Minor chords add an intimate, often dark or sad note, and often provide songs adapted for the ukulele with their distinct sound.
Chord charts are essential when learning the ukulele as a beginner. They show where your fingers should go on the fretboard and which strings need strumming.
Cm
C, E flat (Eb), and G is a minor chord that adds a dark mood to your songs. To play it, use your index finger on string 1, fret 2 before using middle and ring fingers to form what looks like a small staircase shape with your middle and ring fingers.
Ukulele chords boast an upbeat, happy sound that makes them ideal for beginner musicians. But mastering various types of chords will take your ukulele playing to another level.
One way to start is by learning the chords used in your favorite songs on ukulele. Join Fender Play’s free trial and unlock an array of easy-to-play songs and skills you can strum along to, perhaps even singing along! Radiohead’s Creep includes an ominous Cm chord; this same chord was used by Billie Eilish in one of her hit singles like “&burn.”
Gm
Gm chord’s melancholic tone adds depth and emotion to ukulele songs, making it ideal for different musical genres – from folk songs to emotive ballads. To successfully use this chord, one should practice transitioning smoothly between chords as well as using correct finger placement and strumming technique for optimal tone production.
Beginners often begin with open position Gm chords as it only requires simple finger placements. As your experience develops, barre chords become increasingly more challenging to master but are worth persevering with as they’ll open up more fretboard space for you to explore.
Beginners often struggle with barre chords because their fretting hand tends to tighten up too quickly when fretting the chord. To prevent this from happening, it is important to keep fingers relaxed during each chord playing session and use a metronome for better timing and rhythmic control.
Am
No matter your style of ukulele playing – be it folk tunes, pop songs or classical pieces – A minor chords provide an invaluable resource to any musician. Their haunting quality make them the ideal way to convey an array of feelings ranging from sadness to reflection.
The A minor chord can be played using either your middle, ring, or pinky fingers. When playing this chord, make sure to slide your fingers forward one fret before pressing them back down; this will help reduce finger fatigue.
Switch between A minor and F major chords as another way of practicing A minor. Strum each chord for four beats and listen for how the progression sounds. To ease this transition, try swiveling your wrist; this will move your index finger from its position on E string’s first fret to somewhere closer to headstock for easier transition and also provide you with better chord shape understanding.
Dm
D minor, more commonly referred to as Dm, is an emotive chord that brings depth to any piece. As with the other chords we’ve covered so far in this series, there are multiple ways of playing Dm on ukulele – our chord charts provide clear step-by-step instructions so that you can learn different versions with ease!
Dm (D F A) shares two notes with the F major chord you learned in Lesson 1, making switching between these two chords easy to develop muscle memory. Dm is also great to use when writing songs like Peggy Lee’s sultry 1960 hit “Fever.”
Learning each of these essential ukulele chords and their various ways to be played can be intimidating, so making use of your newfound knowledge in actual songs helps cement it in your memory. Check out Grace VanderWaal’s song featuring Dm and its neighbors D and D7 for inspiration.