So far in my daily music writing project I have arranged two pieces in 3/4 time. Both pieces are in minor keys. Both can be accompanied as a waltz or lullaby or ballad. What does this mean for playing on high G ukulele?
As a pianist, I like to move my fingers all the time. Each finger is independent of each other. Having to count and wait takes patience. Translating this to playing fingerstyle ukulele means exercising my fingerpicking fingers to produce sound at every opportunity.
Take the first four measures of “Feed the Birds” in A minor.
As Elizabeth Barrett Browning famously penned, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
How many different ways can I play the A minor chord?
How many different permutations can I sequence these chords and still sound okay?
The A minor chord is very interesting. As such, I devoted 16 bars, covering an entire page, to different ways to play this chord, including the transitions of A minor (add 9) which contains the C major 7 chord.
Coming out of the reverie of the A minor chord, I decided to experiment with other related chords. D minor and D minor 7 are very similar, as are Dm7 and G7sus4. In my finger flexibility (or chord switching) exercises, I often put G7 and E7 side by side. There’s no need to remove your left hand (LH) middle and ring fingers when you switch between these two chords. Just move your left index finger.
Is there a name for this accompaniment? It’s clearly 3/4 time and not 6/8 time. Is it a ballad or a lullaby?
How would the exercise sound when played on a low G ukulele? Would I need to change notes?
Let’s take a look in the next blog post.
Practice suggestions
These measures are intended to be repeated. Repetition is important. Repeat each bar. Practice at different tempos (tempi). Repeat each section.
More information
Get access to the sheet music, notification of new work, and table of contents of this Daily Music Writing Project.
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