Mobile users - Images may be displaced. Switch to desktop view.

The Basic Concept

How do pro uke players come up with all those cool chords?
It's not as tricky as you might think..

We will start with the F chord.














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 this work?

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 name chords, and they define how the chords 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.


Try the following;

Play any major chord- Happy sound :)
Play any minor chord- Sad sound :(


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 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. We have two notes which are exactly the same, in the same chord! I feel like I'm being short changed here. There are four strings, and I payed for four notes! We will add our fourth note a little later..

The Fifth

The fifth is what gives the chord its guts. Its power. You've heard of power chords on the guitar, right? 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. How do we get our forth note? This is where chords get interesting.

Click Here for an introduction to extended harmony, the next step in our chord theory lesson.

---

Any questions?

Message me on the form below!