Remember Me
forgot your password?

Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Chord Progressions In C

Have you ever tried to play chords on an ukulele? Today I will show you how combine the most common chords to so called chord progressions that sound good.

The names of the chords we will play are dependent upon the tuning of the uke. In this ukulele lesson we will use the common tuning in C. This means that the first string of the ukukule is tuned to A. The first string of your uke is the bottom string when you play.

The second string is tuned to an E, the third string to C and the fourth string to G. All these notes can be found in the middle octave of a piano.

A chord progression consists of a series of chords played in a sequence. We will start with three common chords on ukulele. It will be the C-major chord, the F-major chord and the chord G7:

C: 04 03 02 31

F: 24 03 12 01

G7: 04 23 12 21

Every note to play in the chord is notated with two numbers. The first number tells you which fret to press down and the next number indicates the string. 31 for example means, press down the third fret on the first string. 04 means that you play the open fourth string, that is, without pressing down a fret.

The important skill when playing chords on an ukulele is to be able to change chords smoothly. To make it easier to change between chords i suggest the following:

1. Be careful how you finger the individual chords. For example, I suggest that you use your ring finger to press down the third fret of the chord C-major which will facilitate the movement from C to G7.

2. Take advantage of the fact that many chords share some notes. For example, when moving from F to G7 you can let your index finger remain on the first fret of the second string.

We will start to play an easy progression with the chords C and G7:

C / / / G7 / / / C / / / G7 / / /

To make it simple, strum once on every note name and then once using the same chord on every following slash.

When you move from the C chord to the G7 chord I suggest that you slide your left hand ring finger from the third to the second fret and then just add the index finger on the second string and middle finger on the third string. When you move back to the C chord again you just repeat this sequence the opposite way.

We will now add the F-major chord to make the following chord sequence:

C / / / G7 / / / F / / / G7 / / /

As you probably notice you you have the note 12 in common in the chords F and G7. That means that you can hold your index finger on this note as you change between the two chords making for a smoother chord change.

In the last chord sequence we will add the chord A-minor:

Am: 24 03 02 01

Here you have a very common chord progression:

C / Am / F / G7 / C / Am / F / G7 /

As you can see in this chord sequence you have one note in common in the A-minor chord and the F-major chord. I suggest that you keep your left hand middle finger down on the second fret on the fourth string as you move from Am to F.

As you learn the chords to a song on your ukulele it is very effective to practice the chord changes by concentrating on two chords at a time trying to move as effectively as possible between the chords.

Peter Edvinsson

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. He invites you to download your free ukulele tablature at http://www.capotastomusic.com

Rate this Article: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Music Articles
  • More from Peter Edvinsson

How-to: Produce music on the computer for beginners

By: John Paul Jones | 03/12/2009
Digital music production can be a rewarding venture if you have a passion for music. In this article I will discuss how you can start to produce music on your computer, even if you have no experience at all.

This Is It

By: Chuck White | 02/12/2009
The trailer for Michael Jackson This Is It — the documentary showing rehearsal footage for what would have been Michael Jackson’s latest return to the stage — was shows at the finale of the 2009 Video Music Awards.

Making Hip Hop Beats: Best Way to Start

By: John Paul Jones | 02/12/2009
The world of creating hip hop beats is exciting and can be enticing to get started in. I got started a few years ago and I've been making beats non-stop since then. Come on in and learn how to make hip hop beats.

Online24Radio's Looking for Musicians

By: Arthur L Burton III | 02/12/2009
In order to become famous people have to have heard of you. There are some that become famous because of a Miracle and then there's the rest of us.

Live Karaoke Recordings!

By: Tony Vasile | 02/12/2009
Do you love to sing and be heard? We have the answer!

A Per Bristow Method Review

By: Sam Parks | 02/12/2009
There are many instructional cd’s out there, and there are a thousand more reviews of those cd’s. If you are serious about growing as a singer, you’ve probably read at least one Per Bristow Method Review.

The Best Quick Methods on How to Play the Violin

By: Richard Rowley | 02/12/2009
Discover 2 of the best methods for learning the violin quickly and easily.

The Best Quick Methods on How to Play the Violin

By: Richard Rowley | 02/12/2009
Discover 2 of the best methods for learning the violin quickly and easily.

Piano Lesson: What To Practice On Your Piano

By: Peter Edvinsson | 14/07/2008 | Music
How can you decide what to practice among all available choices? Is it possible to find a balance between playing by ear, learning sheet music, finger dexterity and other aspects of piano playing? Let us take a closer look at the art of piano practicing!

Piano Tabs: Learn To Play White Christmas With Keyboard Tablature

By: Peter Edvinsson | 23/06/2008 | Music
This piano lesson will help you read piano tab notation or keyboard tablature. You will find that this type of notation is easy to understand even if you cannot read music sheets. As an example we will use the Christmas song White Christmas.

Guitar Lesson: Learn To Play White Christmas With Guitar Tabs

By: Peter Edvinsson | 17/06/2008 | Music
In this guitar lesson you will learn to read a special type of guitar tablature. We will use the song White Christmas as an example. You will learn to play the melody and the chords on your guitar.

Piano Tabs: Learn To Play Fur Elise

By: Peter Edvinsson | 07/06/2008 | Music
In this piano lesson you will learn to read easy keyboard tablature. Piano tab notation is easy to read even if you do not know how to read sheet music. You will also learn to play an easy piano version of Fur Elise.

Piano Tabs: Learn To Play Happy Birthday To You

By: Peter Edvinsson | 05/06/2008 | Music
Piano tab notation will help you learn melodies without knowing sheet music. In this piano lesson you will learn to read easy piano tabs. You will also learn to play Happy Birthday To You!

Piano Tabs: Learn To Play Yesterday

By: Peter Edvinsson | 02/06/2008 | Music
In this piano lesson you will learn to read easy piano tab notation. You will also learn to play an easy piano melody with the help of tabs. We will use the popular song Yesterday as an example.

Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Chord Changes

By: Peter Edvinsson | 26/05/2008 | Music
Ukulele is a great instrument to use when you play chords to songs. Your chord playing on your ukulele can be more effective if you apply a few guitar playing principles. In this ukulele lesson you will find out how you can change between chords better and easier!

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.12, 1, w2)