Nearly all ukulele players begin by learning a core set of basic chords. You will use these chords throughout your musical repertoire.
Chord charts (or frames) display a grid with vertical lines representing your instrument’s strings, fret numbers and dots to indicate finger placement.
C Major Chord
Starting off, this chord can be extremely helpful as a foundational building block for future progressions. Additionally, this chord has served as the inspiration behind several classic pop songs like Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools or Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Run Through the Jungle.
A C major chord is a triad, consisting of three notes stacked symmetrically together and separated by thirds. C serves as the root note; E is major third; while G serves as perfect fifth.
Note that you can add additional notes to a triad, giving it different flavors. When these notes lie outside of its core triad tones, they’re known as extensions; an example would be adding an added 6th note into a Cadd6 chord in order to add dissonant and intense overtones; these additions give songs their distinctive sound!
E Minor Chord
E minor chords are a popular choice when writing songs, often creating melancholic and introspective vibes while at other times powerfully uplifted ones such as in “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica or Bon Jovi’s classic anthem “Living on a Prayer”.
To play an A minor chord at fret 4, begin by barring across it with your first finger – this allows the pointer finger to freely roam across the fretboard so as to adjust voicing of chord according to song you are performing.
If you’re having difficulty with this chord, try practicing switching between its various voicings by counting at a steady but gradual pace until it comes smoothly without buzzing or buzzing noises. Once this step has become second nature to you, speed up until switching chords quickly and without fuss is easy and buzz-free. If your fingers still buzz when switching chords quickly or easily – make sure your fingertips are positioned correctly on the strings without over-pressuring!
G Major Chord
G major is often one of the first chords newcomers learn on any string instrument, as its structure makes it accessible and serves as an ideal foundation to begin songwriting with.
Add notes to a G major triad and create new chords using them – these variations are called flavors – which can dramatically change its sound.
G Major chords can be transformed into G 7ths, G augments and G diminuendos for added interest and texture in songs.
G Major serves as the root note of numerous chords, such as C major, D minor and E minor. By practicing switching between these different shapes regularly you can improve muscle memory for them as well as speed when playing chords.
A Minor Chord
The A minor chord can be used to create different emotions in songs. It can create soothing folk tunes like Cream’s “White Room,” while simultaneously increasing tension with songs like Damien Rice’s “9 Crimes” or the Lumineers’s “Ho Hey”.
Musicians utilize this chord to produce various chord progressions by adding more notes to its triad, known as flavoring or expanding it. This technique is known as adding extensions.
As part of these progressions, a descending sequence of i-bVII-bVI can often follow, to lead back to the original triad and restore harmony. You might hear this pattern in verses from songs by John Legend (e.g. “All Of Me”) or Dwight Yoakam’s “Stray Cat Strut”. Overall, A minor chords are one of the most versatile and commonly-used chords for musicians to learn – they can be found across genres and situations easily accessible on guitar or piano.