Counting Sheep to Sleep, a lullaby for high G ukulele

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Anne Ku

If my latest ukulele piece “Counting Sheep” doesn’t put you to sleep, “Counting Sheep to Sleep” surely will. When I wrote it yesterday, I hadn’t thought of it as a lullaby but it should be. Laid out on two pages instead of one, the new piece explores the four-note melody of Bach’s famous aria in five different pentatonic scales. The repetitive nature invites you to explore different dynamics. Start soft. Get louder. Stay loud. Get softer.

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3 Chord Thursday Anniversary

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Anne Ku

At the dawn of the worldwide pandemic lockdown, we music lovers gathered in Zoom every Thursday at 3 PM EDT to share songs. As we begin our SPRING 2025 season, please join us on Thursday 3rd April 2025 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of 3 Chord Thursday. Five years in Zoom. The number 5 sounds like the same word for dance in Chinese. Let’s dance our 5th year in Zoom with music for dancing.

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3 Chord Thursday IRISH

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Anne Ku

Every year we celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Irish songs and songs about Ireland in 3 Chord Thursday. 2025 is no exception though we will meet a few days after the big day. As we end the WINTER 2025 SEASON, please join us on Thursday 20th March 2025 wearing green, any shade of green, to avoid getting a virtual pinch. Scroll down to see links to previous song sessions and line-ups.

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3 Chord Thursday LOVE

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Anne Ku

Let’s anticipate Valentine’s Day in 3 Chord Thursday on Thursday 6th February 2025 at 3 PM EST. The theme of LOVE and all capital letters pretty much says it all. As we have celebrated this special day in previous years, we have play along video recordings to practice beforehand. Maybe there’s a song that you’d like to share with others. Whatever the case, you’ll learn something new in this one hour Zoom session.

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Counting Sheep for high G ukulele

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Anne Ku

Is counting sheep a worldwide phenomenon taught to kids to help them fall asleep? As adults, drinking too much tea or coffee late in the day can cause a sleepless night. Just as worries and other unsettling matters keep us awake. Does counting sheep work? It helped me compose my latest pentatonic piece in the 12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes.

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Can’t Help Falling in Love in F for ukulele

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Anne Ku

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I couldn’t help revisiting the all-time classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love” which I had transcribed in C major for low G ukulele in an earlier blog post. It’s even better when transposed to F major for both low G and high G ukulele, alike. I presented this song at the second workshop on World Ukulele Day 2025. I showed how to take a lead sheet and play a “chord melody” arrangement from it in more than one way.

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As Tears Go By (1964)

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Anne Ku

Something struck me when I learned of Marianne Faithfull’s passing on 30th January 2025. Her first single, “As Tears Go By” recorded and released when she was 17 years old, remains a hit today. Let’s look into how we can play it on the ukulele. She sang “As Tears Go By” in the key of C major.

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Holy Cow for high G ukulele

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Anne Ku

In 2021, we celebrated Year of the Ox in 3 Chord Thursday with a handful of songs to do with cows, donkeys, chickens, and other farm animals. In Chinese, ox and cow are the same characters. With respect to the Chinese Zodiac Signs, I thought of the church hymns that are pentatonic. It’s fun to play the five notes in a pentatonic scale on the high G ukulele. Hence, “Holy Cow for high G ukulele” is born.

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Two Tigers for high G ukulele

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Anne Ku

One of the first songs I learned to sing in Chinese Mandarin was “Two Tigers.” The tune is not pentatonic. If I take out the one melodic note that is not part of the major pentatonic scale, I bet you will still recognize it. Unless you know the song in Chinese, you would disagree that it’s “Two Tigers.” You will know it by another name.

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Rabbit Hole for high G ukulele

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Anne Ku

One of the main reasons I prefer to “batch process” rather than do a little bit of this and a little bit of that is that each “little bit” can easily lead me down a rabbit hole. To avoid digging myself into a rabbit hole, I try to finish a piece as soon as possible and move on. I also avoid trying to do anything but compose (at this time). I call it “Rabbit Hole” for high G ukulele for this reason. This is my new pentatonic piece for high G ukulele. Yet another one based on the 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs.

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