Basic Ukulele Chords For Beginning Players

September 11, 2020

If you are one of the music-lovers and want to learn playing one of the most widely used musical instrument Ukulele, here is what you need to read. Yes, here is a detailed account of the ukulele chords, you need to learn about, as a beginner. Additionally, you will find a detailed explanation of what is a chord and then what types of chords are there on a ukulele. Here are some of the basic chords for the beginners who want to excel in the field of music and make new tunes. Not just this but you will also geto know how to read the chord charts and also the features of the best ukulele when you are the first-time buyer or a beginner at playing the instrument. So keep reading and you will get all the important information here in one place.

What is a Chord?

As a beginner, you need to first of all, understand what is a chord. Well! It is a set of notes which you will play together, at the same time when you are going to compose a new tune. Here, you need to understand that the sequence of playing these chords is of pivotal significance when you are producing music out of your ukulele.

The Basic Ukulele Chords For Beginning Players
1. Major Chords

Now, the first chords you will learn about are the major chords called A B C D E F G which produce the sounds of La Ti Do Re Mi Fa Sol respectively. All of these are easy to play except for the chord B. But then there is a good news for you. Yes, this chord B is not very frequently used to compose the music. So, you can start playing and enjoying music even if you do not know how to play the chord B. On the other hand, The chord E is also a bit tricky to play and you might need to learn playing it as it is used quiet frequently.

1. Minor Chords

Then these minor chords are the ones which you would need to learn for sure. Yes, especially if you want to make music which is intimate and happy, you must learn playing these chords on your ukulele. As a beginner, the most important minor chords are the Am, Dm and Em.

2. Seventh Chords

You may have a different opinion but for myself, the 7^th chords are equally important. People might not know but these chords are also very easy to play. For all those music-lovers who like the funky and utown music, you will enjoy making music when you will learn to play the seventh chords. Yes, as it produces most of the Jazz music, the Seventh chords serve a sthe foundation of such songs. My personal favorite is F7 as it helps you to make interesting music.

3. C major / C ukulele chord

If you are e beginner and want to get started just like that with some steps, here is one for you. Yes, the C major is one of the easiest chord you will have on your uke. All you need to know is how to use your one finger and there you go! The reason being, there are open strings on the chords G, C and E strings which means open strings and for that matter, you will just place your ring finger over the string A on the 3^rd fret and you will get started.

4. A minor / Am ukulele chord

The Am ukulele chord is also a relatively easy-to-play chord. You have to make sure that you are holding down the 2^nd fret of the fourth string while you are strumming all the four of the strings on your uke. All you need to do is to use your middle finger as it is the convenient to use this finger only and you will be able to produce music.

5. F major / F ukulele chord

If you have ever happened to play a guitar, you will find it easier to play this particular chord on the ukulele as compared to the guitar. Yes, you will start off by placing the middle finger on the 2^nd fret on the 4^th string. Make sure that when you are doing this, you have index finger right on the first fret on the second string. Now, keeping this position, you will be strumming all the four of the strings.

6. G major / G ukulele chord

For all those guitar musicians, you will be able identify this chord on the ukulele similar in shape to that on the guitar. But on guitar it is called the D chord, while on ukulele, it is known to be the G major, which is just because of the different tuning settings of the uke when compared to the guitar. Okay, now, if you want to learn playing the G major chord, you will place the index finger on the second fret of the third string, while your ring finger goes on to the third fret on the second string. Similarly, you will place the middle finger over the second fret of the first string before you will start strumming the four strings.

7. A major / A ukulele chord

I personally find this chord easier to play too. You do not need to use all your fingers to produce soothing music when your are learning to play the A major chord. That is why I find it easier. Well, now when you will start off with thje A major chord, make sure that you have your middle finger over the second fret of the fourth string and your fist finger is on the first fret of the third string. There you go! You will now strum the four strings all together and you will hear the notes coming out of the ukulele playing the A major chord,

8. E minor / Em ukulele chord

Another important chord which will help you produce good music is this E minor chord. Yes, you have to master the movement and coordinatioan of your fingers if you really want to amster the art. So, how willa you play this E minor chord. Here it is; using your index finger which goes on the second fret of the first dtring and the middle finger that goes over the third fourth fret on the third string, you will then thrum all the strings on your instrument, producing the desired tunes.

9. D major / D ukulele chord

Again, there is a familiar chord on the ukulele for the guitarists which is this D major chord. Yes, the form of D amjor chord on uke resembles the A major chord on the guitars. The different names is again due to the different tuning systems of the two instruments. Now coming to the playing of this chord on your uke, you will be placing your first or index finger over the second fret of the fourth string. The next step is that you will make sure you have your middle or second finger placed on the second fret of the third string. As the last step, you will place your ring finger on the second fret of the second string. Now you will go for the thrumming of the four strings on your ukulele to get the tunes coming out of the D major.

10. D minor / Dm ukulele chord

Again, it will be easier for you to learn playing this Dm chord on the ukulele if you are familiar with the fingering of the A minor chord on the guitar. So let us start palying this chord with you. You will set your middle finger or the second finger on the second fret of the third string while your ring finger goes over the first fret of the second string. Not to forget the index finger that you will place over the first fret of the seond string. You may opt for a switching arrangement between your second and third finger aling the way, if you want. This will not make any difference to the produced tone. Lastly, you will strum all the four strings on the instrument and you will enjoy the produced music.

11. E major / E ukulele chord

Here is another important chord on your ukulele which you need to learn about. Yes, it is the E Major chord or the E ukulele chord. You need to be very careful when you are playing this chord because it involves multiple movements of your fingers and hands and most of them at the same time. So, coordination is important here. Well! Firstly, you will put your middle finger over the fourth fret on the fourth string, then comes the ring finger which goes on the fourth fret of the third string. Next, make sure that you have the ring finger on the fourth fret on the second string. The last but not the least, you will be placing your first finger which is also called the index finger over the second fret of the first string. Now, you will thrum all the four strings together which will give you the sound of the E Minor shord.

12. F# / Gb minor / Gbm ukulele chord

Well, this is the chord which gives you the sounds which are a bit different from those of the rest of the chords. The alternative names of this chord are F# minor chord and Gb Minor chords. You can learn to play this chord and you will get the desired notes of F#-A-C#. Before you begin, you might need to make some adjustments like to create a F#m minor chord, you will use the simple triad formula (1-b3-5) to implement it on to F# major scale like F#, A#, B, D#, E#, C#).

In order to make a F#m Chord, you will use the same minor triad formula followed by application to the F# major Scale i.e. F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E#.

Now you will take the first, fifth and third scale degrees from the F# major scale i.e. F#-A#-C#. As the F#m is a minor chord, you will have to asjust the third scale degree and bring it to the half degree according to the minor triad formula. As a result, you will get the notes F#-A-C# from the F# minor chord.

Okay so, as far as playing the chord is concerned, you will place your index finger on the first fret of the C string and put the middle finger on second fret of the string G. Lastly, your ring finger goes on the fret on E string.

13. B minor / Bm ukulele chord

Now let us learn how to play the B minor chord. Here it goes; you need to place your index finger across the stirings A, E and C and then press all of them down all together. On the other hand, you should have your ring finger on the fourth fret of the string G.

How to Read Ukulele Chord Charts

There are different chord charts like Dot charts, Number Charts, Xs, Barre Chords, Chords up the neck and Text Chords.

>The Dot Charts: Lets take the example of the G chord, if you want to play the string C, you will place your finger at the second fret, if you want to play the string E, then your finger should be at third fret. Briefly, when you see “o” at the upper end of the string, it implies that it is an open string.

The Number charts: These charts explain the method of playing the ukulele in terms of numbers. For example, if there is number 1 given in the chart, it means that you have to use the index finger for fretting and so on. However, there is no hard and fast rule, you may change the sequence of your fingers according to your convenience.

Xs: At times, you might find the sign “X” at the top end of the string. This implies that you do not need to fret that particular string at all. You may always rest one of your hands there to ensure that it is not fretted.

Barre Chords: This is representation of the situation when you have to use any one particular finger to fret multiple chords all at the same time and is represented by an arch running over the strings.

Chords up the neck: In case you need to play a chord on the higher side of the fret board, the chord chart will show the lowest fret on the top right and rarely on the left side.

Text Chords: Sometimes, if they are in a hurry, they could mention in the chart like 2100 which correspondence to the order gCEA. This means that you have to fret the g-string on the second fret, C string on the first fret, and keep the E and A strings open as they correspond to the zeroes.

How to Play an Easy Ukulele Songs with 4 Chords

If you want to start playing musical instruments but don’t know where to start, there is an instrument that is beginner-friendly and you can easily learn to play it, no matter at what age you are. That instrument is Ukulele. You will love it as it is very easy to learn and easy to use. With the understanding of some Ukulele chords, you can easily play different types of beautiful songs. Moreover, you can’t hinder yourself from singing along with it, whether you can sing or not.

Whenever you select a song to learn, you may want to play along with it right away. But you need to start playing at the slow tempo, and once you get comfortable with the chords and transitioning between them, you can increase the tempo. Therefore, it is better to start by learning a song that you are familiar with, so that instead of learning the chords and tune of the song, you just have to learn the pattern and practice the smooth transition. Moreover, you can also hum along. After that, you can try more challenging ones.

1. “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison:

The chords for the Verses are: G, C, G, D, G, C, G, D, G, C, G, D, G, C, G, D, C, D, G, Em, C, D, G
“Do you remember when we used to sing:”sha-la-la-la-la-la-la” refrains: D, G, C, G, D, G, C, G, D, C, D, G, Em, C, D, G

2. “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty

The chords for the verses are: Em, D, G, Em, D, G, Em D, C, Em, D, G
The chords for the Choruses are: C, D, C, D, C, D, Em, D, G, Em, D, G

3. “Your Mama Don’t Dance” by Loggins & Messina

The chords for the verses are: G, C, G, C, G, D, C, G
The chords for the Bridge are: C, C, C, C, D, C, G

4. “Bring It On Home” by classic blues song recorded by countless artists

The chords for this song are G, D, G, C, G, D, G, C, G, D

5. “Blowin’ In The Wind” by Bob Dylan

Verses: G, C, G, G, C, D, G, C, G, G, C, D
“The answer my friend” refrains: C, D, G, Em, C, D, G

6. “22” by Taylor Swift

The chords for this song are G, D, C, D

7. “Tougher Than The Rest” by Bruce Springsteen

The chords for the Verses are: G, C, D, C, G, D (for verses)
The chords for the Bridge are: Em, C, G, C, D, G, Em, C, G, C, G, D, G

8. “This Magic Moment” by Jay And The Americans, Lou Reed, etc.

The chords for the Verses are: G, Em, C, D
The chords for the Pre-chorus are: Em, C, G, D
The chords for the Choruses are: G, Em, C, G, Em, G, Em

9. “Someone Like You” by Adele

The chords for the Verses, Choruses, and Bridge are: G, D, Em, C
The chords for the Pre-chorus are: D, C, D, C, D

10. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

The chords for the Verses are G to D (for verses),
The chords for the Choruses are: C, D, G, Em, DC, D, G, Em, D——C, D, G, Em, D—–C, D, G

All in all, learning to play ukulele might come with a bit of challenges in the beginning but a lot of it also depends on the type of ukulele you have chosed being a beginner. Yes, the things which you should consider before you buy your first ukulele include the size, price, material as in wood, strings and palyability. All these things contribute to the quality of sound you ukulele produces at the end of the day. As for example, you need to bear in mind the size of your hand and fingers when it comes to size. Similarly, as differently-sized ukulele will give you different sound, you have to be careful about that too. In addition, your budget plays an important role about buying an appropriate instrument. The types of wood commonly used for making the ukulele are Mohagny, Spruce and Rosewood.

One of the best options for the beginners come in the form of the 23" Concert Ukulele Solid Spruce Ebony Wood Natural Color as it gives you all the desired characteristics in one product. For those looking for the strongest acoustics, warm and sound tone, this product presents you the ultimate opportunity. Grab it today as the discounts are ending soon by the first week of September. You will be able to enjoy your first instrument as it is not only good-looking but also the best when it comes to functioning.

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