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Core Chords - The Big Six - Building a Solid Chord Foundation
An introduction to the series of lessons for building your core, essential 4-part chords.
by Curt Sheller, Curt Sheller Publications
Core Chords is a series of lessons for building your core, essential 4-part chords. These chords commonly called jazz chords, are really just 4-part chords used in a wide range of musical styles.
The Big Six chords include: Seventh 7, Major Seventh maj7, Minor Seventh m7, Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five diminished 7 m7b5, Diminished Seventh o7 and Augmented Seventh +7. These six chords form a core set of chords.
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Core Chords is a series of UkuleleLessons for building your core 4-part, aka “jazz” chords. These chords commonly called “jazz” chords, are really just 4-part chords that are used in a wide range of musical styles.
These lessons present 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.
Building Your Core Chord Foundation
Sometimes called a “dominant 7th” chord, the 7th chord provides a great foundation for building your core chords.
From the following four 7th chords you can build a set of chords which include: Seventh (7), Major Seventh (maj7), Minor Seventh (m7), Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five ø7 (m7b5), Diminished Seventh (°7) and Augmented Seventh (+7). These six chords form a core set of chords.
Beyond basic open position chords,
basic movable form chords,
core set of 4-part contemporary 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.
Seventh chords are the chords that have the most possible variations. 9th, 11th, 13th, b5, #5, b9, #9. And, combinations of the same.
From four F7 chord voicings or shapes, your can build your massive 4-part, a.k.a., “jazz” chord vocabulary.
click on any one of the individual F7 chords above to start the lesson
for that particular voicing or shape.
Why This F7?
Why this F7? Why not a C7, E7, G7 - the other open position seventh chords that these chords are based on?
This F7 is based on the E7 and the only one of the E7, C7, A7 and G7 that their first position, first fret (1) transposable versions are a natural letter chord name.
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Related Lesson Files, Resources and Assets
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Movable 7th Chords for Ukulele Chord Chart - C Tuning
A handy dandy single sheet chart showing the each voicing of the four, seventh chords Big Six seventh chord voicings.
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Related Books
Additional Lessons, Books, Songs, Lessons Series, Reference Material, etc...
A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I
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. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of Ukulele chord voicings.
Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele
Exploring jazz chords 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.
This books focuses on the 4-part core "jazz" chords. These jazz'€ chords are advanced chords that find their way into a wide range of music.
A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z
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.
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Jazz Standard Chord Progressions
These are the chord progressions, extracted from my book Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele for use with on-line and private students.
- All of Me
- All of Me, variation
- Autumn Leaves
- All the Things You Are
- Days of Wine and Roses
- There Will Never be Another You
- Back Home In Indiana
- Someday My Prince Will Come
- Have You Met Miss Jones
- Summer Samba
- Sweet Georgia Brown
- Sweet Georgia Brown, variation
- Yesterday
- It’s Only a Paper Moon
- Satin Doll
- Satin Doll, variation
- Take the ‘A’ Train
The Big Six Core Chords - Level Four
The Big Six Core Chords - Level Four series of chords that build on the Bix Six Core Chords and form the foundation for ALL your jazz chords include: Alternations and Extensions to the level I, II and II chords.
The Big Six Core Chords - Level One
The Big Six Core Chords - Level One include: Seventh 7, Major Seventh maj7, Minor Seventh m7, Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five diminished 7 (m7b5), Diminished Seventh °7 and Augmented Seventh +7. These six chords form a core set of chords.
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
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