Playing a B sharp 6

raffrox

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Hi all.

I'm embarking on learning the Lyle Ritz version of Fly me To the Moon and I've got a question about one of the chords.

How would you play a B sharp 6 (or similar chord shape)?

In tab it's 5353

Aaron from the Ukulele Site plays it with a finger for each fret while my son (who's a guitar player in his fourth year of a degree in contemporary music) is saying to play it with the third fret barred with the ring and pointer fingers on the two strings at the 5th.

The chord is at the 7 second mark in this video.



Thanks for your help! :)
 
I mostly play it like Aaron, though choose whichever way works best for YOU (and whichever way connects most naturally with the preceding or following chord).

Also, always "spell" such things starting from the 4th string: 3535 rather than 5353. Otherwise, you just confuse others.

No worries. Thanks and sorry I wrote the chord out wrong. I've been experimenting today and I think Aaron's way is the way for me as well. Cheers!
 
I think the chord in question is Bb6, B sharp being C. This being an english forum. So it is B flat with the 6th. The 3535 fingering gives the lowest Bb in low G tuning.
Regarding notes Bb6 = Gm7, so the chord has 2 names. You always have the relationship that the minor 7th chord root is 3 half steps lower than the major 6th chords's root, so easy to find if you know the other's fingering.

One other way to finger it and getting lower voicing in re-entrant uke is 0211.

If you want B6, it is either from lowest form 1322 or 4646.
 
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I am learning another Lyle Ritz arrangement of Edelweiss which uses the same chord and I have been playing it as Aaron does in the video. I think it would be more difficult to play it as a barre.

Andy
 
I always play chords of this type (viz., a F# m7) by fretting the higher fret, in this case the fifth, with my pinky and ring fingers and I barre the lower fret, the third in this case, with my index. I don't know if it is easier or not than some other technique. It is just what I have always used and what now is second nature to me.
 
Thanks all.

With a bit more practice I'm finding Aarons way is easier for me to change to/from but definitely see it as being something that each person works out the best for them.
 
I've played it both ways depending on the transitions to and from it. Either way, it's a horrible chord to play.
 
I always play chords of this type (viz., a F# m7) by fretting the higher fret, in this case the fifth, with my pinky and ring fingers and I barre the lower fret, the third in this case, with my index. I don't know if it is easier or not than some other technique. It is just what I have always used and what now is second nature to me.

That is how I would do it too, but what feels natural to us may feel awkward to others. I also recommend a 'guide finger' approach where you aim one finger at the desired upper fret and have your other fingers fall into place behind it. Helps with fast chord changes.
 
I always play chords of this type (viz., a F# m7) by fretting the higher fret, in this case the fifth, with my pinky and ring fingers and I barre the lower fret, the third in this case, with my index. I don't know if it is easier or not than some other technique. It is just what I have always used and what now is second nature to me.

I too have always fingered it same way as you, it is just I today noticed that I'm often late trying to fit the barre and the 3rd and 4th fingers for the first strum beat. My analysis is that the barre restricts the chord forming other fingers somewhat. Whereas the four finger hold is not really that difficult, but rather natural. So I've decided to learn it instead. Will see how it goes.

It is just the diminished 7th chord fingering with 3rd and 4th fingers a fret higher.
 
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I too have always fingered it same way as you, it is just I today noticed that I'm often late trying to fit the barre and the 3rd and 4th fingers for the first strum beat. My analysis is that the barre restricts the chord forming other fingers somewhat. Whereas the four finger hold is not really that difficult, but rather natural. So I've decided to learn it instead. Will see how it goes.

It is just the diminished 7th chord fingering with 3rd and 4th fingers a fret higher.

I tend to place the fingers first and then slap the barre down. I like the barre-version because it is just a wider dim7. Also it seems to work with what I play. For example, this morning I was strumming around with a blues progression in E. The turnaround goes:

B7
B7sus4
C7
F#m7
B7
E

in that ii V I turnaround, I transition from the F#m7 to the B7 by just moving the fingers under the barre.

Lastly, I find the stretch on the four-fingered version of this chord very awkward, but good luck with it. It undoubtably will pay great dividends in certain contexts. Moreover, with every chord that we master, that is one step closer to musical nirvana.
 
Lastly, I find the stretch on the four-fingered version of this chord very awkward, but good luck with it.

Good point that.
Fingering Fm7, I think of Fm chord, but then to be able to press the 7th with the ring finger I must have thumb behind the neck and bend the wrist to the "tuner direction", even with a danger of touching the A string tuner if not being careful. The ukulele head depending of the shape can also get in the way and this is in no way a capo chord with 4 finger hold in the first position. I would not use a capo anyways.

F#m7 is much easier.
 
Good point that.
Fingering Fm7, I think of Fm chord, but then to be able to press the 7th with the ring finger I must have thumb behind the neck and bend the wrist to the "tuner direction", even with a danger of touching the A string tuner if not being careful. The ukulele head depending of the shape can also get in the way and this is in no way a capo chord with 4 finger hold in the first position. I would not use a capo anyways.

F#m7 is much easier.

This is fairly eerie because I have a ukulele journal I keep and I was just mentioning both the problem I have with playing around the nut and with the Fm chord. I have been practicing both as well. I tried your ring finger trick and it was doable, but the Fm7 still is easier for me as a barre. However I see the benefit of your version because in a blues progression I like to play, the first four bars are: Fm, Bbm7, Fm, Fm7. In that case it is easier to just alter the ring finger to transition from Fm to Fm7. In my accustomed manner, I would have to completely change my fingering to go from a Fm to a Fm7 barre chord.
 
In my classical guitar turned into a long scale linear baritone after removing 6th and 5th strings, I cant't finger 1313 with 4 fingers, unless some extreme stretch that would most times fail. The scale is 655mm (almost 26 inches). Only the barre fingering works. Even 1013 is a stretch but works. My fingers are too short for many advanced classical guitar chord holds.

Capo on 5th fret, so then it is GCEA, the scale is 19.5 inches. Then I can finger the Fm7 with 4 fingers easy. So my fingers probably will work fine also with baritone scale too :)

Full scale classical guitar feels like holding a furniture after playing ukes mostly lately. I played classical guitar music for so many years, but I was always aware of my physical limitations in that.

I have now practiced the 4 finger hold with my concert, and I see like you said both advantages and disadvantages.
 
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You can simplify the chord by playing a rootless triad instead. Easy to do and keeps the same sound so just play X535. I'm not a fan of that voicing but in that area of the neck it's the only option.

One other option which will work nicely with high g but also works with low is to play 0565. Could also just play X565 but that changes the sound a bit more since you would be playing a rootless Gm7 chord istead of a rootless Bb6.


John
 
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I'd usually play Gm7 like 0211, but if I want that high D note like what's in the cover I'd play it like Aaron does (5353). An easier way to play Gm7 with a high D is 0565.

If you have a high G string, one interesting idea would be to fret 7760 and up strum it softly with your thumb nail for that jazzy dissonance with A and Bb. It's not exactly Gm7, but it's Gm with a 9th so it's jazzy enough lol.

Hope this helps!
 
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