Ukulele Expressions Lullaby
Adorable and Unique Book has Sweet Lyrics, Lovely Tunes, and Beautiful Art
Ukulele Expressions Lullaby: Tunes for Kitties and Kiddos to Play with Only One Hand is available now and it’s so exciting to see it out in the world.
I created these lullabies using sweet themes like love, nature, dreaming, adventures, and more. The music is played with only one hand (no fretting!), just like the other three books in my Ukulele Expressions series. This is perfect for anyone with hand pain like me or who experiences an injury to their fretting hand. Anyone who plays the ukulele can enjoy this music as well. It can be nice to give your fretting hand a break once in a while and this can be a fun way to freshen up your playing.
I first created one-handed music a few years ago when I was going through carpal tunnel syndrome and eventual surgery on my fretting hand. I didn’t want to stop playing my ukulele since I had one good hand still. But when I looked for music for only one hand, I couldn’t find any! So, I figured out how to improvise and created my own.
I discovered that I could use standard and alternate tunings to get many different melodies from my ukulele. Since the music is played on only open strings, this was very important. I also used a capo on some pieces, which changed the pitch.
The music I began to compose reminded me of nature. I set the music to a nature theme and created an expressive nature painting for each piece. Ukulele Expressions was born and when I began sharing it with a few ukulele friends who enjoyed it, I thought it would be great to share it widely. That’s when my self-publishing journey began.
I kept writing and composing and making art and recently came out with a 2nd Edition of those first few books (since I’ve learned so much since first publishing them). The new editions have simpler Introductions and revised music, among other features.
Ukulele Expressions Lullaby is the first book in which I added lyrics to the music. I had so much fun creating the lyrics and picking out fun themes to sing about. I also created ten illustrations of sleeping, cozy cats, and beautiful, blissful babies at rest, to go along with each musical piece.
I included a special section at the end of the book that outlines how to write your lullabies. I walk you through writing the lyrics and creating the music. I thought this was a fun addition to the book! You can create something so special for your little one!
I have enjoyed meeting all the people this series has introduced me to and look forward to getting it out there more, too.
If you would like to check out the Ukulele Expressions collection, you can check out the series page on Amazon here.
I also have a book trailer and playing examples of each lullaby on my YouTube channel. You can access that playlist here. (I have playlists of examples for my other Ukulele Expressions books as well!)
I look forward to more people realizing they can still play the ukulele, even with limitations they may have with their fretting hand. It’s still possible to create beautiful music!
Have you ever had to stop playing a musical instrument because of a physical limitation? I would love to hear your story. Feel free to drop a comment below. And to check out my other published books, you can visit my website: www.CreatedBySusan.com