March Of The (Not So) Scary Ukes

Ukuleles are such unique and happy sounding instruments. There's really nothing scary about them at all! But that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun playing along with a spooky sounding tune, and this particular spooky sounding tune not only fits in well with the fall season, but also gives you the opportunity to discuss a famous piece of classical music. "March Of The (Not So) Scary Ukes" is based on a well-known piece originally composed in 1872 called Funeral March Of A Marionette. Written by French composer Charles Gounod, this work was famously used as the theme music for the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1950s and 60s. For this version, we trimmed the piece to just under two minutes, instead of the original four and a half minutes, and changed the key from D minor to A minor so that it would work well for ukuleles. Our arrangement certainly is a close likeness to Gounod's creation, but if you'd like to hear the full, original work, a quick Internet search will bring up several wonderful renditions.

This tune features ukuleles, of course, but there is also a unison vocal part. It's a trickier melody to be sure, but once you hear it a few times, it sticks with you and it's really fun to sing. On the accompaniment track, listen for the clarinet, flute, and xylophone as your melody guide. If you prefer to feature only your uke players, just have them play along without the singing. The uke part only uses the A minor and C major chords, along with plucked G and E strings. Feel free to adapt the part as needed.

To make it easier for your young players, we have included a PDF of the isolated ukulele part on our web site. There you will also find an accompaniment track that includes the ukulele for reinforcement.