Below is the lesson for “Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Helpful Tips

This arrangement transfers the magic of the piano to the ukulele, while serving as a masterclass on expressing emotion in your playing. There’s a couple concepts we can use to help bring out emotion in our playing. While both of them will be discussed in detail in the lesson videos, let’s take a moment to break down each concept:

1) Dynamics – We can alter the volume of notes and passages to create contrast in our playing. This transforms a piece from sounding linear, to having highs and lows, tension and release.

2) Rubato – This means, that we do not have to strictly adhere to a steady tempo. The overall goal is to have a natural flow to our playing. So some passages could be played a touch slower and others a touch faster. Keep in mind that less is more. Drastic tempo changes will sound out of time, but subtle ones will sound natural.

Apart from the concepts above, this piece will challenge you from a technique standpoint. This arrangement is filled with difficult barre chords, stretch chords which require an extensive reach, and complex fingerpicking passages. As such, this piece is recommended for the (seasoned) advanced player.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Part 2 – For Premium Members

Tab Play Along