You’ve seen the little diagrams made of four vertical lines and some horizontal ones, but do you know what they are? These diagrams are known as chord charts and will let you know how to play certain chords. As a beginning ukulele player, it can be overwhelming at first when you realize how many chords there are to learn! A ukulele chord chart is an essential tool for beginner ukulele players and I will outline where you can find these chord charts below. First, let’s take a more in-depth look into what they are.
Ukulele Chord Chart for Learning
Chord charts are extremely helpful for learning new chords. You have likely seen these on printed songs or in videos or song tutorials. Consisting of four vertical lines representing the four strings on the ukulele and four horizontal lines representing the first four frets, chord charts are a visual way to understand how to form different chords. By visualizing it in this way, as a ukulele, you are more likely to make a connection in how to form these chords a little better.
You can watch Terry Carter show you the four most important ukulele chords you should know in this video:
To use a chord chart, simply put your fingers on the frets where you see the dots. It will take some practice to not only form and learn the chord shape, but also switch to the chord from other chords. My advice is to just take it one step at a time and have patience with yourself. You’ll get it! Sometimes you will also see numbers that represent which finger you are supposed to put in that particular spot. The numbers you may see on the side of the chord chart represent which fret you are at.
Read more: Is Ukulele Better Than Guitar?
Free Ukulele Chord Chart
When you visit UkeLikeThePros.com you will see a chord chart that you can download for free! You can use this guide as long as you need to. You will see major chord shapes on the top, including A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Then you will see minor chords Am, Bm, Cm, Dm, Em, Fm, and Gm. You will also see Dominant 7th chords and Major 7th chords. These are the most common chords you will come across as a beginner ukulele player and knowing these will get you far! You can even get a baritone chord chart on the site!
Free Ukulele Fundamentals Course!
Why stop with just a chord chart? Uke Like the Pros offers a free Ukulele Fundamentals Course, too. This will give you a great start with the instrument and your journey with it. The six-lesson mini-course will show you the most important strum patterns that are used in hundreds of songs. You will learn how to play “in time” and keep a good rhythm. This is a must-have course if you’re just starting out and it will give you a good feel for Terry Carter’s teaching style. Be sure to check out the other courses while you’re there, too. There is something for any level of player!
Chord Charts at the Terry Carter Music Store
The Terry Carter Music Store also has chord charts available. Check out this Ukulele Chords Poster with over 180 chores on it! You can put this up in your playing space and always have a really cool reference. You will also get a chord chart with any ukulele purchase at the Terry Carter Music Store.
Conclusion
Using chord charts and diagrams is extremely helpful. Although you will want to memorize most chords, having a chord chart handy is ideal until you have them memorized. If you like what you see here at Uke Like the Pros, consider one of our membership levels. You can choose from Standard, Premium, and Platinum in both yearly and monthly options to suit your needs. You can have access to the forum as well as courses and Q and A sessions. You will become part of a great ukulele family! Check out the memberships page here. I wish you well on your ukulele journey!
1 comment
How about subbing in the Bb for the B? Without the Bb players will have a challenging time playing the very normal ‘uke key of F. The B(7) is a great chord for playing the key of E, but this not a typical key for new players.