Add minor chords to your ukulele for added variety in songwriting and improvisational potential, plus they’re easy to play – perfect for beginners!
Minor chords follow a similar formula to major chords, but with an altered third and diminished fifth for their more somber tone.
A Minor
A Minor Ukulele Chords are extremely simple to form and provide an excellent way to start exploring minor chords. By having these in your arsenal, A Minor ukulele chords will add color and spice to both songwriting and improvisational brilliance.
The A minor ukulele chord is a minor triad that connects the first, third, and fifth scale degrees of A minor scale (1-b3-5). On G string it can be left open.
When learning ukulele chords, the “freeze method” should be employed. This technique involves forming the shape of each chord with your fingers before strumming it once; this helps build muscle memory that makes changing chords much simpler and quicker. Do this several times until you gain the hang of it; repeating will ensure no missing notes or tones go unnoticed; for accurate practice use a metronome for accurate results.
C Minor
C minor chords evoke an ominous, dark atmosphere when played. Additionally, they can also be melancholic and aggressive depending on how they’re used within a musical composition.
A C minor chord consists of three notes, its root being C, minor third (Eb), and perfect fifth (G). It differs from its major counterpart in that its minor third is one tone and a half away from tonicity, unlike with major chords which feature minor thirds closer together in scale degree terms.
One variation of this chord is C harmonic minor, which resembles natural minor scale except with its seventh note raised half step higher. Although more complicated, this chord can create an ominous atmosphere.
Understanding how chords and keys relate is essential, since composers commonly modulate, or switch keys, in their music by shifting through minor and major scales using the Circle of Fifths.
E Minor
The E minor chord, commonly referred to as Em, is a simple and accessible ukulele chord. Comprised of E, G and B notes with its distinct melancholy sound it has been featured in many songs such as Simon & Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair and Tears for Fears’ timeless classic Mad World.
Minor chords are an invaluable way of creating various musical styles and adding depth and complexity to your music. By learning them, minor chords will help expand your palette of choices for creating rich, diverse compositions.
Due to their complexity, barre chords require you to bar one finger across multiple strings simultaneously – giving them an emotionally charged sound compared to major chords which tend to sound more positive and hopeful. Learning this chord early will enable you to play a wider variety of songs down the line.
G Minor
G Minor chords offer a dark and brooding atmosphere when used correctly in popular music, though they’re less commonly heard than their more familiar counterparts. When combined with an effective melody and song however, they can prove very powerful indeed.
Practice G minor chords by playing popular songs in this key and trying to deduce their melodies by ear. Also try improvising and creating melodies using its notes; this will allow you to become familiar with its tonality and eventually incorporate it into your own musical compositions.
To play this chord, place your index finger on the first fret of the A string; your middle finger on the second fret of E string; and ring finger on third fret of C string. ChordBank offers real-time feedback regarding finger placement for optimal practice of this chord.