1x02 E chord and how much I like it.

If we think of our ukuleles and many times they are laminate tops and not so good quality. The standard movable 4442, what ever played can't really produce much strong E note on these. Now I don’t like blues and don’t think our ukuleles can really perform that well, except in home situations, perhaps? But that chord will sound sissy in blues. Our instrument’s blues key is A instead E, if any.

We do have a quite standard open chord fingering to E, 1402. Not that difficult, but if you have a strap more easy. Analysing it, you can find that 2 Es, one open that is strong and another one on C string pinky, that don’t add any volume more. It is totally redundant when strumming.

I searched youtube today out of curiosity, about the E chord , and this was all I found about 1x02:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_saGCSU9QYU

He plays it wrong. Starting with E7 is a good one as a starting point, but then he mutes the C string with his second finger. Tells also that he have not maybe got it quite right, right. There are no such things good as muting with a finger tip, it will bring tensions to our fretting hand.

Instead what he should have done is a little unorthodox to normal fingering, that we should not mute adjacent strings. Just in this case he should have done that. It is something that is not so obvious because of that, that very few people find this proper fingering.

So the 1x02 is a 2 finger chord, is played with index finger producing G# and muting same time the C string! Takes some practice not to mute the E string, but it is easy and you will hear if that. And ring finger on A string.

Propably with a pick one can produce volume in able to play with guitarists playing acoustic blues. I have not searced, because to me ukulele is rather a country/folk instrument for my playing. But interested if you guys can find a specimen of such a genre, uke and guitar playing blues. The uke might sound too delicate though lol.

The strongest E chord we can have.

Hi, Jarmo!
I would like to ask you to promote this muted Bb (see the diagram below) as well as Jarmo's E. They are much easier than barre chords and they make ukulele much easier. This Bb is same shape as Jimi Hendrix F, which has the same first string mute.

I play all index finger barre chords normally, I am just fine with them yahalele.

Your suggestion of Bb, and how you maybe mute it, I do something like that with this chord: C#m, 110x. I do mute it with my left hand, but not finger, that is also an unorthodox technique. I could play it 1104, but prefer without strap to play it muting the 1st string. C#m is a natural minor to E scale, but also important in the key of A/F#m. C#m7 works most likely in A too, 1102.

I don’t play much any other unorthodox chord fingerings, except maybe Dm6/Bm7b5 with often x212, muting the G string with my thumb if I cannot finger with it

Easier fingerings for barre chords, with 3 strings can be very useful though, I agree.

This E chord I feel is superior in many ways to more standard ones.

2220. Just sayin'

I like E 4447.
Barre index 4 and pinky 7.

Hi, Jarmo! You point out very important thing. Because finger style players do not play left hand mute even on guitar. They normally mute with right hand. Hence left hand mute is not often seen on books or the internet.

Jarmo_S said:

He plays it wrong. Starting with E7 is a good one as a starting point, but then he mutes the C string with his second finger.

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There are two ways of left hand mute (green and blue circles in the photos below). Green mute is performed with the tip of the finger of floor side (see the photos). Blue mute is performed with the flesh of the sealing side finger. Jarmo's E should be played with the mute of the flesh of index finger (see the blue circle of the bottom).

I'm glad Jarmo and others have found the two-fingered E chord. I found it a while back and once I found it, it became the basis for my playing. Now my default key is E. Since the E is so easy, all my thinking and theorizing is done in E. And E fits my ukuleles well. By design, all my instruments have 19 frets so that the highest note is the E. I can play my scales all the way up to the 19th fret and resolve on that high E. I even like the look of E. When writing down what I am playing on a music staff, all those sharps in E's key look really cool.

Okay, things are turning silly, but the point is I really love this E maj chord and it has become the driving force for my musical study for the last year or so.

This thread is about the E chord. It is not about someone using an alternate tuning like like D6 or even about how to finger bar chords and have alternatives for them. Just reminding. I even digressed at one weak moment sigh.

It is all about to just give you a one good way to play E major chord with our ukuleles with our standard tuning. Hope you like it. Because it is not that well known.

I found this fingering for the Eb, E and D to be the best fit for my style

E - 2231
D - 2230

Link

1X02? I much prefer 444X.

John Colter

ukantor said:

1X02? I much prefer 444X.

John Colter

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These are completely different voicings. I would prefer 1X02 if I want a B on top, 444X if I want a G# on top and 140X or 4447 if I want an E on top. (I have a low G in my hands while I'm writing this.)

A ukulele can work well as a blues instrument. I play the uke for some blues tunes in a jug band with a fiddle, guitar and washboard (sometimes a trombone, banjo and mouth harp). I've used both a plugged in uke and a reso-uke without a pick-up and they work well.

Same notes in reverse order. Down is up, and up is down.

John Colter.

I still don't get how you mute the X string in the two fretted E chord 1X02.
Can someone explain in simple terms?
Thanks Colemole

I seem to have no trouble just letting the index finger that's fretting the G string at the first fret just touch the C string enough to mute it. Try it. I don't think "fumble" is the word you're looking for, just lean the finger towards the 3rd string enough to touch it.

Guys and girls, this 1x02 is a 2 finger chord. Just first and 3rd finger to fret. When the need is to play E7 the middle finger steps in, as a fretting one, not as muting.

If you have a really flexible knuckle on 1st finger for partial barres. Able to fret 1102 C#m7 (E6) with just index and ring, then some control it needs. For me it is hard/impossible and sooner if trying to play C#m7, I will mute also E string

This is a trick fingering yes, but does not go anything against like traditional classical guitar playing rules, like keeping your thumb always behind the neck. When needed.

When first starting learning it will be a disaster if not muting the C string, less if muting also the E string. Just my index finger has the feeling when it is muting C, so works 100% times for me.