Matimeo
Well-known member
I've been slowly, carefully working through the Ukulele Fretboard Roadmap by Sokolow & Beloff.
I talked it over with my brother who is an experienced guitar & banjo player. He told me
that it is very similar to the C-A-G-E-D chord system for the guitar. He explained the basics
to me and I worked this out for the ukulele. It really cleared up some of the confusion I was
having with the book. I barely know what I'm doing, but this makes sense to me..I am most
certainly making some blunders here, but I thought I'd throw it out for consideration.
This is the C-A-G-E system for ukulele.
The letters refer to the open strings (GCEA) in the order that notes follow down the fretboard.
Each string has a rule for finding the next root note of the same type. This rule is the same for
every note on the string. (4 strings = 4 rules)
Each string also has moveable chord shapes for the root notes on that string.
I'm memorizing the major, minor and 7th shapes for each string. Although I understand that
technically the minor and the 7th can be derived from the major chord. (4 strings = 12 shapes ... ok, 10 shapes 2 are used twice)
The chord shapes are based on common open chord shapes. To make them moveable all strings must be played.
This makes the chords harder but more versitile (Yes..that Em shape has to be played with all 4 strings!)
C->A->G->E->C...etc. The CAGE pattern keeps repeating and can be started at any point.
Try it! start on any note: Ex. C# (1st fret, 3rd(C) string) follow the cage root rules from string to string..
you are moving from C# to C# to C#...some are the same..some are an octave higher but all C#'s
Those are major chords for all the A's on the fretboard. There are many other ways to
compose the chords but this gives a logical pattern progression to find them quickly.
The minor/7th and other chords can all be found the same way. Pick a root and follow
C->A->G->E!
12 shapes and 4 rules = 16 things to learn. 3 shapes * 4 strings * 12 frets = 144 chords....not all usable...not all usefull... but still...wow
(okay..okay..24 chords on the G-string are the same as chords on the C-string...so..um...120 different chords..)
Yikes! that's kinda confusing...it seems so much simpler....in my head (lol) I've got the entire concept summarized in a little quarter page note in
my roadmap book. Play around with it..see what you think.
I'm done for now!
Mahalo!
Matimeo
<Big Mahalo to whetu for the formatting help!>
I talked it over with my brother who is an experienced guitar & banjo player. He told me
that it is very similar to the C-A-G-E-D chord system for the guitar. He explained the basics
to me and I worked this out for the ukulele. It really cleared up some of the confusion I was
having with the book. I barely know what I'm doing, but this makes sense to me..I am most
certainly making some blunders here, but I thought I'd throw it out for consideration.
This is the C-A-G-E system for ukulele.
The letters refer to the open strings (GCEA) in the order that notes follow down the fretboard.
Each string has a rule for finding the next root note of the same type. This rule is the same for
every note on the string. (4 strings = 4 rules)
Each string also has moveable chord shapes for the root notes on that string.
I'm memorizing the major, minor and 7th shapes for each string. Although I understand that
technically the minor and the 7th can be derived from the major chord. (4 strings = 12 shapes ... ok, 10 shapes 2 are used twice)
The chord shapes are based on common open chord shapes. To make them moveable all strings must be played.
This makes the chords harder but more versitile (Yes..that Em shape has to be played with all 4 strings!)
C->A->G->E->C...etc. The CAGE pattern keeps repeating and can be started at any point.
Try it! start on any note: Ex. C# (1st fret, 3rd(C) string) follow the cage root rules from string to string..
you are moving from C# to C# to C#...some are the same..some are an octave higher but all C#'s
Code:
C string
---------
Root Rule: Next root on A string 3 frets down
====
|R||
----
||||
----
||||
----
|||R
----
||||
----
Moveable Chord Shapes:
These are chord shapes for any C-string note. The examples here are E chords (E,Em,E7)
major minor 7th
==== ==== ====
|||| |||| ||||
---- ---- ----
|||O |||O ||||
---- ---- ----
|||| ||O| ||||
---- ---- ----
ORO| OR|| ORO|
---- ---- ----
|||| |||| |||O
---- ---- ----
A string
---------
Root Rule: Next root on G string 2 frets down
====
|||R
----
||||
----
R|||
----
||||
----
||||
----
Moveable Chord Shapes:
These are chord shapes for any A-string note. The examples here are Bb chords (Bb,Bbm,Bb7)
major minor 7th
==== ==== ====
||OO |OOO ||||
---- ---- ----
|O|| |||| ||||
---- ---- ----
R||| R||| R|||
---- ---- ----
|||| |||| ||O|
---- ---- ----
|||| |||| |O|O
---- ---- ----
G string
---------
Root Rule: Next root on E string 3 frets down
====
R|||
----
||||
----
||||
----
||R|
----
||||
----
Moveable Chord Shapes:
These are chord shapes for any G-string note. The example chords here are C chords (C,Cm,C7).
major minor 7th
==== ==== ====
|||| |||| ||||
---- ---- ----
|||| |||| ||||
---- ---- ----
||OR |OOR O|OR
---- ---- ----
|O|| |||| |O||
---- ---- ----
O||| O||| ||||
---- ---- ----
E string
---------
Root Rule: Next root on C string 4 frets down
====
||R|
----
||||
----
||||
----
||||
----
|R||
----
Moveable Chord Shapes:
These are chord shapes for any E-string note. The example chords here are G chords (G,Gm,G7).
major minor 7th
==== ==== ====
|||| |||O ||||
---- ---- ----
|O|O |O|| ||||
---- ---- ----
||R| O|R| ||R|
---- ---- ----
O||| |||| O|||
---- ---- ----
|||| |||| |O|O
---- ---- ----
Example
--------
You can start on any note..follow the root rules and patterns to form chords on all
positions for a note...the following example starts with the A on the second fret.
A major
====
|O|| This note is A but the pattern works whether you know which note it is or not.
---- Its the G-string major shape..the top two notes are the
R||| open strings. Hey! It's the Open A!
----
||||
----
|O|O
----
||R| It's the Next A note....G (string) ---3 frets-->E (string)
---- The A major chord here is formed with the E string pattern
O|||
----
|||O <-- This is part of the C-string chord below
----
||||
----
ORO| And the next A .. E ---4 frets--> C
---- The A major chord here is formed with the C string pattern.
||||
----
||||
----
||OR Another A .. C ---3 frets-->A
---- The A major chord here is formed with the A string pattern
|O||
----
R||| The next A .. A --2 frets-->G
---- The A major chord here is formed G string pattern.
|||| (Yes it is the same as the last chord formed 'backwards' so to speak)
----
||||
----
||R| The next A here... G --> 3 frets -->E..
---- out of room to properly form the chordThose are major chords for all the A's on the fretboard. There are many other ways to
compose the chords but this gives a logical pattern progression to find them quickly.
The minor/7th and other chords can all be found the same way. Pick a root and follow
C->A->G->E!
12 shapes and 4 rules = 16 things to learn. 3 shapes * 4 strings * 12 frets = 144 chords....not all usable...not all usefull... but still...wow
(okay..okay..24 chords on the G-string are the same as chords on the C-string...so..um...120 different chords..)
Yikes! that's kinda confusing...it seems so much simpler....in my head (lol) I've got the entire concept summarized in a little quarter page note in
my roadmap book. Play around with it..see what you think.
I'm done for now!
Mahalo!
Matimeo
<Big Mahalo to whetu for the formatting help!>
Last edited:
