The dreaded E chord

Fuzzbass

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Has anyone got any tips on mastering the horrible E chord. I really can't get to grips with it. Struggling with it more than any other chord. I have fairly small hands, but I'm finding it equally difficult on my tenor as my soprano. Any help appreciated!
 
There are many threads on the "E"chord.
My favorite shape is 4447. This is a "C" moved up the neck.
You might also be able to use an E6 which is a bar at the 4th.
 
Think of it as an easy movable D chord moved up two frets. Seriously, I think that the E chord gets into people's heads. It isn't the hardest chord that you are going to run up against as you go along, might as well start learning to deal with them now.
 
My own experience wasn't so much a process of learning to play the E chord, but of cajoling myself to play songs that included it every now and then, and over some weeks or even months it eventually became less dread-ful. Same goes for quite a few other chord shapes that seemed really out of reach at first.
 
Ten ways to play an E chord on the ukulele. It doesn't include the 1402 version.

I have small hands. On my soprano the easiest for me is like this:

picture-129-300x225.jpg

The fretboard is slightly radiused which probably helps.


My concert has a wider fingerboard and I can't make that 3rd finger barre reliably; instead there is room for me to use all the fingers like this:

picture-125-300x225.jpg

I use a strap so my left hand can move freely.
 
Hi, ukatee! Your photos are great. My photos are not as good as yours though. ^^

I add photos for Rllink's descriptions. Read his comment and see my photos. He is my E chord teacher.

screen shot on windows
 
Ukulele Underground's own, Petey Houdini!! (The E chord starts at 6:50 minutes)

 
I know that beginners all struggle with the first position E chord. I certainly did. But not learning a chord or avoiding it by either not playing it or playing it up the neck is not an answer, especially for a major chord in first position. I mean, that chord has its own voice, and how many proficient ukulele players can't play an E major chord? But to help out a little in the struggle, often times when faced with a particularly hard chord to play, just experimenting with the position of the uke, and the position of my fretting hand helps me find a better angle. As a result, I've found that my fretting hand is not static. It moves around. Watch the really good players and you are going to see their ukuleles moving around a lot, and that isn't just show.
 
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There is a song our group plays that begins with an A6 chord, moves to a D which I play by baring 234 on the second fret with a middle finger tip. It bounces between A6 and D for 8 bars then goes to a Bm I play by baring 1234 with index finger and the 4-4 string with my ring finger. The very next chord is E which I build from the Bm by finger tip barring 234 on the 4th fret. This also bounces back and forth for 8 bars before dropping to a Dm followed by Eaug. Initially this bump between Bm and E was difficult, but with practice and determination it became quite easy. By holding the bar from the Bm, I had a good backing thumb to help when baring the E with my ring finger tip. Depending on the progression I will often play the E by baring all 4 strings at the second fret and 234 at the 4th.
 
"Practice, practice, practice" is right. I think the big problem with the E chord is that it just doesn't come up as often in songs as other chords, generally mostly songs in the key of A (where it's the V chord) or B (where it's the IV chord).

I think a great way to practice the E chord is to set it aside for a bit and instead play an F chord as 5553, using "The Way the Books Tell You" style linked to previously. Note now how your index finger sits nicely on the C on the A string. Lift up your other 3 fingers so that now you are just playing a C chord. Yay! F is the IV of C, just alternate back and forth. Maybe throw in a G chord so now you can play some I-IV-V songs. Playing the F chord this way should help you feel more comfortable in playing the E chord. I think the key is to be able to get the index finger placed properly first and then land the other 3 fingers as a group. By doing the C-F exercise you ought to get more comfortable "landing" the E chord.

Note that you can also do this by playing the 4442 E chord alternating with a 0002 CMaj7. I can't quite place where I've heard this combination but it has a nice sound!
 
I have been devoting all my time to the key of E for the month or so because E is so easy--as long as you use the 1X02 shape. The trick to the two-finger E chord is to fret the G string with your index finger, but at the same time lean the index finger so that it also mutes the C string.
 
4442 is my preferred E... but honestly, I usually play the song in different keys until I find the slickest combination of chords ... with my vocal range also being a major consideration.
 
For what it's worth, I made a video about the E-chord. After a bit of practice, the E chord hasn't been too much of a problem, so maybe my video might help someone. It's the second half of the video...

 
Add a song to your practise repertoire that uses the E chord and make a promise to yourself: I'm going to run through 'song name here' this many times no matter how awful i think it sounds.

ALSO film yourself, you might spot where the difficulty stems from and it's just good practice :D
 
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