Francisco Tarrega (November 21, 1852 - December 15, 1909) was a Spanish composer, guitar virtuoso and one of the world's foremost classic guitar teachers. His guitar compositions are staples of classic guitar concert repertoire and arerenown for their beauty and guitaristic nature. In this book I arranged 30 preludes from Tarrega's brilliant concert repertoire.Among the pieces contained are Lagrima and Endecha a Oremus. Other selections include his beautiful Gran Vals and his brilliant Recuerdos de la Alhambra. In total, the material contains 38 of Tarrega's compositions presentedin standard notation and tablature for solo ukulele. For ease in performing these remarkable works I added left hand fingering. This is music composed during the height of the Romantic Period and is timeless in its beauty, relevance and inspiration

Gaspar Sanz (1640 –1710) is the most famous baroque-period guitarist. His works are tuneful and memorable, with fiery cross-rhythms and cascading scale passages. He published three books of guitar music.The baroque guitar could be viewed as a close relative of the ukulele. Indeed, the two instruments have much in common. the smaller four-course guitar actually had the same tuning as the ukulele, for example, although it was largely double-strung.Sanz enjoyed playing scales in the campanella style, with the notes of a scale set out on different strings, sonically overlapping slightly in the style of little bells. This is a technique the ukulele excels at, and is used to good effect in these arrangements.Sanz' music for baroque guitar transfers exceptionally well to the uke, as these arrangements demonstrate. It is hoped that this repertoire will bring a refreshing addition to the repertoire of the ukulele, just as the little instrument can bring a freshness to these old but lively pieces.

This book presents 37 pieces of Renaissance guitar music transcribed for solo fingerstyle ukulele together with the author’s recordings of every transcription. Moreover, a generous introduction provides a brief history of the Renaissance guitar, tips on period ornamentation and musicianship, recommended recordings, and invaluable resources for further research of your own. Throughout Europe, the Renaissance guitar was a popular instrument in the middle of the sixteenth century. Its composers left us a treasure-trove of music, from rustic dances to chansons and elaborate fantasias. Five-hundred years later, this music fits beautifully on the Renaissance guitar’s musical descendant, the ukulele. The Renaissance guitar and the ukulele share an almost identical tuning. As the transcriptions in this book are written in standard notation and tablature, any type of ukulele, from soprano to baritone—as well as the top four strings of the guitar— can be used to play them. Most of the pieces are in standard gCEA or GCEA tuning; the seven pieces in the second section of the book, however, require low-G tuning to render the counterpoint as written. It’s also possible for guitar and baritone uke players to read the tablature provided. The music will sound a perfect 4th lower than the notation, but as there was no standard pitch in the time of the Renaissance guitar, modern players should feel no obligation to play this music at fixed pitch. If you wish to read from the tablature and sound in the same key as the notation for ensemble purposes, guitar and baritone uke players merely need to place a capo at the fifth fret. With a certain sense of historical irony, the music of the Renaissance guitar is here reborn on modern fretted instruments.

That’s right, the ukulele is a great instrument all by itself! This book contains 101 solos that let you play melody and accompaniment all on one ukulele. If you’d like to sing, go right ahead; lyrics are included for many of the solos. Each section starts with easy solos, complete with tips on ukulele technique and arranging. The music is written in tablature and standard musical notation, with suggested chords above the music for an optional second ukulele or guitar. Essential right and left-hand fingerings are shown in traditional classic guitar symbols and while most of the book is written in standard (aECG) tuning, a few tunes are offered in both drop-B tuning and drop-E-flat tuning. With selections ranging from country to classical, medieval to modern, and a Christmas section with seventeen traditional favorites, this ukulele collection includes music for every taste and season. A useful chord dictionary and access to online audio of the author’s beautiful renditions of each well-crafted solo arrangement are included.

This book presents 34 delightful Early Music melodies arranged for solo ukulele in gCEA tuning. The styles range from early Renaissance to Baroque, including lively dance tunes and sacred compositions, known for their beauty and vitality. Originally composed for lute or vihuela and often transcribed for classical guitar, these timeless pieces are now part of the ukulele repertoire. Written in standard notation and tablature, primarily for the intermediate to advanced player, but also for the determined novice.

In this collection of 23 melodies from the British Isles, award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Ondrej Sarek treats the soprano ukulele as the lyrical solo instrument it can truly be. Along with fingerstyle arrangements of traditional airs, love songs, songs of home and longing, and the timeless melodies of Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan, the book includes settings of a few original tunes by Mel Bay Publications president, William Bay. All arrangements appear in gCEA tuning in standard notation and uke tablature with suggested backup chords and occasional light fingering.

John Dowland (1563 – 1626), a contemporary of both William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, was recognized as one of the greatest musicians of his time, writing songs, ensemble music and solos for the lute. Early music has long been part of the classic guitar repertoire and more recently, it has been adopted with enthusiasm by ukulele players. This book presents sixteen of Dowland's most beautiful lute songs that can be performed by ukulele players, with or without a vocalist. Two versions of each song – one easier and another more advanced—are offered in both standard notation and tablature for soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles in re-entrant (gCEA) tuning. Various vocal ensemble renditions of the songs, as well as the author’s video performances of each solo arrangement are available online. For vocalists and their audiences, and for all musicians and songwriters to fully connect with the emotion of the songs, Dowland’s sublime lyrics are also included.