Find Yourself (feat. Lukas Nelson): Ukulele

Shimabukuro's arrangement captures the emotional core of this contemporary pop song while showcasing the ukulele's expressive range. Students get to engage with music they already know and love, which transforms practice from obligation into genuine musical exploration.

Contemporary and accessible, with the intimacy that makes ukulele special. The arrangement honors both Shimabukuro's virtuosity and the song's original emotional directness, creating something that feels both familiar and freshly imagined.

Intermediate ukulele players with enough technical facility to handle a three-page contemporary arrangement. This works especially well for students who are excited by current music but still building toward more complex classical repertoire.

• Work the dynamics carefully across the three pages. Pop arrangements often rely on subtle shifts in volume and touch to build momentum, and the ukulele responds to nuance in a way that can surprise players expecting only strumming.
• Pay attention to any syncopated rhythms in the accompaniment pattern. These create the pocket that makes the melody land with impact.
• Let the melodic line breathe where the original recording allows silence or space. Restraint in pop songs is as important as energy.

Perfect for a spring or end-of-year concert where you want to showcase intermediate players with music that resonates with families in the audience. This also works as a solo feature for a student recital or as a duet with voice if you have a vocalist available.

• Reading pop-style accompaniment patterns with syncopation
• Balancing melody against rhythmic accompaniment
• Shaping phrasing in contemporary music contexts
• Interpreting dynamic and expressive markings in arranged repertoire