FINLANDIA by Jean Sibelius . . . . Solo Ukulele Chord/Melody arrangement by Ukulele Mike Lynch. . . . now included in the 52 Song Chord/Melody eBook ONE from Ukulele Mike (now reduced to just $20.00) . . . . Chord/Melody eBook FOUR now available

From the Wikipedia site we learn that Finlandia, Op. 26 is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The first version was written in 1899, and it was revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, as the last of seven pieces, each performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history.

The premiere was on 2 July 1900 in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus. A typical performance takes anywhere from 7½ to 9 minutes.

A recurrent joke within Finland at this time was the renaming of Finlandia at various musical concerts so as to avoid Russian censorship. Titles under which the piece masqueraded were numerous, a famously flippant example being Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring

I was first exposed to FINLANDIA while studying piano as a young child. I’ve held this melody as a very cherished part of my musical background. It has been so universally accepted that it has been set to lyrics numerous times. Christian hymns (Be Still, My Soul; I Sought the Lord; We Rest on Thee; A Christian Home; This Is My Song; and I Then Shall Live), Gweddi dros Gymru or A Prayer for Wales (a national song of Wales), Ambrosian Oaks (the alma mater of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa), and Land of the Rising Sun (the national anthem of the short-lived African state of Biafra). It is also the tune for Capital University’s alma mater, “O Capital.”

I was so delighted one day when I discovered that by simply playing a G major chord on the ukulele the melody of FINLANDIA presented itself. I the discovered the very simple progression that allows it to be played to nicely on the ukulele. My arrangement of FINLANDIA is what is termed a Chord/Melody arrangement. That means that in most cases by simply down strumming the chord the melody rides on the top or first string. So the entire piece is played only with the thumb in a downward harp like rolling fashion. Using the harp like roll gives the ukulele a fuller sound and expands the character of the piece. It’s vitally important not to play this with a metronome. It should be played very freely with what we call a RUBATO style. Allows plenty of breathing room between the chords. Never rush this piece. Although the ukulele has little sustain allow the uke to sustain as physically capable of the instrument. To also aid in providing more sustain hold the chords down firmly. Don’t let up pressure on the strings prematurely as this will disconnect the strings from the frets and cause the sound to terminate instantly. Therefore, do not lift the fingers until the very last moment you wish to change the chord.

I have provided a full tablature arrangement of Sibelius and below are two small examples of the tablature.

EXAMPLE 1.

EXAMPLE 2.

Below is a comprehensive video tutorial of FINLANDIA that I did on You Tube awhile back.

Here is a very nice rendition of my arrangement of FINLANDIA done by one of my followers on You Tube.

Here is yet another nicely performed rendition of FINLANDIA

My wife, Collene and I performing FINLANDIA on the 2013 Ukulele cruise aboard the Golden Princess cruise ship

Complete tablature for my arrangement of FINLANDIA is contained in my large 92 page eBook SOLO UKULELE INSTRUMENTALS 2013 Enlarged edition. It sells for just $20.00 and can be purchased by paying through the paypal donate button on

my website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com Once purchased it will be emailed to you within the day.

FINLANDIA is now also contained in the newly released CHORD/MELODY Collection from UKULELE MIKE LYNCH. It also sells for  just $20.00 and can be purchased through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com

HERE IS A YOU TUBE VIDEO DETAILING THE CONTENTS OF THE NEW “CHORD/MELODY COLLECTION”

Each of the Chord/Melody eBooks can be purchased separately for just $20.00 or all together at the new Combo “Trilogy” discount of just $50.00

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased at a combo  QUARTET discount of $70

For information regarding any ukulele product please email: TheUkuleleMan2012@hotmail.com