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.
More information
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