Dance on Open Strings for high G ukulele

What’s the easiest and quickest way to get someone to fingerpick, strum and have fun with the ukulele? Years ago, my piano guitar duo partner and I wrote a short ukulele duet in which one person only uses one hand. The other person strums the chords. Dance on Open Strings is the new name of this instrumental duet.

Easy and fun to play

To have fun with the ukulele, you really need to play with others. Hence the duet.

In fact, every piece can be a duet. One person plays the melody. The other accompanies with chords.

The person playing the melody does not need to press any frets. The fretting hand (left hand) simply holds the neck of the ukulele. Just focus on the other hand to fingerpick.

The melody requires only one hand and the two fingers on it to fingerpick.

In the easiest version, the harmony is made up of three one-finger chords.

It’s THAT easy.

Of course, you can make it harder by playing it faster. You can always substitute and add chords. Add difficult chords. Accompany with more complex strum patterns. Combine fingerpicking and strumming.

have taught this short piece in beginning fingerstyle ukulele class. I led my students to analyze the 16-bar piece, find patterns, and memorize it.

Easiest version of Dance on Open Strings

In my first blog post about this duet, I introduce the two versions of this duet. In the easy version shown below, I explain how to look at the tablature patterns and think of the strings as outside or inside. This way of visualizing helps in the memorization process.

In the first measure, you pick the middle two strings with your right thumb and index finger only. In the second measure, you pick the outer strings (top and bottom). The first three notes of the third measure is the same as the previous (second measure). You just add a note.

Notice that the first three measures are the same in each line. Only the fourth bar is different in each system. Memorizing the first three measures is same as memorizing 75% of the piece!

The other ukulele player can accompany with any number and kinds of chords. Let’s keep it simple with one-finger chords below.

Extended version of Dance on Open Strings

In the extended or more challenging version, we lengthen the instrumental duet by adding the following section after the first eight bars of the easiest version of the duet. We end the piece by playing the second half of the easiest version of the duet.

Video Recordings

The short and fast piece was premiered at a local ukulele festival. It has been recorded on YouTube. I have taught this piece in my ukulele classes.

Background

Originally written in 2017, Robert Bekkers called it “Easy Peasy Duet” while I disagreed and called it “Air on Open Strings.” Later I said, how about “Lollipop Tune” — but it didn’t stick. Because we couldn’t agree on the title, we did not publish it or make it widely available.

When I brought it up again recently, he said, “It’s not an air. It’s a dance!”

So we finally agreed to call it “Dance on Open Strings.”

This “Dance on Open Strings” will be included in my forthcoming book of original compositions for the ukulele. I will introduce these new work in my blog posts.

Practice suggestions

Learn the easiest version by analyzing and memorizing it.

The extended version is a test of speed. Play it at a much higher tempo the second time around.

More information

Get access to the sheet music, notification of new work, and table of contents of this Daily Music Writing Project.

Update: latest recording

Here’s an extract of the piece from the second workshop I gave on and for World Ukulele Day 2025. I was playing from memory, hence some notes shown on the screen are different.

Music requests

Request for the music arranged or composed by Anne Ku from the list of Daily Music Writing Project. Please be specific (i.e. indicate lead sheet, chord melody arrangement, high G or low G, and the key). See request & feedback form for details.