An excerpt from the book “Famous Solos & Duets for the ‘Ukulele” edited and arranged by John King

THE MUSIC

T. H. Rollinson’s setting of the traditional tune The Blue Bells of Scotland as a theme with one variation offered a glimpse of the solo possibilities of the ‘ukulele at an early date. The arrangement includes scales, broken chords and arpeggios, and an implied polyphonic texture. More accurately described as a fragment, The Blue Bells of Scotland could easily have been mistaken for music written for unaccompanied violin or mandolin. The inclusion here of numerous pieces by Ernest Ka’ai is a testament to the intrinsic quality of his music and its idiomatic character with regard to the technique of the ‘ukulele. Composing with-in the framework of a traditional European harmonic language, Ka’ai combined popular forms of the 19th century like the waltz and polka with the artistic and poetic sensibilities of a native Hawaiian. Typical subjects memorialized in Hawaiian song were people, places, events, and flowers. Loke Lani (the small red rose) was originally entitled Maile Waltz (maile is a leafy vine used for lei, particularly on important occasions) and was published in both the 1910 and 1916 Ka’ai methods. Written in a sparse type of tablature similar to Baroque alfabeto, Ka’ai expected the performer to provide the musical interest by improvising different strumming patterns which he more or less outlined in the method: “There are no set rules as to when such and such a stroke are to be used, for that is left entirely to the performer, and it is not compulsory to use one set stroke throughout a selection, a little of this and that inserted in the proper place makes an exquisitely pleasing effect.” Haele (to and fro) is the descriptive title of a piece whose melodic line is distributed between the top and bottom strings of the ‘ukulele, a style of playing known to Baroque guitarists as campanella. Leilani is a languid tango infused with saudade; Hone A Ka Waí is a lilting waltz that includes the earliest documented use of natural harmonics on the ‘ukulele.

While Ka’ai dedicated many of his pieces to students or friends, so that the titles may reflect some intimate meaning beyond their direct translation, he named others strictly according to their forms such as Polka-Mazurka and Banjo Schottische. George Kia’s arrangement of the Hawaiian National Anthem, Hawai’i Pono’i, written by Royal Hawaiian Band leader Henri Berger (1844-1929) and King David Kalakaua (1836-1891), and Ka’ai’s tremolo setting of Queen Lili’uokalani’s immortal Aloha O’e are models of simple elegance. N.B. Bailey and Keoki Awai successfully presented 19th century Hawaiian standards such as Wailana (drowsy waters) and Ahi Wela (burning love) alongside popular national tunes like Funiculi-Funicolà, and Spanish Fandango. Unlike Rollinson and Ka’ai, Bailey used standard tuning for his Fandango to great advantage, particularly in the final section where the tempo was doubled. As mentioned previously, the Bickford’s foray into the world of ‘ukulele music resulted in delightful arrangements like the vigorous duet Timothy at the Husking Bee and the original Petite Valse for ‘ukulele and guitar, which features the instruments in a dialogue of broken chords.

THE NOTATION

All the music in this book is presented in both standard notation and tablature. Unless stated otherwise, all pieces have been notated for an ‘ukulele tuned in C, however, as a practical matter, any tuning may be used. Fingerings conform to conventional classic guitar notational practices. Right hand fingers are abbreviated as follows:

i = indicio or index finger

m = medio or middle finger

a = anular or ring finger

r = remedio or little finger

p = pulgar or thumb.

Upward pointing arrows indicate strums played from the fourth to the first string (a down stroke!); downward pointing arrows indicate strums played from the first to the fourth string (an up stroke!).

THE TABLATURE

While the earliest guitarists published their music exclusively in relatively easy to understand tablature form, they struggled to find truly adequate means of conveying in print the different styles of performance possible on the guitar. The tablature system had its limitations. Quickly communicated by such simple components as horizontal lines and numbers (or letters), the realization through tablature of the punteado, or plucked style, with its complex rhythmic devices, particularly polyphony, was not completely successful. The notation of the rasgueado, or strummed style, was even less satisfactory: an ‘alphabet’ of letters and symbols were used to indicate chords; small vertical lines appended to the “staff” told the player when to execute strums, down or up. This alfabeto style tablature was generally of the most rudimentary type, often no more than simple chords played on the beat. It was left to the performer to provide the ‘musical interest’. Instructions for executing the strums were usually given in the written reglas (rules) of the early guitar tutors, although in the actual pieces of music a skeletal framework was expected to suffice. Two strums that were often described were the trillo (corresponding to the modern ‘common stroke’) and the repicco, a more complicated pattern which frequently made use of the thumb.

That Ka’ai and his contemporaries had access to rare baroque guitar tablature books is doubtful. Nevertheless, the solutions they arrived at for notating the vagaries of plucked and strummed techniques are remarkably similar to those of their European predecessors. Perhaps due to a similarity in purpose, the need to ornament or embellish otherwise plain, simple tunes and harmonies with trillo (tremolo) and other effects, it is not a complete surprise that Ka’ai would write “Not withstanding the fact that with the ordinary Common Stroke, the accompaniments for any piece of music could be thoroughly satisfied, yet with slight variations in the movements, the tendency to beautifying certain selections are exceedingly in harmony and most sympathetic.” Also of remarkable similarity is the vagueness inherent in the early guitarist’s notation of the strummed style and correspondingly, the manner in which it is treated in the first ‘ukulele methods.

In his 1910 Revised Method, Ka’ai relegates all description of the strums or “strokes” to the text, which he sometimes illuminates with diagrams. In explaining the execution of the “common ordinary stroke” (trillo) Ka’ai writes: “This stroke is made with the forefinger of the right hand running it rapidly across all the strings with a down and up movement of the wrist, which must be perfectly free, and keeping all the other fingers out for one position and under the palm for another position. Make the down stroke squarely on the nail of the finger and the upstroke with the fleshy part of the finger, and not on the side of the finger. There are two strokes to a beat, the down and up. “Compare this to the description of the trillo by Giovanni Battista Abbatessa (Venice, 1627): “The trillo is made with the finger called the index, touching all the strings downwards and upwards with rapidity.”

In addition to the common stroke Ka’ai describes a handful of other strums which he then combines to produce more complex patterns. These complicated constructions have titles like “Waltz Stroke L”, “Rag Stroke” and “All-the-finger Stroke”. Among the basic building-block strums are an up stroke “with thumb and [index] finger about two inches apart making a continued effect” and a down stroke “with all the fingers, beginning with the small [little] and the rest following. ” He also makes use of individually plucked strings interspersed between strummed chords, and partially to fully strummed chords alternated for accent and emphasis. The strums described in the following paragraphs are illustrated in the following examples in standard notation with accompanying tablature.

THE ROLL STROKE: All the beats 1, 2, 3 and 4 begin with the first finger down stroke and the half-beats up stroke with thumb and first finger (1910). This stroke is very similar to the Common Stroke, as it is not only confined to pieces of four beats, but also to those of three beats. The difference lies only in the [up] movement, when the thumb is brought to play slightly ahead of the index finger, thereby affecting a double sound with one up-sweep of the hand (1916).

THE PICK STROKE: On the first beat use the thumb, striking only the fourth string and the rest with the ordinary stroke, striking all the strings (1910). Another version of this stroke is by using the thumb again on the third beat, striking the string in the same manner as that illustrated in the first beat, thereby bringing the thumb in play on the first and third beats of the measure (1916). Ka’ai notes that the upstroke of the index finger should be “somewhat lighter, and [the down] stroke most emphatic.”

THE SHUFFLE STROKE: In this stroke alternating the first and second fingers are quite permissible, the thumb however keeping its proper place (1916).

1 D With index finger followed closely by the

& D Thumb

2 U Index finger

& D Index finger

3 D Thumb

& U Index finger

4 D Index finger

& U Index finger

THE RAG-TIME STROKE: This stroke is probably the hardest of all to execute with any degree of smoothness, but with careful practice one will find it as simple as the others. Follow out closely the down and up movements, giving full emphasis on each one, only the ones with an “s” under it, then make those with a short stroke, just strike one or two strings (1910). This stroke is executed only with the index finger. The syncopated effect is produced by accentuations at irregular intervals (1916).

THE TRIPLE STROKE: This stroke is done only with the first finger. There must be one stroke only on the first, third and fourth beats, but on the 2nd beat get three stokes in, without interfering with the time (1910). Use only the index finger in the execution of this movement. The triple effect coming in on the second beat, without the least interruption of time (1916).

THE WALTZ STROKE, No. 1: In playing waltz music, use one stroke for each beat, beginning lightly with an up stroke on the 1st beat and two down strokes, one on the 2nd, one on the 3rd beat (1910).

THE WALTZ STROKE, No. 2:

1 U With thumb and finger separated

2 D With all fingers strummingly

& U Index finger

3 D Index finger

PDF | Aloha OE.mp3

John King

January 12, 2003

St. Petersburg, Florida