How to Create Solo Arrangements On Ukulele?

In this guide, you will learn how to create solo arrangements on ukulele and perform that in front of the audience. So read this till the end.

Most ukulele lovers like to play solo ukulele arrangements. When it comes to UKULELE it is actually more popular than group arrangements since ukulele came from a traditional society in Hawaii where the players oftentimes perform solo.

That’s why it’s one of the instruments which can be beautifully arranged in solo mode.

If you are good to arrange this instrument for solo performance, you can develop your own style on this and your audience will also going to love this.

So, how do you do that?

Let’s start this out.

First off,

What is Solo Ukulele Arrangement?

A solo ukulele arrangement is actually made of three parts Melody, Harmony, and rhythm.

To become a solo ukulele player you have to arrange all these three parts of the song in side by side.

You have to play the role of a lead artist as well as the accompanying artist.

It’s not just strumming chords or playing basic melodies but involves some complex fingerpicking patterns, chord melodies, and rhythm patterns along with the feel and emotions that comes from practice.

Creating a solo ukulele arrangement is not so easy. You have to select a suitable song, analyze its melody, harmony(chord progressions) and rhythm and arrange it like you could showcase both melody and harmony in a single performance.

So, if you are good at timing then you don’t need to worry about the rhythm, as it comes naturally in your performance.

You have to focus on melody and harmony ie; knowing the notes and the chord progressions and play them where the song needs.

Rumba Flamenco is one of the patterns that include both rhythm and harmony.

When you add the melody part of the song along with this pattern, it will be a complete solo performance.

You can use different types of strumming patterns along with the melody you are playing and make your arrangement more beautiful.

Just, break down the part of the song and evaluate which part needs harmony and which one needs melody. Once you have evaluated the parts, apply different strumming patterns with chord progressions on harmony parts and play the melody on melody parts.

That’s how you complete the song.

Basic Music Theory Used for Arrangement

Solo ukulele arrangements need you to have a solid knowledge of basic music theory. In this section, I have listed the parts of music theory that you should understand before starting out with solo arrangements.

• Chord Progressions: Chord progressions is an essential ingredient of harmony. Common chord progressions such as I-IV-V or ii-V-I help you to create harmony during the song. Chord progression always depends on the notes of the song. So, you have the knowledge of melody to understand the chords applied in the song.
• Key Signatures: Key signature is the base note of a chord which you can find out when playing the melody. So, you need a solid knowledge of key signature to find the chord progression within the song.
• Scales and Modes: You should also have knowledge of scales and modes such as major, minor, pentatonic dorian etc. keep in mind that every song has a scale or mode you have to find out the mode of the song which makes it easier to create your arrangements on ukulele.
• Melody and Harmony: As I have told you above, melody and harmony are the integral parts of a song and you need to understand both to become a solo ukulele player. In solo arrangements, the player plays both melody and harmony in sequence to complete the song.
• Dynamics and Articulation: Dynamics is the volume variation between different notes which can be applied by playing the notes hard and soft whereas articulation is a playing technique like staccato or legato which adds emotion.
• Transpose: Transpose refers to playing the same song in different keys. Such as if a song is in C and you want to transpose the song to D then all the notes are transposed to 2 steps above. You need this knowledge in ukulele solo if you want to transpose the song to another scale.

What is Melody?

Melody is a musical line or tune which carries the theme of the song. It is a combination of notes played in sequence to form the song’s structure.

It is typically played on the highest-pitched strings of the ukulele like E and A strings. So, melody is more prominent than chords.

As melody carries the tune, anyone can sing along with it. In solo ukulele performances, chordal harmonies or fingerpicking patterns are played along with the melody to give a harmonic expression to the song.

Pro ukulele players use some techniques such as hammer-on, slide etc to give life and make the melody more beautiful.

Here is a ukulele tab for a famous song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole:

A|-----------------0------------------|
E|----------1---------1---------------|
C|-------0----0----0-----0------------|
G|----2---------------2---------------|

So, you can see the melody starts from G string and the number is 2 means 2nd fret. Similarly, all the notes are played in sequence.

So, in solo playing, you need to capture the essence of the melody and incorporate accompanying elements such as chord progressions with it.

What is Harmony?

When you play multiple notes on your ukulele at the same time or simply play a chord it creates a supporting backing for the melody.

And, when a sequence of chords is played in sequence (chord progressions) then this creates harmony.

Harmony gives foundation to your song by adding depth and fullness to the sound.

playing chords, arpeggios, or chord voicings all are part of harmony because these all support the main tune or melody.

Different strumming patterns, chord progressions, fingerpicking patterns, and chord-melody techniques are used to create harmony.

If you understand the basic of music theory then you can easily understand the harmony within the song.

Let me give you an example of harmony.

Here is a chord progression for the same song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

C               Em           Am            F
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
C              E7          Am            F
And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby
C                 Em           Am         F
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
C              E7           Am            F
And the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true

To create an effective harmony for solo ukulele you need to understand basic music theory such as chord construction, progressions, and key relationships.

How to Select Songs for Arrangement

It all depends on your choice and skill level. If you are a skilled ukulele player then you can choose a complex song but if you are a beginner then you should choose a simple song.

• The song should have familiarity and a personal connection with you.
• Always choose a melodic song.
• It should be simple and clear.
• Songs that have diverse chord structures are good to start.
• Last but not least, the song should have room to add your own creativity and improvisation.

It’s all about finding songs that inspire you to showcase the beauty and versatility of the ukulele skills in your arrangements. So, aim for a big and you will be on your way to becoming a good solo ukulele player.

How to Put Harmony and Melody Together?

There are some tips that I want to share with you to Put harmony and melody together in a solo ukulele arrangement.

First off,

• You should understand the melody part of the song. Sing the melody and try to play it on your ukulele.
• Find out and note down the chord progressions used in each section of the song. This will later help you to create harmonic structure in the melody.
• Determine where you want to harmonize the melody and put the related chord there.
• Fill the gaps with techniques such as hammer-on, pull-off, slide, etc. You can also use small melodic runs, chord inversions and passing notes in between the song.
• Find out the rhythm and dynamics in the melody and harmony portion of the song and experiment with different strumming patterns and picking styles.

Note: Melody should always be higher than chord so keep in mind when you play chords you play it softly and when shifting to melody you must be prominent. That’s where the dynamics work.

Here is an example of melody and chord patterns together.

C               Em           Am            F
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
A|-----------------0------------------|
E|----------1---------1---------------|
C|-------0----0----0-----0------------|
G|----2---------------2---------------|

Here the second note of melody in in C and the chord is also C then you can play the whole chord in place of C which creates harmony for that part of the song.

Similarly, you can do this with other notes.

You can also use riffs in between the song, such as,

A|-----------------0-2-4-2-0-----------------|
E|-0-2-4-2-0-----------------4-2-0-2-4---|
C|-------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------|

Other embellishments such as hammer-on, slide, and pull-offs help you to create a beautiful and engaging solo arrangement on your ukulele.

3 Useful Tips to Give Life to Your Ukulele Arrangements

Here I want to give you 3 useful tips to give life to your ukulele arrangements. I have used these tips and they are really great for beginners.

First off,

Experiment with Chords and Melody

Chord and melody are the 2 most important parts of a song. So, you should use both of them in your solo arrangements together.

Most of us wonder where to put chords if we are already playing the melody. Well, I have mentioned above, you can play the related chord where the base note of chord is coming in between the melody.

Also, you can experiment with some fill-ups with chords and use different chords in some locations.

You can strum the chords in between the melody or hold the chord and play the melody if the chord has same keys of melody and after that you can strum at the end.

There are several ways to utilize chords in between melodies. It all depends on you how you are using them.

Use Different Fingerpicking and Strumming Patterns

As I have told you above, you can use different fingerpicking and strumming patterns for the chords and melodies.

You can try fingerpicking patterns like the classic Travis picking, arpeggios, etc or even you can create your own unique patterns.

Don’t be afraid to combine fingerpicking and strumming together because soloing is the game of fingerpicking along with strumming.

Add Harmonies and Riffs

You should add chord and vocal harmonies with your ukulele. Chord harmonies are created by playing the chords in sequence and vocal harmonies by singing or humming along with the melody.

For chord harmony, you can try playing an inversion of C or add a note from the C major scale to create a harmonized sound.

For vocal harmonies, you can harmonize your vocal in 3rd, 4th, or 5th notes to create a beautiful layered effect.

Riffs are another great tool to give complexity to ukulele solo playing.

Melodic riffs or instrumental hooks are short and catchy phrases that stand out and you can use them repeatably throughout the song.

Rhythmic Riffs are great to add some percussive elements to your arrangement. You can use them like tap the body of the ukulele, slap the strings, or play muted strums to create a rhythmic texture.

By using these 3 tips you can become a good solo ukulele player and arrange your songs for better performances.

Finalize and Refine Your Arrangement

Now that you know a handful of information about ukulele solo arrangements, it’s time to finalize and refine your arrangements for the public.

So, first off you need to listen your created arrangement with a critical ear. You should focus on how you are balancing between the melody, chords, harmonies, riffs other things.

Take care of smooth transitions between the melody and harmony parts of the song. You should connect the verses, and choruses and bridges in a smooth way so that nobody can notice the transition.

Don’t lose your tempo during transition. Use dynamics and other variations to add emotion to your performance.

You should try to keep the listen engaged by adding tension, and release with help of dynamics.

Fill the empty areas with some embellishments such as strums and chord variations.

That’s how you can refine your solo performance over ukulele.

Useful Tips for Performing Your Arrangements in Public

Here are some tips that I use when performing solo ukulele in front of an audience.

First I practice a lot to make the arrangement more familiar for me. I rehearse the song to build up muscle memory and improve the techniques.

I also try to connect with my audience through my performance. I maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the performance.

My body language also gets me public attention. I use to sit up straight with a confident posture.

You can also use storytelling techniques to evoke emotions. It’s great to introduce yourself and your performance before performing.

Don’t be nervous, however, it’s natural with new players when they perform in front of a live audience.

And, the most important thing, always enjoy the moment when you are performing as if you are enjoying yourself then definitely audience will also enjoy your performance.

Conclusion

So, you’ve seen above that creating and performing your solo ukulele arrangments is not as hard as you think.

If you have the proper knowledge of music theory and some strumming and fingerpicking techniques with chord progressions then it’s easy to come up with your own ukulele arrangements.

Let me know in the comments if you have any queries. I will definitely address all your queries.