Acoustic Guitar: John King, Famous Solos and Duets for the Ukulele; The Classical Ukulele

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John King, Famous Solos and Duets for the Ukulele; The Classical Ukulele

By Michael John Simmons

While the early history of the ukulele is well known, the music that was played on it is still something of a mystery to many. Happily, musician and scholar John King, who spent years researching pre-1915 ukulele music, has written two books that rescue some of this almost forgotten music from oblivion. Famous Solos and Duets for the Ukulele (Mel Bay, www.melbay.com) includes 22 songs drawn from the earliest ukulele methods, including Earnest Ka’ai’s The Ukulele, A Hawaiian Guitar and How to Play It, which was the first instructional book devoted to ukulele. The tunes include Hawaiian standards like “Aloha O’e,” such lesser-known but lovely island melodies as “Ka Wehi” and “Loke Lani,” and 19th-century pop tunes like “Spanish Fandango” and “The Blue Bells of Scotland.” The book also includes a guide to strumming techniques and an excellent essay about the ukulele’s early history in Hawaii. The Classical Ukulele (Flea Market, www.fleamarketmusic.com) features a combination of Hawaiian melodies like “Pupu A’o ’Ewa” (also known as “Pearly Shells”) and famous classical themes such as Beethoven’s “Für Elise” and Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” which has become a concert showpiece for many uke players in the last few years. Both books are written in tablature and standard notation, and both come with CDs of King playing the music. The music in these two books is charming and far more sophisticated than you might expect, and King has done the ukulele a valuable service by restoring these tunes to the modern repertoire.

This article also appears in Acoustic Guitar, June 2005

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