Can’t Help Falling in Love with ukulele

Which song comes to mind when you hear the name Elvis? Today is Elvis Presley’s birthday. And I can’t help falling in love with playing the ukulele. Awhile ago I had tabbed out the lead sheet of the song in C major for low G ukulele hinting at the arpeggiated triplet fingerpicking accompaniment. It’s actually easier in the key of F major on the high G ukulele. You decide.

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We Shall Overcome on ukulele

In the days leading to Martin Luther King Jr Day on 20th January 2025, I hear “We Shall Overcome” in my head. We can strum or fingerpick the ukulele to accompany the song. The long melodic notes at the end of phrases and sentences give the opportunity to embellish with arpeggiation.

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Puff the Magic Dragon Travis Picking Variations

When a musician dies, we hear and play his or her music. When I learned of Peter Yarrow‘s passing this morning, I immediately heard “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Travis picking on the chord progression, which is very similar to that of Pachelbel’s famous canon, makes a lot more sense than the chords I chose in my previous blog post on travis picking exercises.

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Travis Picking exercises for ukulele

Travis Picking refers to a fingerpicking pattern that makes use of an alternating bass. On the four-string ukulele, the right hand can fingerpick outside strings alternating with the inside strings using two, three, or four fingers. We explore five different variations in exercises for both low G and high G ukuleles in this blog post.

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Oh Susanna for ukulele

The universe has a strange way of directing me to my next song. I was looking at upcoming national days. The 13th of January every year is National Stephen Foster Day. Known as the Father of American Music, Stephen Collins Foster died on 13th January 1864 at the age of 37. At first, I thought of arranging “Beautiful Dreamer” but this morning, I woke up humming “Oh Susanna.”

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Ukulele exercise for waltz accompaniment

Triple time, triple meter, or three beats to a measure is a characteristic of the waltz as well as other dance forms. Accent or emphasize the first beat. What else can you do to accompany a waltz?

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Strum & Fingerpick Exercise in 3/4 Time

Is it easy to switch from strumming to fingerpicking? Here’s an exercise that will get you to do both. When we strum, we are referring to block chords. However, it’s also possible to fingerpick a block chord. Similarly, it’s possible to strum a broken chord. Curious? Read on.

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Accompaniment exercises in 3/4 time for low G ukulele

This blog post is about a fingerstyle ukulele exercise for low G ukulele in the key of A minor. The time signature is 3/4 which means a count of three. The exercise supports the song “Feed the Birds” in a previous blog post.

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Accompaniment in 3/4 time for high G ukulele

So far in my daily music writing project I have arranged two pieces in 3/4 time. Both pieces are in minor keys. Both can be accompanied as a waltz or lullaby or ballad. What does this mean for playing on high G ukulele?

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Feed the Birds with ukulele

Where do I get my ideas for arranging music? Sometimes it’s a song that reminds me of something. Sometimes it’s a national day. For “Feed the Birds” from the movie Mary Poppins, it’s both and more.

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