Chopsticks 
 
 
Originally named "The Celebrated Chop Waltz," this melody was written in 1877 by a sixteen year old British girl, Euphemia Allen, under the pseudonym "Arthur de Lulli".  It's not much harder on the uke than it is on the piano, and kids love it.  (Okay, grownups too.) 
 
The tab shows the three parts that you'll hear played on the piano, plus an example of an improvisational line that you can add if you want to.  More on that later.  But now, get together with a couple of kids or kids-at-heart, and give it a go! 
 
The tab is a .pdf file, so you'll need an Adobe reader (it's free) to display and print it. 
 
Download the tab for Chopsticks 
 
 
Here are a couple of hints to make things easier. 
 
This song sounds best when you have several players.  One player takes Part 1, another takes Part 2, yet another takes Part 3, all playing at the same time.  And then you switch off, with each player taking a different part for the next round. 

When you're playing Part 1, even though you're just plucking two strings at a time, hold the full G7 chord or C chord with your left hand -- much easier that way. 
 
Notice that Part 2 starts one beat earlier than the other two parts.  No big deal, just don't let it throw you off. 
 
The song is in 3/4 time -- it's a waltz -- although it is also commonly heard with the stresses as in 6/8 time.  (If that doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry about it.  Just play the song!) 

 
Improvisation. 
 
This is such a simple and fun song, it lends itself well to improvising an alternate melody as the other parts are being played.  The song is in the key of C, so your improv can be as simple-minded as just playing random notes from the C scale (really, that works!) or it can be a little more organized and melodic.  If you don't know the notes of the C scale, check out this lesson.  Or, if you're in a hurry, here is the C scale: 
 

 
On the tab sheet is a simple example of one possibility for an improvised melody to add to the mix.  You can see that it's not much more than just playing the scale.  Of course, you can get as fast and elaborate as you want, just stick to the notes of the C scale.  Your improv will fit in better if you end it on a C note, but even that's up to you. 
 
This is a song where you don't have to be too serious!  This one's all about easy fun. 
 
 
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