Can't reach the strings!..use inversions instead?

I have very small hands/fingers and find it extremely difficult to reach
some of the chords. I"m a new to the ukulele and have much to learn.
So, would using "inversions" make musical sense when you can't reach that difficult chord?

Of all the uke sizes, I decided on the baritone uke because I prefer the "deeper" tones. Therefore, the neck of the baritone is a bit "wider" than that of, say, the "tenor" uke.

And, since I'm so new to the uke, I haven't even tried using any inversions to see if it works well.

Practice will make the chords easier to reach.

Welcome to UU notalent31!
With practice you will improve your reach, so don't give up on the regular fingering yet.
You might consider trying a smaller scale uke, with a low G tuning. The fingerboard gets a little shorter with each size down, so I think you might notice the difference going to a tenor or concert size. If you can get started on a smaller scale, you might be able to move back to the larger baritone later. Another option would be using slack key tuning.

–Lori

Hello

Yes, you can use inversions. In fact, most of the chords you see in ukulele chord books are inverted. Ukuleles do not have enough notes to stack them in an "regular" order.

I think when you're new, play whatever chord shape that's easy for you. As you play more, you can learn to play different forms. That can wait. You can make things easier, however, if you get your ukulele set-up properly. A lower action will help since you won't have to press as much.

If it's an option, you can switch to a smaller ukulele, a tenor or a concert. You can probably rig up a tenor to tune to a baritone tuning. A baritone definitely requires more stretch.

Happy Pickin
Chief

What is "Slack key tuning?"....

notalent31 said:

What is "Slack key tuning?"....

Click to expand...

Here's a great UU video explaining it:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/ukeunderground/videos/159/
–Lori