It is entirely possible to play the same tablature written for low G ukulele on the high G ukulele. It will sound different. It is not wrong. In this blog post, I show an example. Then I transpose the popular “Happy Birthday” tune into another key and show new possibilities.
In my previous blog post, I showed Happy Birthday in the key of F for low G ukulele. If you follow the tabs and play it on the high G ukulele, you will hear it sound as written in the score above.
By tranposing the key to C major, we can take advantage of the open strings of G, C, and E, all present in the C major chord. In fact, these three notes define the C major chord. Furthermore, the open G string can be used in the G and G7 chords.
Happy Birthday as a gift
Besides wishing someone a happy birthday, you can sing and play the Happy Birthday song. Even better, personalize it. I showed different ways to introduce the song, jazz it up, change the time signature and tempo, and much more in my workshops.
Happy Birthday’s common chord progression
The order of chords used in Happy Birthday is also used in “Charlie and the MTA” and “Banks of the Ohio,” to name a few. This is the principle of “common chord progressions” the subject of one of my new Ukulele Exercise Books and workshops.
Workshop Announcement
I’ll be giving an in-person workshop in a lovely coastal town of Cohasset, Massachusetts on Sunday 9th February 2025 from 2 to 4 PM EST (details). Free to participate.
Practice suggestions
Which right hand fingers are most natural for you to fingerpick? Here are the progressive steps.
- Thumb only, also known as p
- Thumb and index fingers only, , also known as pi
- Thumb, index, and middle fingers only, also known as pim
- Thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, , also known as pima
More information
Get access to the sheet music, notification of new work, and table of contents of this Daily Music Writing Project
