Most commonly used chords

So when I took guitar lessons my teacher gave me a sheet of 35 chords and he told me that these were the most commonly used and that I should concentrate on memorizing them first.

So... I took that sheet out, and converted it over into a ukulele version of the 35 most used chords.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2897452/most-commonly-used-chords-V1

or

http://www.scribd.com/word/full/2897452?access_key=key-wb7rylzoz97qi8kpvtk

Right click to print (select "print ipaper")

Not sure if these are actually the most commonly used ukulele chords- but I'm guessing they are at least close.

Besides memorizing one page of chords looks much less daunting than memorizing a whole book full!

The most common (easiest) keys on the uke are C, F, G...these are the three keys that allow you to use the most open strings. So with that, the Bb chord should probably be included in the list of the most commonly used uke chords...which isn't a big deal, B is listed and Bb is just moving the whole thing one fret towards the head stock.

One thing I found really useful was memorizing chord forms instead of chords. That allows you find just about any chord pretty easily. This was a big help: http://www.ezfolk.com/uke/Tutorials/1four5/music-theory/ukulele-chord-forms/ukulele-chord-forms.html

The main thing to look at is the "R" underneath each chord form diagram, that represents the root note. So for example, if you take the first Major chord form and hold that at the first fret, then the "R" is on the Bb note, and that makes the chord a Bb chord...move the whole thing down the the 3rd fret and the root note is now a C, making that a C chord

I ended printing that out on a half sheet of paper and I used to keep it in my gig bag for reference. It was a big help for me, but YMMV :/

Wow, that's a nice and compact piece of reference. I have the "Fretboard Roadmap" book here that needs some thorough studying, but a little experimenting with those chord forms might help to get started more smoothly.

This reminds me that going through those ezfolk tutorials was my first plan after buying my ukulele... should get to that *cough* one of these days.

Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for posting this Valerie, I like that it's all on one sheet, down and dirty.

Keoni, I am so glad you referenced that chord form chart! I was in the process of making my own, so you saved me a buncha time! I think remember seeing this chart on ezfolk a couple years ago, but at the time, I couldn't wrap my head around it.

For anybody reading this thread just to grab a chart and run, pump your brakes for a moment and read on!! I used to think that I didn't want to learn all that crap, I wanted to keep it simple. I just wanted to know enough chords to play a dozen songs or so. Well, it took me a couple years (I'm slow, okay, sue me) to discover that it was actually MORE work and MORE complicated to AVOID this information, than if I had learned it out of the gate.

Once I first learned a little about how chords worked, it was like removing handcuffs that I didn't even realize I was wearing. Often times I cannot get my fingers to form the needed chord quick enough (or at all) to play a song I was trying to learn. I would become stuck/frustrated and felt unable to learn the song, but now I can adjust the way I form the chord (or the progression, or just transpose the key) to suit me and I'm happily strummin' down the road.

So if you're a new to uke and/or music, take a deep breath, and do a little learning on chord construction. You can find a pretty good reference by clicking HERE. This is a document that has been floating around for quite some time and covers the subject very well. It will seem like alot at first, but most of what you'll need is covered in the first half of the document anyways, and even if you don't absorb it right away, print it out and refer back to it as you're able to apply it in pieces.

Above all, have fun!

6th is same as m7 (in a different key)

Keonikapila said:

One thing I found really useful was memorizing chord forms instead of chords. That allows you find just about any chord pretty easily. This was a big help: http://www.ezfolk.com/uke/Tutorials/1four5/music-theory/ukulele-chord-forms/ukulele-chord-forms.html

The main thing to look at is the "R" underneath each chord form diagram, that represents the root note. So for example, if you take the first Major chord form and hold that at the first fret, then the "R" is on the Bb note, and that makes the chord a Bb chord...move the whole thing down the the 3rd fret and the root note is now a C, making that a C chord

I ended printing that out on a half sheet of paper and I used to keep it in my gig bag for reference. It was a big help for me, but YMMV :/

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this. I was just looking at it and was going to post the link, too.

I thought it was interesting that a 6th chord is exactly the same as a minor 7th but in a different key. For example, all open strings is either Am7 or C6.

Also, some of the 9th positions are the same as some minor 6ths positions. Some of the 9ths positions look hard to memorize though since they don't contain the root.

I think this is a really cool way of memorizing chords and have been looking for something like this for the past few months.

jjsdad said:

I thought it was interesting that a 6th chord is exactly the same as a minor 7th but in a different key. For example, all open strings is either Am7 or C6.

Click to expand...

Here's a small chunk of theory.

The C scale is C D E F G A B.
The A scale is A B C# D E F# G#

To build a major chord you take the root, go up four half-steps and then three half steps. A minor chord just switches that: root, up three half-steps then four half-steps.

A C6 is a C major with the 6th note in the scale tacked on. So you start with the root (C), go up four half-steps (E) and then three more (G). Now you tack on the sixth which you'll see above is A.

So a C6 is CEGA.

An Am7 is an Am with the flatted 7th tacked on (if it uses the unflatted 7th it's called a Major 7th). So it's root (A), up three half-steps (C), up four more half-steps (E). Now you'll see the 7th in the key of A is a G#. Flat that for G.

So an Am7 is ACEG.

Sorry if all that is TMI, but you can see how both of them are just the open strings rearranged in order.

In some other cases where one fingering can be called multiple things it's because, having only four notes to work with, a lot of the "algebra chords" -- which often have lots more than four notes in them, have to have some notes dropped and just suggest the sound of the full chord.

How to build scales and chords (basic ones, anyhow) is covered in my free "Cheater Theory" pdf. (Scroll down, it's right under the first banner.)

Howlin Hobbit said:

An Am7 is an Am with the flatted 7th tacked on (if it uses the unflatted 7th it's called a Dominant 7th).

Click to expand...

Whoops! I believe you mean major 7th, not dominant 7th. A dominant 7th has a flatted 7th, a major 7th does not.

seeso said:

Whoops! I believe you mean major 7th, not dominant 7th. A dominant 7th has a flatted 7th, a major 7th does not.

Click to expand...

Ack!

Toothache + Codeine + typing long, involved posts = messes just like that.

I fixed it, thanks!

Hey guys.
Just want to say thanks for all the information in the post.
i've just started playing the ukulele and feel I should learn the theory behind it all as I don't have any musical background.

Cheers again!

Mabs