Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (arr. Fred Sokolow): Ukulele

Sokolow's take on this holiday standard strips away the weight many students associate with Christmas music and lets the melody sing without unnecessary complication. The jazz elements sit comfortably in the ukulele's natural register, and students get to work with swing feels and chord substitutions that build real harmonic awareness.

Warm and conversational. The arrangement settles into an easy swing groove that feels like a late-night jazz rendition rather than a traditional holiday performance. There's nostalgia here, but it arrives without sentimentality.

Intermediate ukulele students ready to move beyond basic strumming patterns and chord charts. Players who have solid rhythm fundamentals and want to explore how jazz phrasing and harmonic movement translate to the ukulele.

• Approach the swing rhythm with lightness. These three pages work best when the tempo breathes and doesn't feel rushed; let the natural subdivisions of the triplet feel carry the piece.
• Practice the chord changes separately from the melody line. Sokolow's voicings are singable and logical, but they need muscle memory before they become automatic.
• Balance melody against accompaniment by listening to how much the strumming pattern supports versus competes with the line you're playing. Adjust dynamics accordingly across different sections.
• Record yourself and listen for spaces. Jazz arrangements thrive when there's air between phrases; this is where the swing feel really breathes.

This works beautifully as a solo feature in a winter concert or as part of a small ensemble piece alongside other ukulele or acoustic instruments. Its three-page length makes it ideal for a holiday recital without demanding the full weight of a band arrangement.

• Reading jazz chord symbols and substitutions
• Playing swing eighth-note rhythms with proper feel
• Balancing melody against harmonic accompaniment
• Fingerstyle technique and chord voicing on ukulele
• Interpreting a standard through an arranged lens