The first thing I read after I got up this morning was whatever was on the dining table. It threw a curve ball at me. Instantly, the tune entered my head. The only way to get rid of that ear worm was to write it down. January 4th is National Spaghetti Day.
On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table and onto the floor
And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.
American folk singer-songwriter Tom Glazer (1914-2003) was most famous for penning the famous lyrics to the tune of “On Top of Old Smokey.”
It’s an easy three chord song with a short melodic range.
I couldn’t resist tabbing the notes for low and high G ukulele, showing different ways to play it.
Then I explored different ways to accompany it — like a waltz or ballad.
My goal nowadays is to arrange music that is intuitively obvious and easy to play. Your fingers can’t help doing what they do. There is no resistance or angst.
It rolled in the garden and under a bush
And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush
The mush was as tasty as tasty could be
And early next summer, it grew into a treeThe tree was all covered with beautiful moss
It grew lovely meatballs and tomato sauce
So if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese
Hold on to your meatballs and don’t ever sneeze
Practice Suggestion
Be sure to accent (emphasize) the melody notes.
To play along to my arrangement, download the one page song sheet with lyrics and chords and share with others to sing along.
How to get access to the sheet music
- These one-page PDFs will be sent to all those who registered and paid for the 8-week Ukulele Winter 2025 course. See the Classes Webpage for further details.
- Annual subscribers to 3 Chord Thursday 2025 may request and receive these new arrangements as part of their package, for supporting the thematic song sessions for 2025.
- In due course, these arrangements will be available for purchase.
How to get notified of new and updated work
There is no ONE way to find out. The best way is ALL the ways.
- Sign up for the celebrated Ukulele Enthusiast e-blast (newsletter) to get on the mailing list for notification of such new arrangements. Use the Google Form.
- Subscribe to this website to get instant notification of these daily tabs. Use the form at the top right hand corner of any webpage.
- Subscribe to the YouTube Channel to get notification of new livestreams and uploads. It’s my intention to record my new work within a week of publishing on this website.
Catalog of New Music by Anne Ku
On the first day of the new year, I declared that I’ll compose or arrange music every day and publish (announce) on my website. This declaration doesn’t mean that I will produce one new piece each day but that over time, there will be 31 in the month of January. Today I was very productive because I know that I will be busy this weekend with crochet, guitar and organ.
Below is what I know and have done so far and what I plan to do for this week. Each piece is followed by exercises to prepare and support that piece.
| Day | Title / Topic | Keys | Type | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greensleeves / What Child Is This | Em, Fm, Gm, Am | Lead Sheet Chord Melody | sample score, video |
| 2 | Andalusian Cadence | Am, Gm | Arpeggio Accompaniment | sample score |
| 3 | Auld Lang Syne for high G ukulele | F, G | Lead Sheet Chord Melody | sample score, playalong video |
| 4 | Left Hand Techniques | G | Lead Sheet | definition, sample score |
| 5 | On Top of Spaghetti | C | Chord Melody | |
| 6 | Auld Lang Syne for low G ukulele | Chord Melody | ||
| 7 | Accompaniment Styles | Hymn Ballad |
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