C over B? C over A? Cadd2? (sounds like math.)

cashew

Well-known member
Joined
May 10, 2008
Messages
15,736
Reaction score
11
Location
Staten Island, NY
And, I was never good at math....

I rooted up a tab of Jonathan Coulton's 'First of May' (smashing goodness), and Most of the chords sound uke doable. There are markings for 'C/B' and 'C/A' (to which I just play a C for c/b and A for c/a, as it seems to work.. kinda). I know that these are guitar chords, but is there any comprable ukulele chord, or do I have to change the key the song is in?

Same question with the Cadd2 chord. I've just been playing either a C or c7 depending on what I feel sounds better at the moment.

If you wanna check out the chords for the song, I found them here:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/First%20of%20May#
but, the lyrics are very nsfw.
Thanks so much!:rock:
 
You can play it the way you play it but it will sound a little more sophisticated if you play the bass notes. C/B means the B is in the bass. If you have a low G ukeplay the 4th fret on the G & C string and 3rd fret on the E & A string. These are called slash chords. Check out jazzukes.com Mark has a great lesson on chords.
 
On a high G uke, I would play:

C: 0003
C/B: 0002
C/A: 0000
Cadd2: 0005

On a low G uke I would play:

C: 5433
C/B: 4433
C/A: 2433
Cadd2: 5435
 
On a high G uke, I would play:

C: 0003
C/B: 0002
C/A: 0000
Cadd2: 0005

On a low G uke I would play:

C: 5433
C/B: 4433
C/A: 2433
Cadd2: 5435

So in the case of the C/B chord, it's just a C chord while playing the B note (which is the second fret) right? and add2 would be "adding 2 notes" above the root note?
 
So in the case of the C/B chord, it's just a C chord while playing the B note (which is the second fret) right? and add2 would be "adding 2 notes" above the root note?

TokyoUketarist explained "slash" chords correctly. C/B is a C chord with a B as it's lowest note.

If you're on a high G uke, a C is the lowest note you can play, so this chord isn't possible. In my above solution for a high G uke, I just put the B on top instead of on the bottom. It's not a strict C/B, but it'll sound okay.

An "add2" chord means you add the 2nd note to the chord, not "adding 2 notes" above the root as you say.

So in a C scale, we have:
Code:
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

To make a C chord, we'll take notes 1, 3, and 5. In C, those notes are C, E, and G. If we have a Cadd2, we'll add note 2 in there. In C, that note is a D.

Can you tell me what notes are in Fadd2?
 
Well, to be nitpicky... An add9 implies a different voicing than an add2.

An add2, also known as a sus2, implies that you put a 2 in between the 1 and 3. So a Cadd2 or Csus2 implies: C, D, E, G.

An add9 implies that you put a 9 on top of the 5. A Cadd9 implies: C, E, G, D.
 
Seeso is absolutely correct, but those sort of nuances are mo bettah on a piano where you have all those notes to doodle around with.

When you're limited to four notes all sorts of faking and other jiggery-pokery is required. :rolleyes:

That is one of the things I love best about the uke though. It's stripped down to the very essentials and from there you're only limited by how much woodshed time you're willing to put in.
 
Thanks everyone!
I really appreciate the explanation of everything rather than just 'Put your fingers here' as now, i'll understand it when I see a variant instance :)

--Cashew
 
:confused: wow, this would be really confusing if it werent for you guys :p thats one small step towards understanding music theory hehe
 
:confused: wow, this would be really confusing if it werent for you guys :p thats one small step towards understanding music theory hehe

heh- I agree-- in three days, I understand more of the theory then all of what I was taught when I took music classes in high school.(2 years worth.)

:)
 
This is a really interesting discussion even for someone that is music-theory-averse!
I wonder if someone can help me expand on it though?

I still can’t work out the best way to play a Cadd2/B chord on a high G uke. I’ve popped a post in the JJ Breakdown lesson thread because in the ‘uke for guitar’ tab of this song, the Cadd2/B chord appears, but maybe this is the most appropriate place for it.

Basically on a 6 string guitar, the Cadd2/B chord consists of the notes BDGCE
Obviously the ideal is to drop the root note of the C to B, but bummer on a high G uke this can’t be done. So when I try to come up with a combo to make up 4 of those 5 notes, it sounds funky!

If anyone has any pointers that would be great, thanks heaps!
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom