Where do I get my ideas for arranging music? Sometimes it’s a song that reminds me of something. Sometimes it’s a national day. For “Feed the Birds” from the movie Mary Poppins, it’s both and more.
Every 5th January is National Bird Day. The song that comes up immediately for me is “Feed the Birds” as sung by Julie Andrews in the movie Mary Poppins.
When I visited St Paul’s Cathedral in London for the first time, I remembered the scene from the movie. However, that was WAY before I played the ukulele.
Why is this song so poignant for me? I remember watching Mary Poppins. I remember the feeling when I heard the it. And that feeling of awe came back.
When searching for sheet music for Walt Disney’s birthday last December, I made a mental bookmark to arrange it for instrumental solo a.k.a. chord melody when I got a chance.
What is easy? What is singable? What is doable? My goal is to arrange something that looks enticing to play.
The melody in the key of E minor lends itself easily to an instrumental version because the melodic notes reside at the top of respective accompanying chords. Solo instrumental versions can be used as introduction, interludes, and outros. It allows the singing voice to rest.
Except for the lowest melodic note of B (below middle C) which is not possible on a high G ukulele, the song also works well on a high G ukulele. The two-note stepwise ascent in measure seven works for low G ukulele also.
To include all the melodic notes means transposing the B below middle C upwards to the key of F minor. This transposition introduces the tricky Bbm and Ab chords.
Transposing the song two whole steps higher moves it into A minor, a key which ukulele players love. To prepare playing the introduction higher up the neck, I suggest barring the 5th fret with your index finger. In measure seven, form a G7 chord shape and slide from the word “Saint” on the 2nd and 3rd frets to the word “Paul’s.”
As with most songs, the most famous section is the chorus. Don’t let the high fret numbers scare you. It’s fun to slide your fretting fingers up and down the neck.
Now won’t it be fun to play and sing this song on the steps of St Paul’s?
Practice Suggestions
Follow the suggestions of barring and sliding up and down the neck. This song can be played as a waltz or lullaby or both, as explained in the next blog post.
How to get access to the sheet music
- The chord melody arrangements for “Feed the Birds” are laid out on three pages. The pdfs will be e-mailed 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 | playalong video |
| 6 | Auld Lang Syne in F for low G ukulele | F, C | Chord Melody | playalong video |
| 7 | Feed the Birds | Em, Am | Lead Sheet, Chord Melody | sample scores |
| 8 | Accompaniment in 3/4 Time | Em, Am |