UPDATED
Oct 6, 2016
Playing by Ear - Chords
Recognize the sound of chords and chord progressions and be able to play these chords and chord progressions.
PUBLISHED: Jun 25, 2014 UPDATED: Oct 6, 2016 • VIEWS: 0 • LESSON CODE: UL06c •
Instruments: ukulele guitar music bass ANY drums Subjects: chords • scales • progressions • songwriting
Playing by Ear - Chords
Playing chords, chord progressions, and songs by ear is all about getting your ear to recognize the sound of chords and chord progressions and just like melodies, train the fingers and the hand to follow your inner ear and play these chords, chord progressions, and songs on demand.
This training involves the mind, hands and ear. Of the three the hands always need the most work as they can't hear or understand anything - only what they have been trained to do.
Learning to hear chord progressions and the chord changes. This is where to start and will get you off the page. Don't try and learn by ear. Learn from a position of knowledge and with an organized plan. "Playing by Ear" is for playing NOT learning.
Additional Content Available for Premium Site Access Plans Only
This content requires a Premium / Gold Access Plan and or enrolled in the Study with Curt - On-line or Private Lesson Program.
To view additional content for this page you'll need to either Sign In or Register for Premium Site Access or upgrade your current access level.
Login or SignUp to View Complete Page
"Playing by Ear" vs. "Learning by Ear"
Don't get "Playing by Ear" and "Learning by Ear" mixed up. It's hit and miss to try and learn by ear. You need to train your ear and brain to understand what is going on in order to play by ear. Understanding the principles of how music works will go a long way on your ability to play by ear.
Start with training your ear to identify (hear) and sing melodic intervals.
Related Lessons
Related Lessons for Playing by Ear - Chords at this time.
Types of `Ukulele Chords - Chords, Chords, Chords • Updated: Dec 31, 2019
Naturally, for ukulele, all chords need to be voiced using only the four strings available. You would think that this is limiting when in actuality it's quite liberating when you learn the makeup of chords. This lesson covers the types of chords possible on ukulele. Chord can be categorized into four categories: open position chords, movable form chords, 4-part - a.k.a. jazz chords and free from chords.
Related Books
Related Books for Playing by Ear - Chords at this time.
Related Lesson Series
Related Lessons Series for Playing by Ear - Chords at this time.
Core Ukulele Chords - The Big Six
Updated: Jan 1, 2003
Core Chords for Ukulele, The Big Six - From four F7 chord voicings or shapes, your can build your massive 4-part, a.k.a., “jazz” chord vocabulary. Beyond basic open position chords, basic movable form chords and a core set of 4-part chords. There are just too many chords shapes too memorize. Learning the principles of how chords are constructed and the ukulele fingerboard are the way to go. Then you can create more advanced chords like 9#11, 7#5-9, 13b5, 7+9 on the fly as needed.
Cool Chords
Updated: Jan 1, 2003
Cool Chords are those crazy chords you won't find in a chord dictionary, software, chord chart, etc... They're a product of understanding how chords are constructed and how to derive them from known chords. These are the chords other players will say: "What's that crazy chord you're playing?".
Site Access Plans for LearningUkulele.com
Forever Access - With Forever Premium Access you get Unlimited 24/7 access to ALL lessons, downloads, songs, play-along jam tracks, videos, email access to Curt, resources and related assets. As well as ALL books by Curt as FREE downloads. Pretty much everything on the site and NEVER worry about a subscription or surprise payment again. And jump the queue for my responding to any questions.
Basic Access - A limited selection of basic lessons — ( currently over 140 ) and 100+ songs for ukulele as well as basic general music reference material — Completely FREE — Simply Register/Signup. HOWEVER - I've been doing ukulele and LearningUkulele.com since 2003 and probably have given too much away already - as reflected in my income from the site in relationship to the time spent on the site. So help support this site and its continued development by signing up for one of the below Premium Access Plans or buy a few of my books. - Thanks, Curt
NOTE: Each higher access level includes ALL the benefits of the lower levels. Private Lessons include all the benefits of a Premium Access Plans as long as you remain a student on the schedule.
Just browsing over both books, they look fantastic! I'm a guitarist and uke player for over 25 years and was thinking about writing a ukulele book but you've already written what I think are the best, most comprehensive and thorough books I've ever seen for the instrument. I just might end up buying every book you've written and I'll be giving my highest recommendation for your books to my friends and students. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such great books! — Peter Rhee
Aloha, Curt, All I can say is WOW! What you have accomplished is simply incredible! All the best — Glen Hirabayashi, The Aloha Boys
Folks, if you haven't stopped by Curt's site, do so right now! ..And get his books, they are fantastic. This guy knows his stuff and is able to pass it along too. — Alan Johnson Proprietor, The 4th Peg
I can highly recommend Curt's Uke books — I have four of them and they are excellent. — fatveg — Portland
Thanks for visiting and checking out the site!
Original Curtie Animation from 1987 for my first web site on a Macintosh II.
33 years ago.
“Built for myself (Curt), and sharing with the `Ukulele community!”
LearningUkulele.com has one of the largest collections of lessons, songs, and TABS, luthiers, ukulele builders, ukulele festival and club information, and, ukulele links on the web. I’ve been on the ®Internet since the early 1990's and This site just never stops growing!!!
Content is added and updated almost daily - so check back often.