The Basic Concept
How do pro uke players come up with all those cool chords?
It's not as tricky as you might think..
Let us begin!
Take the 'F' Chord.
Frets 2, 0, 1, 0.
We know this chord. We like this chord. It is our friend.
The F, or 'F Major' chord has only three notes, even though you're actually playing four notes!
How does that work?
Well, even though you're playing four notes, you are actually only playing three 'Chord Tones'.
Chord tones are the building blocks of chords. They define what we call them, and they define how they sound.
Learn how to use them, and you will have full control of your uke.
These chord tones are:
The Root, the Third, and the Fifth.
The Root
This is the main note. It is the boss. The drill sergeant. Fear him.
The other notes take orders from this guy.
In the F Major chord, the root is fret one on the 'E' string. The note F.
We take the overall name for every chord from this chord tone.
The Third
This chord tone gives the chord either a happy, or a sad sound.
Play any major chord- Sparkling, happy! All right! Yeah!
Play any minor chord- Damn.. that's sad.. right?
The only difference between these two chord types is the Third.
The other chord tones are the exactly the same.
Major third - Major chord.
Minor Third - Minor chord.
To change a major third (try saying this in an Irish accent) into a minor third, move it down a fret.
Boom. You now have a minor chord.
Simples.
In the F Major chord, the Major third is the second fret on the G string. The note A.
It is also fret zero on the A string. Again, the note A.
..
Wait a second.. two notes .. exactly the same .. in the same chord?
I feel like I'm being short changed here. I payed for four notes!
Wheres my fouth note?! I want my money back!
More on that later..
The Fifth
The fifth is what gives the chord its guts. Its power.
You've heard of power chords on the guitar, right? We're talking heavy rock here.
Power chords only have two chord tones, the root and the fifth.
That's why the kick so much ass. Power chords don't care about thirds, they just want to ROCK!
In the F Major Chord, the fifth is fret zero, on the C string. The note C.
How do pro uke players come up with all those cool chords?
It's not as tricky as you might think..
Let us begin!
Take the 'F' Chord.
Frets 2, 0, 1, 0.
We know this chord. We like this chord. It is our friend.
The F, or 'F Major' chord has only three notes, even though you're actually playing four notes!
How does that work?
Well, even though you're playing four notes, you are actually only playing three 'Chord Tones'.
Chord tones are the building blocks of chords. They define what we call them, and they define how they sound.
Learn how to use them, and you will have full control of your uke.
These chord tones are:
The Root, the Third, and the Fifth.
The Root
This is the main note. It is the boss. The drill sergeant. Fear him.
The other notes take orders from this guy.
In the F Major chord, the root is fret one on the 'E' string. The note F.
We take the overall name for every chord from this chord tone.
The Third
This chord tone gives the chord either a happy, or a sad sound.
Play any major chord- Sparkling, happy! All right! Yeah!
Play any minor chord- Damn.. that's sad.. right?
The only difference between these two chord types is the Third.
The other chord tones are the exactly the same.
Major third - Major chord.
Minor Third - Minor chord.
To change a major third (try saying this in an Irish accent) into a minor third, move it down a fret.
Boom. You now have a minor chord.
Simples.
In the F Major chord, the Major third is the second fret on the G string. The note A.
It is also fret zero on the A string. Again, the note A.
..
Wait a second.. two notes .. exactly the same .. in the same chord?
I feel like I'm being short changed here. I payed for four notes!
Wheres my fouth note?! I want my money back!
More on that later..
The Fifth
The fifth is what gives the chord its guts. Its power.
You've heard of power chords on the guitar, right? We're talking heavy rock here.
Power chords only have two chord tones, the root and the fifth.
That's why the kick so much ass. Power chords don't care about thirds, they just want to ROCK!
In the F Major Chord, the fifth is fret zero, on the C string. The note C.
Remember - We payed for four notes.
I want my forth note! Now!
This is where chords get interesting.
Click this link for the next adventure in Ukulele Chord Theory!
I want my forth note! Now!
This is where chords get interesting.
Click this link for the next adventure in Ukulele Chord Theory!
Any questions?
Message me on the form below!
Message me on the form below!
