Transition from first position chords

rreffner

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I've been playing for awhile and decided I wanted to go more up the neck.

In any given song TAB'd with first position chords, is it OK to substitute some second position chords rather than going to all second position chords?

Would there be a specific purpose for playing higher up the neck sound wise? Thanks
 
Check out the Gerald Ross videos on you tube. His swing ukulele lessons (1,2,&3) give a good explanation of the advantages of closed position chords and will help get you started.
Cheers!
 
There is no reason you have to use all first position chords, or all second position chords, etc. The second and third position chords give you a different sound than the first, so if it fits the sound you are looking for at that place in the song, then its all good. Bosco has a good video on why he and Honey finally took the time to learn 2nd and 3rd position chords. He said it was because if they were playing together, there was no reason for them both to play the same thing (boring). If you watch the masters, such as Jake, Aldrine, Dominator, etc, you will often see them playing first position chords for part of the song, then usually breaking into an up the neck solo performance. I think its important to listen to the great players and see what they are doing (and how they are doing it), and most importantly to experiment on you own. If it sounds good to you, its good.
 
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