G) for good reasons.

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Tweak the Twinkle for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

Mozart wasn’t the first to write variations on the famous tune of Twinkle, “Twinkle Little Star.” Unknown to many, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, a cousin of Johann Sebastian, also wrote one. The Piano Brothers have recorded theirs, called “Twinkle Lullaby.” I wonder how many others have made such variations on the theme. Here’s my take on the nursery rhyme tune, hence “Tweak the Twinkle for high G ukulele.”

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Thirst for Third for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

What kind of sound do we get if we focus on using notes on the third fret of the high G ukulele? Try as I must to use only notes on the four open strings and the third fret, I found the occasional use of notes on the first and second frets, albeit minimally. “Thirst for Third” is a piece for high G ukulele that starts with a pick-up in a minor key.

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Step In and Out for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

The basis of Travis Picking is “inside, outside.” Fingerpick the two inside strings (C and E) then the outside strings (G and A) of the ukulele. Most of my new piece “Step In and Out” uses such movement of inside and outside pairs of strings of the high G ukulele, hence the title of this piece from my new book “Pick! Pluck! Play!”

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Thrive on Five in Five (pentatonic) for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

Add one more beat in every measure, common time becomes 5/4 time. “Thrive on Five” (pentatonic) becomes “Thrive on Five in Five.” It’s still pentatonic, for only the five notes from a major pentatonic scale are used. This is one of the 12 pieces in the new book “Pick! Pluck! Play!” that I’m writing for beginners to play on the high G ukulele.

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Thrive on Five (pentatonic) for high G ukulele

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Anne Ku

When I wrote the Five Note Dance, it was before I started my pentatonic journey which created a pentatonic piece for each of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. However, the Five Note Dance was not pentatonic, despite having five notes. Why not?

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