Share Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!
on:
Bluesky
•
facebook
•
twitter (X)
Where is Today's Chord?
"Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!"
Congrats on making it through three months of A Chord A Day
. You should know a lot about plenty of chords at this time.
Hopefully, that is something you might have realized three months into the Chord a Day saga, that – After a core set of Basic Open Position Chords , a few Movable Form Chords , and Jazz
Chords — it's learning how chords are created and how to derive new chords from your core set of ever-expanding existing chords.
Next Steps … on to Your 4-part Jazz
Chords
A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele — presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of Ukulele chord voicings.
Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele using a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire. Core Chords are the basic set of chords needed to play a wide range of music, in a variety of styles. This set of chords includes basic open position chords, basic movable form chords and the core 4-part "jazz" chords. These "Jazz" chords are advanced chords that find their way into a wide range of music.
Series History
It never was the intention to do a whole year's worth of chords. Started in 2013, I'm surprised it went three months (January, February, and March). And, in 2020 videos for each chord for 91 videos were added. 2023 brought the addition of the common harmonic functions for each chord. The three months of the series covered the Basic Open Position Chords , Movable Form Chords , a few Free Form Chords , and a start of 4-part Jazz
Chords in March. Quite a series for reviewing your chords and learning a lot of new chords.
Although I did miss one really popular chord that should have be included. It's a basic 4-part chord that I was shocked I had missed. Here is a hint: '5500'. I did add it as The Forgotten Chord below.
It's time to get out and start using all these new chords and really learn how they are used and what you can do with them.
See You Next Year!!! • 2025
So what's next? Here are a series of lessons to get you going towards that ultimate goal of being to play any chord you ever need. Or, at least say that you can create any chord you ever need.
- Basic Open Position Chords - These are the core set of chords that the January covered. These are the basic chords that every ukulele player should know.
- Movable Chords - movable form of the open position chords
Jazz
Chords - these chords all start with the Big Six core chords.Free Form
Chords – this is where you know how chords are created, constructed and used and don't fit into one of the above categories. With a low G, C tuning, these chords are a kin to closed voicing chords, where all the notes are within one octave - just like most of the chords with a high G, C tuning.
The Forgotten Chord
Fmaj7 — The Forgotten Chord. Fmaj7 should have been in January or February somewhere. I actually play this chord a lot, and it's a big part of my and most players chord vocabulary.
This is a great voicing as a substitute for this Fmaj7 voicing below, which tends to be a bit dissonant when used out of a voice leading harmonic context.
Sign-IN — it's FREE — to view, un-blur any additional content for this lesson.
Related Lessons, Videos, Lesson Series, Songs, Books & Reference Charts, Resources & Assets, Workshops are below.
Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!.
Pick up any chord dictionary, and one thought that should go through your mind is - TOO MANY CHORDS There is now way to memorize all those shapes. It would be better off learning how they came up with all those shapes. Most chord dictionaries are also just like pages transposed to all possible keys.
Most players struggle with learning the names of the notes of the ukulele fingerboard. There doesn't seem to a pattern and notes repeat. There is an easy way and "it's easier that you think." Most players know the names of the open strings for their favorite tuning.
A series of weekly ukulele lessons originally presented throughout 2007 on movable ukulele chords as the "Ukulele Chord of The Week Series". Based on the Ukulele Chords book by Curt Sheller (me). It takes the open position chords and shows the movable form and the variations.
"TAB" or "Tablature", is an alternate form of musical notation, which tells players where to place their fingers on a particular instrument rather than which pitches to play. TAB is sort of a secret language between guitar players and ukulele players. Although a shortcut to getting started it actually serves to alienate one from the rest of the music world.
For music and learning an instrument like the ukulele or guitar, it's all about the making the connection between your Mind, your Hands, and your Ear. When listening to music, we enjoy it at the tempo the composer or artist intended, in real time. Only the ear is involved in listening. This is passive listening and you're simply enjoying the music. This is what we do every day and it's what draws us to want to learn a musical instrument.
The "Major Scale" or Ionian scale is a diatonic scale, made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first one octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti/Si, (Do), the Do in the parenthesis at the end being the octave of the root.
"Transposition" is the process of moving a note, chord, scale or any musical passage from one key to another key. All music can be transposed, from a single note to a complex musical score. This lesson deals with transposing chords on ukulele and transposing chords.
Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!.
Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!.
Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords, most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called "jazz" chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music. A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele - presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer.
The Blues are at the heart of all American music. It has influenced Country, Rock, Folk, Jazz, Bluegrass and just about every form of American music we listen to today. 26 blues progression in C and G tuning, progressing from basic to advanced jazz progression, with chord grids and substitutions explained.
Covering basic ukulele chords that ALL uke players MUST know, movable chord forms, rock uke chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and an introduction to 4-part jazz chords and more... FOR LEFTIES - Tunings: C, G, or D Tunings. Low or high string four variations.
Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard. Learning the notes of your instrument allows you the flexibility of not having to remember so many shapes. There are simply way too many chords, scale and notes patterns, and shapes to remember. It all comes down the notes.
Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.
Reference Charts
A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A), A4
Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.
Whoo!!!, Too Many Chord Shapes to Memorize!!!.
.jpg)