Monkeys have four limbs that are not only independent but also extremely flexible. They can climb, leap, run, hang, flip, and do almost everything except fly. Some monkeys can even swim. If ukulele players treat their fingers like monkey limbs, what’s possible? Let’s monkey around and see.
I scoured the remaining five major pentatonic scales that I have not yet composed tunes for the 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs. It’s my goal to use all twelve scales in this set of pentatonic tunes. One of them grabbed my attention.
Eb major pentatonic scale
The Eb major pentatonic scale contains three notes that can be played in different places on the first three frets (and open string), namely C, G, and Bb, of the high G ukulele.
I imagine a monkey revisiting the same branches of a tree but using different limbs each time.
5/4 Time
To give it an irregular umph, I chose 5/4 time. I had chosen this meter in Take Five on Five, another pentatonic tune, but way before I got the idea for 12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes.
Because we rarely ever use 5/4 time, it’s necessary to consciously count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or feel it in every bar.
First section A: same notes, different placements
To set the scene, I wrote a two-bar riff that’s repeated in the first section. However, the two bars are not played the same way in each repetition. Look closely at the tablature. This is WHY we do need the tabs for playing the ukulele and why sightreading notation is not so straightforward.
Without the tabs, we need to decide where to play: which string, which fret, which finger.
With the tablature, we can see that the fingering, strings, and frets are different each time. In other words, the note placements change in each repetition in section A.
How it ends
The first section is the only one that has such repetition. The other sections require closer scrutiny to play the right notes in the right locations.
It was fun to noodle around with these eight different placements of five notes on the high G ukulele. In the end, I decided to end it simply on the lowest note of the high G ukulele.
Short cuts
Although I’ve chosen the Eb major pentatonic scale, I used only two flats in the key signature. This short cut is an exercise in reduction, in simplicity. There was no need for the third flat of Eb major, for the note Ab is never used.
Here’s a tip to reading key signatures in flats. The major key is always the penultimate flat. In this case, the two flat signature has Bb and Eb. The key is therefore Bb major.
Eb major key has three flats in this order: Bb, Eb, and Ab.
Tempo
Choose a starting tempo to allow you to count and play the notes correctly.
Counting in five is not natural. Pace yourself.
12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes
All 12 pieces are written for high G ukulele. All twelve are pentatonic. Each piece is dedicated to one of the 12 animals in the 12 Chinese Zodiac Cycle. Hence, “12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes.”
- Counting Sheep, Counting Sheep to Sleep
- Wild Horses, Horse with a Name, Horse’s Mouth, Trojan Horse, Hold Your Horses, Horseplay
- Year of the Snake
- Dragon Born
- Rabbit Hole
- Two Tigers
- Holy Cow
- Rat Race
- Pig Out, Pigs Fly, Guinea Pig
- Doggy Bag
- Rooster – Chicken Feed
- Monkey Around
For other recent compositions and arrangements by Anne Ku, please visit the Daily Music Writing Project or scroll through the consecutive blog posts.
