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.

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.

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.

Ukulele Picking Tunes: Classical Gems, by professional ukulele player and composer Paul Mansell, provides a unique collection of 20 favorite classical pieces arranged for both high-G and low-G ukulele. All the arrangements appear in both ukulele tablature and standard music notation. Selections include compositions by well-known composers such as J. S. Bach and Beethoven, as well as some lesser-known gems by Dowland, Sor and Carcassi. The book includes access to video footage of the author performing each piece.

Lively Ukulele Tunes is a collection of 38 lively, up-tempo tunes arranged for ukulele solo. The collection includes fiddle tunes, reels, hornpipes, jigs, sea chanteys, bluegrass, old-time melodies and some original compositions–an ideal collection for adding to repertoire, improving picking technique or just having fun playing the uke. Backup chords and tablature are included.

In this unique solo fingerstyle guitar collection, Luke Edwards presents 17 melodies from the Celtic nation of Wales, The Land of Song, sheep and dragons and birthplace of Merlin the wizard. With arrangements derived from ancient to more modern traditional tunes, this book provides a glimpse into a fascinating musical culture. Often overlooked in comparison to neighboring Scotland and Ireland, the music of Wales is rich and multifaceted. This book covers a variety of traditional Welsh genres including hymns, lullabies, hornpipes, fiddle tunes, and even a selection from The Robert Ap Huw Manuscript of 1340, the oldest known example of harp music in the world. As all of the arrangements were made in guitar-friendly keys in either standard or drop-D tuning, they can be readily combined into sets for performance. Written in both standard notation and tablature, historical notes and complete right and left-hand fingerings are provided throughout. Recommended for the intermediate to advanced guitarist, the collection includes access to online audio.

This collection of 20 Christmas carols is written for the intermediate to advanced 5-string banjo player familiar with tablature in gDGBD tuning. These tunes are considered timeless folk songs that will enhance your musicianship and technique, and delight your friends and family at holiday gatherings. Recordings and extensive right-hand fingerings are provided as learning aids for each tune, leaving interpretation and left-hand fingerings up to the player. Readers are encouraged to make their own recordings of the carols to better evaluate their playing. Most importantly, you’ll celebrate Christmas with the joyous sound of the 5-string banjo! Includes access to online audio