My journey as a ukulele composer (and publisher)

Choan Gálvez

Who I am, what I do

I play music
I write music
I publish music
I teach music
I love ukulele

I play music

My main instrument is the ukulele.

The ukulele entered my life

I assure you it was an accident!

In 2008 I was building a collection of unexpensive folk instruments and I found an ukulele while looking for a cavaquinho.

And soon it was the center of my life

In 2009 I quit my job and created
a ukulele business, Ukecosas.
It was the first of its kind in Spain.

www.ukecosas.es

One of my first arrangements

I started a swing ukulele trio

Pequeño Formato,
with Oscar Plano and David Moreno.

We released an album in 2010.

pequenoformato.bandcamp.com

I write music

Lots of music, in fact.

I have a rather complete catalog online.

Check my website at www.choan.es

My first ukulele original

Nana para Eva,
performed by Wilfried Welti

A bunch of lullabies

And two albums in 2018:

10 minutos para ukelele solo
Lullabies for Astronauts

Then instructional material

50 Miniature Studies for Ukulele (est. 2019)

Contemporary and minimalist music

I was surprised anyone else was interested!

The Cheerless Walk

Performed by Giovanni Albini.

Common Blue

Performed by Samantha Muir.

Bigger Steps

Performed by Donald Bousted.

I publish music

I run my own music publishing business,
The Ukulele Bookshop

www.theukulelebookshop.com

My books

50 Miniature Studies for Ukulele
Waltz in Progress
Brevities for baritone ukulele
May the Low 4th
For Four Fingers
Eight Rags a Week

And others'

Arthropoda, by Tony Mizen

50 Miniature Studies for Ukulele

A set of brief pieces created to develop a variety of musical performance abilities and fingerpicking techniques.
All of these studies are written for C6 re-entrant tuning and can be played on any sized instrument within a range of 12 frets.

50 Miniature Studies for Ukulele

This collection offers a smorgasbord of musical flavors through an expansive variety of styles, tempos, keys, modes, meters, and diverse musical character. And every piece might elicit in the player a different aesthetic response, from joy, humor, excitement, and carefree whimsy to serious emotion and intense pathos.

—Todd Fiegel

Ebb Tide

Gertrude by the Window

Turpial

Waltz in Progress

12 original waltzes for solo ukulele
Re-entrant tuning
Inspired by the collections published by the great guitarists of the romantic era
Ranging from fairly easy to quite demanding

Waltz in Progress

Each one of these twelve new waltzes for solo ukulele by Choan Gálvez is dedicated to a ukulelist, somehow representing something of the dedicatee, as both their character and the one of the composer are mixed, ideally dancing together. The music is incisive and vivid and—as it’s always the case with Gálvez’s—a pleasure to play.

–Giovanni Albini

Christopher's

Performed by the dedicatee, Christopher Davis-Shannon

Larry's

Brevities for baritone ukulele

Brevities is a collection of short solo pieces for baritone ukulele aimed at the intermediate fingerpicker. In this set I intend to profit from the extended range, the sustain, and the resonance that this instrument and its tuning provide.

Styles go from renaissance inspiration to Brazilian choro, melancholic waltzes to exciting ragtime.

Brevities for baritone ukulele

Always engaging, charming, clever and witty, sometimes dark or melancholic, Gálvez is undoubtedly a major voice in original ukulele composition and this book will be loved and cherished by all baritone players and their audiences.

–Tony Mizen

Brevity for Eloína

Brevity for Cathy

May the Low 4th

Written for low G ukulele
Most of the pieces will fit beginner and intermediate fingerpickers—though mastering them may be challenging.
The last four are quite demanding!
Among the repertoire you’ll find tango, samba, melancholic waltzes, Renaissance inspired brief works…

May the Low 4th

Playful, delightful and bursting with musicality; these pieces would be equally at home in the concert hall or on the beach. This is the kind of thing our community needs: original music that explores and expands the voice of the ukulele. Bravo!

–James Hill

Medina Albaida

Opens with a quote from Gaspar Sanz's Españoleta.

Rubia

For Four Fingers

A collection of ten one-minute pieces for re-entrant ukulele
Mostly simple melodies
Only four frets (or less!) are used in each arrangement
Campanella, campanella,… and campanella

For Four Fingers

Another fine collection of original pieces by Choan and a must-have for anyone interested in fingerstyle ukulele.

–Jonathan Lewis

Five

Free score

Eight

Eight Rags a Week

Original ragtime music for solo ukulele
Release this next week!
Re-entrant tuning required

Eight Rags a Week

Eight Rags a Week is a wonderful collection of ragtime influenced pieces. Syncopated melodies dance over a steady beat with delightful twists and turns to challenge the player and engage the listener. With clever composition, arrangement, and clear notes on performance these charming pieces really let the ukulele sing. Bravo Choan!

–Phil Doleman