Last but not least, the pig arrives to claim the 12th animal in the Chinese Zodiac Cycle. The cat was still asleep, for the mouse did not wake him up. That’s why the cat has been chasing the mouse ever since. The story now ends with guinea pig, as the twelfth pentatonic tune for high G ukulele. I use the three remaining major pentatonic scales in this solo instrumental piece.
Three major pentatonic scales
Of the three remaining major pentatonic scales, C# is the most challenging to play on the ukulele. D major pentatonic scale is the easiest. I begin the first section in the D major pentatonic scale, using the notes D, E, F#, A, and B.
Three sections
Each section uses notes from a major pentatonic scale. There’s no need to “modulate” between the sections.
I use the same rhythmic matter though the intervals and notes differ in each section. Notice that section B is more challenging to play than section A.
Don’t let the six sharps in the key signature scare you. It’s just a short cut so I don’t have to write the accidentals before every note in the score. It does require pencilling in the best left hand fingers to fret what’s written in the tablature, however.
I specify repeats in each section as the passages are short.
Next steps
With pentatonic melodies buzzing in my head since I wrote “Year of the Snake” for Chinese New Year, my life was on hold until I finished the last and twelfth piece in this cycle.
What next?
Revise. Record. Repeat. Publish.
Actually, I am already bubbkubg with ideas for another set of twelve tunes.
More importantly, do I have 100 original pieces to record for the 100 Days of Ukulele 2025 project that commences on 1st March 2025 for one hundred consecutive days?
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
- Gift Horse
- Year of the Snake
- Dragon Born
- Rabbit Hole
- Two Tigers
- Holy Cow
- Rat Race
- 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.
