One of the first workshops I gave at a ukulele festival was “call and response.” Songs that use this structure include “Doo Wah Diddy” and “Day O, the Banana Boat Song.” It’s also possible to “call and respond” with the Z-chord. Here’s a piece that gives practice for the development of many musical skills.
“Call & Response Z before A” is similar to “Z Before A” in the chord progressions. It differs in that there’s call and response of the percussive Z chord.
Furthermore, every rest in the notation requires muting of the strings either with the left fingers or right palm.
The “call and response” aspect of this exercise can be applied to any chord switching exercise. Likewise, we can change or substitute with new strum patterns.
Learning Objectives
What are the takeaways? What can you teach or learn from this piece? Here are a few.
- Rhythm
- Muting
- Percussion (Z chord)
- Strum patterns
- Accent
- Copy (imitate)
- Chords
- Switch between chords
- Dynamics
Pick! Pluck! Play!
“Call & Response Z before A” belongs in the first level of the book “Pick! Pluck! Play!”
The last page “Ukulele Chords” of the new book contains a table of ukulele chord diagrams ordered alphabetically for the chords used in the book.
I’m thrilled about releasing these two books as a precursors (prerequisite) to the 12 Chinese Zodiac Suite, which contains three skill levels.
I am recording all my new compositions in the 100 Days of Ukulele 2025 project. To me, this challenge means uploading a new video recording of a new piece each consecutive day from 1st March to 8th June 2025.
For other recent compositions and arrangements by Anne Ku, please visit the Daily Music Writing Project or scroll through the consecutive blog posts.
