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Mel Bay Famous Solos & Duets for the Ukulele
 
 
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Mel Bay Famous Solos & Duets for the Ukulele [Paperback]

John King (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 2004
Famous Solos and Duets for the Ukulele presents ukulele music as you have never seen or heard it before. An anthology of pieces selected from the earliest known methods and collections published for the ukulele between 1909 and 1920, Famous Solos and Duets is newly engraved in both standard notation and tablature and contains extensive fingering and performance instructions.

Edited, arranged, and performed by ukulele virtuoso and historian John King, this collection makes the original, classic repertoire of this charming little instrument available to the public for the first time in nearly a century. The Preface, informative and thoroughly researched, places the ukulele and its music in historical context, from its early days in Hawai'i, to its widespread popularity on the Mainland. Showcasing pieces which are both challenging and beautiful, Early Solos and Duets features the music of Queen Lili'uokalani, King Kalakaua, Ernest Ka'ai, Henry Kailimai, George Awai, George Kia Nahaolelua, N. B. Bailey and Vadah Olcott Bickford. Also included in Early Solos and Duets are invaluable instructions for the different styles of strumming as played by the "Father of the ukulele," Ernest Ka'ai. The CD contains all 22 pieces expertly performed by Mr. King.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"King has done the ukulele a valuable service by restoring these tunes to the modern repertoire." -- Michael Simmons, Acoustic Guitar, June 2005

About the Author

John King began playing the ukulele in 1960 while living in Hawai'i, receiving his first instruction from his mother, an accomplished amateur. After many years of studying the technique and history of the classical guitar, he returned to his first love, the ukulele, with new understanding and insight. His technique has been described by critics as flawless, effortless and sublime. King's CD of Bach compositions, arranged for the unaccompanied ukulele and performed in the campanella style of the Baroque era, has been featured on National Public Radio and praised by the Honolulu Star Bulletin for its "harplike sound." Deeply interested in the history of Hawai'i and Hawaiian music, the ukulele, and guitar, he has devoted much of his time to research, both in Hawai'i and on the Mainland. His book The Hawaiian ukulele and Guitar Makers: 1884 1930 (NALU music, 2001) was called "the most scholarly work on ukulele history in Hawai'i" by the Journal of the Ukulele Hall of ! Fame Museum. He is a contributor to the Hawaiian Journal of History and Soundboard, and his musical compositions and arrangements for guitar have been published by Tuscany and Editions Orphée. Mr. King teaches guitar at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 48 pages
  • Publisher: Mel Bay Publictions, Inc. (May 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786669152
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786669158
  • Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
John King is arguably THE master ukulele player today. His arrangements of Bach for ukulele are wonderful. This collection is also great. It's primarily Hawaiian music arranged for either solo ukulele, two ukuleles or ukulele and guitar. The music is lovely and the arrangements are challenging but very playable. This is a great book/cd for the aspiring ukulele player. I highly recommend it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Best Uke book out there September 9, 2008
By Japutie
Format:Paperback
I got this as a christmas present with my first ukulele a few years ago and it has been my favorite ukulele book since then. I have bought quite a few other books but most are too simple or much too advanced, there are few intermediate books. Many are simply strumming books where the uke player would play back up for other instruments but the problem is that most uke players don't know other people with other Hawaiian instruments.

This book, as it says in the title, is for solos, and has a few duets 3 or 4 in the back of the book to do with other ukuleles or an acoustic guitar. The songs are beautiful and are demonstrated (without commentary thank goodness) on the cd that comes with the book. Most songs are medium difficulty but can be adapted to the new learner who is dedicated. I sat for 4 hours or so trying to learn the spanish fandango and it was difficult but i was able to do this within the first few weeks of playing. this is partly due to the fact that all songs are written with tabs which helps out most of us who never learned to read music, although musical notation is also there.

The beginning of the book has a good history of ukes and a description of strumming techniques.

Bottom line, the songs are beautiful, can be learned by a dedicated beginner, and expose the uke player to the idea that they can play beautiful music with the uke rather than just strumming chords to play oh susanna or marines hymn as seen in other books.

Every Uke player should own this book because in my opinion, it is the best one out there.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was disappointed with this book and CD given the good reviews on Amazon. Before saying anything else let me warn you that the sheet music and the CD are not in the same key. The music on the CD is a whole step higher than the book so you will only be able to play along with the CD if you use a capo or are able to instantly transpose (in which case you are probably too good a musician to need this book). More than half of the songs are Hawaiian which is what attracted me to it but the arrangements and the performances on the CD are not in the Hawaiian style. Unlike the other reviewers, I am not a fan of King's recording. Nahenahe in Hawaiian means soft, sweet and melodious and is the hallmark of Hawaiian music. This does not describe King's playing which I can only describe as harsh and mechanical. Partly because of the frequent use of tremolo, his sound reminds me more of a banjo than an uke. The songs are just about all marches and waltzes mostly played loudly and without much feeling. The book is well enough designed having both standard musical notation and tablature for those who don't read music. I am not crazy about the arrangements but I'll probably play them just for practice.

On a more positive note, I continue to enjoy three other books: Hawaiian Style Ukulele volumes 1 & 2 and Learn to Play Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele (Nelson). Both HSU books have chord diagrams and volume 2 has tablature and notation for most songs. They also have suggested strum patterns and a bit of instruction. The Nelson book has both notation and tablature for all of the songs. Both come with CDs and the music is well played by a band in the HSU books and mostly solo by Nelson on his CD. Unlike King's, the books and CDs are in the same key so you can play along. I would rate them as beginner to intermediate though some of the music in Nelson's book and volume 2 of HSU might be hard for a beginner. For pop tunes as well as Hawaiian it's hard to beat the internet, especially the music transcribed by the Dominator (dominator.ukeland). If you are new to Hawaiian music and want to hear the uke played by Hawaiian ukulele masters, try the audio clips or youtube clips (before buying) by Herb Ohta Jr., Tony Fernandez (of Ka'au Crater Boys fame), Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Bruddah Iz), Jake Shimabukuro (a bit showy for my tastes but a real virtuoso), David Kamakahi (with Na Oiwi, Hui Aloha and his dad, Dennis Kamakahi) and Daniel Ho to name a few.
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