The Beatles for Ukulele: Learn to Play “Eleanor Rigby” with Victoria Vox

BY VICTORIA VOX | FROM THE WINTER 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE

The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” became an unlikely chart-topper in 1966–67, its funeral-like string octet underscoring stark lyrics about loneliness and loss. My ukulele arrangement aims to capture the rhythm, harmony, and texture of those strings in a simple, playable way. I’m using a low G, which helps with some of the string movement in the introduction and bridge. I sing it in A minor, but if you want to play along with the original recording (in E minor), grab a baritone and use the same fingerings.

The chorus features a line cliché, where an inner voice moves stepwise—often chromatically—against a stationary chord to add color and motion. Here we’re using a descending minor line cliché. Starting from the root note in A minor, the sequence looks like this: Am–Am7–Am6–Am(b6). Play through the progression and notice how one changing note alters the mood each time.

For the verses, try staccato quarter notes (with left-hand muting) and muted staccato eighths (with palm muting) to mimic the string parts. When the line cliché arrives in the chorus, let your playing open up for contrast. You can also experiment with the descending minor line clichés in other keys, such as G minor and E minor—always beginning from the root.

To add a line cliché to songs that don’t already have one, test the melody over a single chord. If it feels plain, try moving the root note down while keeping the chord shape. It won’t always work, but it’s a fun experiment that can spark ideas for a new cover or even your own composition.

Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to post notation or tablature for this musical work online. If you have a digital or physical copy of the Winter 2025 issue of Ukulele magazine you will find the music on pages 39-41.