Description

The arranging techniques presented in this book will help you to sound like a full band while playing solo ukulele. Learning to simultaneously incorporate melody, bass line, and chords in a variety of styles and ukulele-friendly keys, you will develop the skills to arrange any song as a solo fingerstyle masterpiece. Ultimately—as arranging is a short step away from original composition—you may be inspired to write and arrange your own melodies.

Aimed at intermediate and advanced ukulele players primarily using high-G tuning, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele focuses on the first 4-bar phrase of the timeless folksong, “Oh, Shenandoah,” using standard notation and tablature, scores of mechanical and theoretical possibilities are explored. Following a logical progression from an unadorned melody through dozens of arranging strategies in various styles, the author addresses:

• Harmonizing with block chords and chord tones

• Arpeggiation

• Cross-string technique

• Harmonizing the melody with 3rds or 6ths

• Natural and artificial harmonics at various nodes

• Transposition to other keys

• Variations in melodic rhythm

• Arranging in alternate tunings

• Reharmonization

The book culminates with full performance arrangements of “Oh, Shenandoah” in notation and tab.