D chord

kevsumac

kevsumac

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My chord charts show D shaped like 1230 on the second fret. I find it impossible to get three of my fingers smooshed together on the same fret. And I have smaller fingers and a concert size uke!

I find it much easier to fret it like 1320. Kind of like how you fret G except you move the ring finger up to the same fret as the other two. Any thoughts on this?
 
Speaking as a fellow beginner, I use my index finger to bar all three strings while keeping the my hand elevated enough to leave the A string open. It may not be the most efficient in terms of chord progressions but it's working for me at the moment. I've also toyed with using my index finger to bar the G and C strings and my middle finger on the E string. Try them out and see what works for you.
 
kevsumac said:
I find it much easier to fret it like 1320. [...] Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Whatever works for you. There's really no "official" way to fret that particular chord. As long as the right strings are pressing down at the right fret, you're good to go!

Some people will fret both the 4th and 3rd strings both at the same time with their index finger, and use their middle finger for the 2nd string. And, as hopkid said, others use one finger to fret the three strings at once.

Me? I usually avoid playing that particular voicing in the first place. Problem solved! I play a D as 2225 (those are fret positions, not finger numbers) most of the time. Or I'll substitute a Dsus2 (2200). Or maybe a D(add4), which is 0220.

Many roads to Dublin.

JJ
 
Like JJ says: whatever works for you.

I have always played the D with one finger. However lately I've been working on using 3 fingers. I find that some songs work better with that fingering. That's the beauty of the ukulele. Lots of things work.
 
I always use my middle finger to hold down the GCE strings and leave the A string open. Another option is to use the 2225 D chord - barre the second fret with index finger and 5th fret A string with the pinkie. It sounds really good on some songs but on others, not so much.
 
For me it depends on the progression which one I use...that is a easier transition for me.. no set ways...whatever works for you...
 
It took me a while to figure out what way playing the D-chord was right for me, but I almost always play it with one finger barring the three strings with the A string open. Sometimes I play it 2225 as stated above as it fits better with some songs.


So the short answer is: Whatever works best for you is the best way!
 
Try, 2130 (fingers, not frets :0) ). Thats how I do it (and how I play an A chord on guitar). It makes transitioning to other chords, like A or G very smooth, because the index finger acts as a pivot. Transitions like this can be especially helpful if you play strapless, because you don't have to let go of the neck. Although I caved, and put straps on both my concerts... :eek:)
 
If you keep practicing, in a little while you will play chords easily that you thought you never could! Fortunately, I played it right off, but notice I have to rotate my left hand a little counter clockwise toward the headstock to get all three fingers to line up perfectly.
 
When I was starting on ukulele, I usually played the D as a barre chord using my thumb to hold down those three strings. These days, decades later, I still usually use my thumb on the G string, index on the C string, and middle finger on the E string.
 
As a beginner, I was just wondering about this today also. How do the big guys get their fingers to fit? I've downloaded some freebie stuff from Dr Uke's site and he shows an alternate fingering for D as 2230. I'm going to try that and the barre index finger that I just read about on here. Thanks for your comments, everyone!
 
2230 is a different chord. It's a Dsus4. There may be some songs where you're quickly using it in passing where it will sound okay, but you probably don't want to use it where you'll be strumming it for a while. A suspended chord just has a different sound. It sounds unsettled. A suspended chord sounds like it wants to be resolved by going to the m siajor chord.



Note from Ukulele JJ: Sorry, uke4ia, but I munged up your post a bit when trying to reply. Moderator error! :wallbash:
 
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uke4ia said:
2230 is a different chord. It's a Dsus4. There may be some songs where you're quickly using it in passing where it will sound okay, but you probably don't want to use it where you'll be strumming it for a while. A suspended chord just has a different sound. It sounds unsettled. A suspended chord sounds like it wants to be resolved by going to the m siajor chord.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I know what a suspended chord is but didn't know the chord Dr Uke showed is one. Actually, I found it in his chord progression chart and obviously it's not shown as the last chord in the progression which makes sense.

The chord chart that I just got does not show any suspended chords even though there are 10 different chords for each interval A thru Gb. Thanks for the info.

Oops! I just went back and checked Dr Uke's chord progression chart and a ukulele chord chart published by Walrus Productionss (#8116). The "dots (finger positions) are in the exact same fret positions on both charts. On the Walrus chart, 2nd fret it's G=2, C=3, E=4. The numbers on the Dr Uke Chart are at the bottom but they seem to be the finger positions since G7=0213, C=0003, etc.. Guess I'll just have to play and compare to the piano.
 
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I thought your 2230 was referring to fret numbers, in which case it would be a D suspended chord. But if the 2230 refers to finger positions, maybe it's saying an alternate way to play the standard 2220 D chord is by using your middle finger to get both the G and C strings, and your ring finger to get the E string. Though I think I'd do this with the index and middle finger instead.
 
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uke4ia said:
I thought your 2230 was referring to fret numbers, in which case it would be a D suspended chord. But if the 2230 refers to finger positions, maybe it's saying an alternate way to play the standard 2220 D chord is by using your middle finger to get both the G and C strings, and your ring finger to get the E string. Though I think I'd do this with the index and middle finger instead.
Click to expand...

The alternate, 2230 fingering works for me easier than 2340 per the chord chart....at least for now:)
 
I play soprano and just smoosh the strings with one finger... for some other chord though where some folks might do that, I use my individual fingers like a gm7, I like to use three fingers but most folks prolly use two. If it sounds good do it. whatever is easier imo.
 
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