Ukulele Ensemble Arrangements

Since 2014, I have done many arrangements for ukulele in ensemble settings. These arrangements are sometimes in two parts - a strummed chord part plus a single-line melody, either playing “riffs” or solos, but often they are more complex - along the lines of a string ensemble of violins, violas, cellos and basses.

In the more complex model, I usually write for five parts:
Ukulele I & II, which can be played on a re-entrant (high G) concert or soprano * instrument - GCEA
Tenor Ukulele - designed for a linear (low G) instrument - GCEA
Baritone Ukulele - like the top 4 strings of a guitar - DGBE
uBass/Bass Guitar/Double Bass - EADG

* sometimes Ukulele I in particular goes above the 12th fret, which can present difficulties for many soprano instruments.

Following a number of requests from directors of ukulele groups around the world, I offer some arrangements for sale here.

These are the pieces I think are most likely to appeal to other ukulele ensembles:

A passage to Bangkok (Rush) - Intense Prog-Rock from the amazing Canadian trio Rush. [Still negotiating the copyright implications of selling an arrangement of this, but maybe down the track…]

Bamboo Swing (Bill Sevesi) - Feel-good Pasifika ukulele fun. The instrumentation for this is 4 soprano/concert parts, plus solo slide ukulele and uBass/Bass Guitar/Double Bass.

Canon (Philip Hayes) - Pretty simple, 12 bars long, 6-part canon. You can have this for free if you let me know you want it.

Grover the Seal (Paul Dyne) - New Zealand jazz! Latin feel with some pretty intricate interlocking rhythmic patterns.

Gymnopédie No 1 (Erik Satie) - This beautiful piece actually works pretty perfectly for ukulele ensemble. Quite straight-forward but goes pretty high for Ukulele I.

Hornpipe from Water Music (Handel) - Fast, intricate, not for the faint-hearted, but works well for a more advanced group.

In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt (Edvard Grieg) - No holds barred version, just like the orchestra plays. Have lots of fun with cross-rhythms, big dynamic contrasts and a massive accelerando.

La Perica (Lino Gallardo) - 6/8 vs 3/4 as only the South Americans can do. A flexible mix-and-match arrangement. Lively and irresistibly dance-like.

Panguru Groove (Philip Griffin) - One of my originals, based as the title might suggest, on a 2-bar bass groove. Not too hard, but needs to really “sit in the pocket”.

Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata No. 11 K. 331 (Mozart) - Fast and furious, particularly tricky for Ukulele I, but very rewarding.

Sonatina Op. 36 No 1 (Clementi) - If you’ve heard much solo piano music, chances are you’ll recognise this piece. Many years ago I heard a bluegrass band play it on banjo. It works well for ukuleles, too.

Spain (Chick Corea) - One of the most iconic jazz-rock riffs ever in the history of the universe. Fast and difficult, the rhythm needs to be totally spot-on. [Still negotiating the copyright implications of selling an arrangement of this, but maybe down the track…]

Terpsichore Medley (Praetorius) - Great dance melodies from the late Renaissance/early Baroque period. They work for just about any ensemble - recorder/brass/strings/ukulele…

Till There Was You from The Music Man (Meredith Willson) - The Beatles recorded this beautiful song, but my arrangement follows the original more closely than it does the Beatles version. [Still negotiating the copyright implications of selling an arrangement of this, but maybe down the track…]

Whaia te iti Kahurangi (Philip Griffin) - Another of my originals. Originally written for two-part children’s choir and piano, with aphoristic text in Maori language, this piece has been performed in a variety of instrumental and vocal forms. It’s largely in 7/8, with a few bars of 4/4 here and there. If you can get your head around the rhythm/time signature, it’s not that hard.