Your Hardest Chord

pdxuke

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The post about the G chord inspired this.

What, currently, is the most difficult chord for you to nail?

Mine is Dm7.:eek: And I do so want to get it so I can Tip Toe Through The Tulips ;)

Thom
 
For some reason, I sometimes have trouble getting a clean sound out of the D chord. My fingers are just too pudgy to cram three of them into that small a space and I often don't get all the strings pushed down enough in a hurry. Any chord that makes me use my pinky 4 frets above the others is also quite a challenge right now.

It has helped me some to get a more complete chord chart than most beginners start with - one that shows how to play the chords in all the barre chord positions up on the neck. There is probably one online, but I use the one in the back of a book I have. When I can't play a song as the tabs are written, I look to see if there is an easier barre chord that I can play, as the remextreme suggested.

Sometimes, I think a song sounds just as good without a certain hard to play chord, as well. Arrangers can get too fancy at times. You can also sometimes leave off a string at one side of the fretboard, and just not strum it. It won't help you get better, but it may get you through the song. It doesn't always work, because sometimes that note is really important to the sound.

It has also been said before here, but when you have trouble with a chord progression practicing at a very slow speed and making sure you are getting a clean sound from all the notes helps you to realize what you are doing wrong. Once you can play it well slowly, you can speed up.

I believe that the rest of it is the same as the answer to, "How to you get to Carnegie Hall?"
 
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This gets a little bit out of the beginner section, but I just learned a cool little trick the other day about barre (moveable) chords. Any chord you can finger with your non-index fingers, you can then barre all the way up the neck by putting your index finger down as you move up.

The really cool thing is that the chords move up a semi-tone each time. For example, you could finger an A7 chord with the first fret of the 3rd string and your middle finger. Then, you could barre behind it with your index finger all the way up to get the chords A7 A#7 B7 C7 C#7 D7 D#7 E7 ... etc. With that knowledge, you can pretty much walk your way all over the keyboard. (I guess you also need to know that there is no such thing as an E# or B#, so there is no corresponding chord with that name).

Its explained better here:

http://www.ezfolk.com/uke/Tutorials/1four5/music-theory/bar-chords/bar-chords.html
 
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Am7 (2433)
It's just weird. I'm aware of playing everything open btw!
 
The hardest chord change I know of right now, goes from 0 0 12 10, to 7979, to 4655
 
True Story

I believe that the rest of it is the same as the answer to, "How to you get to Carnegie Hall?"

I actually got asked that question when I was living in the City. Unfortunately, the guy wasn't carrying an instrument case, but still, I couldn't resist, and to his mystification, answered, "Practice." At least I was amused-- a once in a lifetime opportunity!:D
 
B-flat major

OK, I'll bite: Bb major! My hand is not big enough or my fingers aren't long enough to hold down the first 2 strings of the first fret with my index finger.
 
The dreaded E!!! :iwant:
 
Well, I'm not a beginner...but when I did start playing the Uke oh so long ago, the hardest chord for me to get down was Am7 (2433). I know there are simpler ways to play it, but I wanted to play it that way - different fingerings for chords always sound different to me. So yeah.
 
E is an annoying chord.

For me the hardest right now is from Seeso's Thug Mansion Tab, it's 3545 and slides up the fret board.. in a couple days i've gotten a lot better at it but the 3rd slide of it kill me because the frets get smaller.
 
For some reason, I sometimes have trouble getting a clean sound out of the D chord. My fingers are just too pudgy to cram three of them into that small a space and I often don't get all the strings pushed down enough in a hurry.


Being a complete beginner I don't know a whole heap of chords yet, but I have to agree that D is a nuisance for me. I too have pudgy sausages so really struggle to get them all in there. Not even sure its physically possible for me at the minute!
 
Being a complete beginner I don't know a whole heap of chords yet, but I have to agree that D is a nuisance for me. I too have pudgy sausages so really struggle to get them all in there. Not even sure its physically possible for me at the minute!

I just use my index or middle finger, mash all 3 strings at once

and Dm7 came after some sweating, i wanted to play "raindrops keep falling on my head" so i practiced it for a long time, Bm is kinda tricky
 
I just use my index or middle finger, mash all 3 strings at once

I guess everyone's different. I've tried that and I can't do it without muting the A string. But I don't find it very hard to fit 3 fingers at that fret -- on a soprano, yet.

(You can also barre the 2nd fret and use your little finger on the A string at the 5th fret, sounds different but can work.)
 
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