I'll Be Around: Ukulele

This standard sits perfectly in the ukulele repertoire because it rewards both rhythmic precision and lyrical phrasing. The Mills Brothers' arrangement emphasizes the instrument's warm resonance in the lower register while maintaining the swing sensibility that makes this tune endure.

Warm and reassuring, with the unhurried confidence of a song that has earned its place in the standards canon. The melody unfolds with conversational ease while the underlying harmony offers enough sophistication to keep players engaged.

Intermediate ukulele players looking to work with jazz standard harmony and confident phrasing. This arrangement works for solo performance or as part of a vocal or small ensemble setting.

• Keep the strumming pattern conversational rather than metronomic; the song breathes in the spaces between phrases.
• Shape the melody contour gently around the harmonic changes; avoid playing each note with equal weight.
• Lock into a relaxed tempo that lets the chord changes feel inevitable rather than imposed.

Pair this with other jazz standards in a ukulele recital or include it in a unit on popular song from the Great American Songbook. It also serves as an accessible entry point for students exploring swing-era repertoire on a smaller scale.

• Voicing jazz chord extensions on ukulele
• Phrasing melodies across changing harmonic contexts
• Maintaining a relaxed swing feel and rhythmic continuity