UPDATED
Jan 11, 2020
Chord Shapes and Learning `Ukulele Chords
Even memorizing a few hundred is time-consuming and not practical.
PUBLISHED: Jan 2, 2005 • UPDATED: Jan 11, 2020 • LESSON CODE: UL40 • VISITS: 75
ukulele Subjects: beginner • intermediate • chords • basics
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Chord Shapes and Learning `Ukulele Chords
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.
There is no way one can memorize ALL the possible chord shapes. Even learning a few hundred is time-consuming and not practical. Beyond the basic open position chords and basic movable form chords (major, minor and sevenths) – one needs to learn how to constructed chords when needed.
A chord shape is an only a function of a particular instrument and tuning. Knowing where chords come from as well as the notes of the ukulele fingerboard and you can build any chord you will ever need by moving or displacing a note or notes from a core set of basic chords. It's the notes NOT the shape.
What the Pros Do
Pro players build their chords on the fly when needed for the chords they do not use all the time. They can create ANY required chord from their core set of chords. If it's a one they need a lot it just gets memorized without much additional effort. It becomes part of an arrangement or voice leading situation.
A C chord is C E G, a D7 chord is D F# A C - it's not this shape or that shape. The actual notes of a chord are the smallest bit of information that is needed to memorize a chord. that and really knowing the Notes of the Ukulele Fingerboard .
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