This is a follow-up to our meetup on November 9th. Magda and Arnie led the group in a version of Blue Monk arranged by Guido Heistak.

This is a simple ensemble arrangement designed to introduce you to playing further up the fretboard. Even if you haven’t read/played tabs before, it should be easy to follow along. It is played with a jazzy swing feel. You can speed up the tempo once you feel comfortable playing at a slower tempo.

If you already feel comfortable reading ukulele tablature or music you can skip this post and just download the music. If you are not sure what tabs are or have never played them before, go back and review this post before proceeding here.

Before continuing, click here listen to the arrangement.

Here is the original Thelonius Monk version from 1966.

There are 3 different parts for this arrangement. (Plus Bass if available.)

1. Uke 1
2. Uke 2
3. Chords only
4. Bass (If available)

Look at the music you just downloaded.

After listening to the music at the link above, let’s review the tabs and each part. The time signature is 4/4 meaning that there are 4 beats per measure and the quarter note gets 1 beat.

This is a basic 12 bar blues that gets played twice. Uke 2 only plays the second time through. All others play both times.

There is additional direction above the first chord notation which demonstrates how the eighth notes should be played. This is a “jazzy swing” feel. This will be demonstrated below.

The direction also suggests that notes ring out. This is only true for Uke 1 and Uke 2.

Chords:

Let’s look at the chord part. Play any chord fingering that feels comfortable for you. The charts are just suggestions.

Chords should be played softly to support Uke 1 and 2 and help maintain the tempo throughout the piece.

They are played on each beat using downstrokes only. The chords will be slightly muted after playing. Listen to the music again if needed. The volume of your playing will depend on how many others are playing in the ensemble. In our meeting, we had many people playing chords which required a softer touch.

Watch this short demonstration.

Uke 1:

Ukulele 1 is playing the melody both times through. Arnie demonstrates his version below.

Looking at the tabs, he starts on the 2nd fret, 1st string (A) and using his adjacent fingers to press each fret down from where he started… 2,3,4,5,…7,8,9,10…

The second part of that phrase jumps back to fret 5. The subsequent notes are mostly played on the A and E strings jumping back and forth. This is the hardest part of the song. Take your time helping your fingers build muscle memory to jump back and forth. Let’s watch Arnie play it. Slow down the video if you need to. (Arnie’s a pro and plays fast. 🙂

At the end of the first time only, Uke 1 and Chords only play a single D7 downstroke that lasts 2 beats. This is the turnaround to repeat from the beginning.

Uke 2:

Uke 2 just listens the first time through. When the song repeats, Uke 2 starts playing the harmony in sync with Uke 1. Everyone plays to the end and the last note is a Gadd9 or a plain G chord will also work.

Uke 2 starts on the second string or E string at the 3 fret and walks up the fretboard skipping fret 4 and playing frets 5, 6, and 7 in sequence. The phrase then jumps to the A string starting at the 3rd fret and playing the same sequence of fret numbers on the 1st string… skipping fret 4 and playing frets 5, 6, and 7 in sequence.

Once again, play this the best way you can. Magda has a couple of bad fingers and adjusts by jumping or sliding as needed. As long as it sounds good, it’s fine.

The second phrase requires jumping back down to the second fret on the A string. It requires a bit more practice than ukulele 1 since you will be jumping to the 3 string and back to complete the musical expression. Practice and before you know it you will have it locked in muscle memory.

Let’s watch the ukulele 2 part.

The Duet Demo

Now let’s watch Arnie and magda side by side. Remember to start much more slowly than what you see here. As you build muscle memory in your hands, you can speed the tempo.

Everyone plays to the end and the last note is a Gadd9 or a plain G chord will also work. (Magda plays 0-7-7-5)

Playing in an ensemble requires practice but is very rewarding. You need to listen to each other to make sure all parts are sounding well together. You don’t always need to play loud.

Feel free to reach out to Magda or Arnie for help. We are all learning here. Enjoy the ride and have fun….. BUT PRACTICE!!!