Join the rat race to get to the top. In Chinese, the character for rat and mouse is one and the same. Singular and plural are also the same. Whether it’s one rat racing about or many mice running around, there doesn’t seem to be any order except for a lot of movement. I chose the Bb major pentatonic scale as the basis for this instrumental piece for high G ukulele.
“Rat Race” is the seventh piece I’m writing for the 12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes (suite). This means I am more than halfway through the project.
The programmatic aspect of this piece is the constant movement, if not, senseless movement.
There is no rhyme or reason, for it’s not the best laid plans of mice and men.
I merely decided on 32 bars. No structure. No form.
Can I get away with it?
I just want to have fun fingerpicking the ukulele. That’s all.
12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes
- Counting Sheep, Counting Sheep to Sleep
- Wild Horses or Horse with a Name or Horse’s Mouth
- Year of the Snake
- Dragon Born
- Rabbit Hole
- Two Tigers
- Holy Cow
- Rat Race
For other recent compositions and arrangements by Anne Ku, please visit the Daily Music Writing Project.
