Bill Sheehan
Well-known member
Yes, and of course there are probably a lot of folks who like the unison/duplicate notes in some chords. Getting them to sound precisely in tune can be a problem, however. Maybe I need to be a little less finicky!
Chords That Make You Fret
- Thread starter LorenFL
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Yes, and of course there are probably a lot of folks who like the unison/duplicate notes in some chords. Getting them to sound precisely in tune can be a problem, however. Maybe I need to be a little less finicky!
Bill Sheehan
Well-known member
Keep at it, Nickie! Eventually you'll find "workarounds" to most of the tricky areas! By the way, that G# that you designated as "X343"... I've noticed that in certain applications, if you go ahead and let the first string ring out (in open position-- "0343"), that results in a really pretty chord in its own right (although I'm not sure what its name would be)!
EDIT: I should have said "let the fourth string ring out..." (that is, the G string).
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ripock
Well-known member
That's an Abmaj7. And I like the X343 shape as well. I use it a lot for C, X787, and of course G, X232. And if I had to play an F minor low on the fret board, I think I would just play 101X.
Bill Sheehan
Well-known member
Thanks, Ripock! By the way, I think I goofed a couple of posts above, when I referred to letting the "first" string ring out in open position; I should have said let the "fourth" (or G) string ring out in open position!
dr_mitch
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Bb and B really bug me if I need them quickly. D often ends up buzzing if I am not careful, depending on the ukulele; I actually prefer it as a 2225 barred chord.
I have some exercises to do for those. I have been playing for over 3 months now - why am I not already perfect?
I have some exercises to do for those. I have been playing for over 3 months now - why am I not already perfect?
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I always have trouble with the Dm9 / FM7 chords, same chord shape. It's 2413. I have trouble getting my ring finger close enough to the 4th fret. I can play it, but it always seems to slow me down.
OP
OP
LorenFL
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I think it's interesting how different everybody's fingers are.
I find Bb and B to be fairly easy. I used to be slow getting to them, but have gotten better. 2225 is neat, but really awkward for me. D and D7 are two of my favorite chords! Super easy for me the way my fingers work.
Dm9... wow, the first position of that one is literally impossible for me. 5415. Can't do it. Too much of a spread for me by one fret. Alternate: 5505. That's a bit easier for me. But... maybe need to tune up. I hate the sound of that chord. I'd probably change it to something else! D7sus4, now there's a sweet chord.
Lately, I'm finding a lot of songs that use Em and B7. Simple chords, but I really have a hard time reaching those shapes QUICKLY.
How 'bout Bm? Simple barre chord, right? 4222. I can't do it. My fingers just won't. I can reach around and grab the 4 with my thumb, but I don't like doing that. I opt to just drop the 4 and strum around it. x222 works for me.
I find Bb and B to be fairly easy. I used to be slow getting to them, but have gotten better. 2225 is neat, but really awkward for me. D and D7 are two of my favorite chords! Super easy for me the way my fingers work.
Dm9... wow, the first position of that one is literally impossible for me. 5415. Can't do it. Too much of a spread for me by one fret. Alternate: 5505. That's a bit easier for me. But... maybe need to tune up. I hate the sound of that chord. I'd probably change it to something else! D7sus4, now there's a sweet chord.
Lately, I'm finding a lot of songs that use Em and B7. Simple chords, but I really have a hard time reaching those shapes QUICKLY.
How 'bout Bm? Simple barre chord, right? 4222. I can't do it. My fingers just won't. I can reach around and grab the 4 with my thumb, but I don't like doing that. I opt to just drop the 4 and strum around it. x222 works for me.
ripock
Well-known member
Do you know about the easy Em to B7 switch in the first position? You just move everything over a string. Em=0432; B7=4320. That B7 is a great shape with a root on the G string. The only problem is that you cannot really move the shape. Well...you can, but it hurts. If I play C7 using this shape, there is such a stretch between the index and ring fingers that I just refuse to do it. It isn't worth it to me. Same thing with VegasGeorge's major7 chord with a root on the E string. I repudiate and refuse to acknowledge that maj7 shape. I have four other maj7 shapes that I regularly use.
There are occasions when it is better to reject the 'easy' way to play a chord in favour of one that may seem more demanding. The easiest chord of all is Am7, using all the open strings, but I often prefer to use 0453. Sometimes I just think it sounds better in the sequence of chords, and it often makes more sense, to me, if the other chords are in the same area of the fret board.
It is not a moveable chord, of course, but if you move that shape up to 0564 you have a sweet Gm7b5, and up one more to 0675 gives you a lovely alternative GM7. All very handy!
John Colter
It is not a moveable chord, of course, but if you move that shape up to 0564 you have a sweet Gm7b5, and up one more to 0675 gives you a lovely alternative GM7. All very handy!
John Colter
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ripock
Well-known member
excellent point. My default Am7 is X433 because I don't like the timbre of open strings.
OP
OP
LorenFL
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Yeah, I'm hip. Those are the positions that I use. Easy to make the change from one to the other. Just hard for me to make that shape without thinking about it. Getting better, though.
Yep, I'm that way with a lot of chord shapes. Some of them just get a big ol' nope from my fingers!
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Since we're talking about chords, more or less in general, I thought I'd throw this in. You know how some tunes have a regular harmonic rhythm? Think of a tune in 4/4 time, with chords changing on every beat. Then comes a measure where the chord changes skip a beat, where it calls for the same chord for two consecutive beats. I've found that's often a perfect opportunity to switch to a different inversion of the same chord. It has the effect of preserving that harmonic rhythm. Just a thought that might help.
Nickie
Well-known member
Still the damned E chord.
"Eb in the first position as it's easy to get it out of tune on my RISA. Sooooo, I've resorted to barring it on the 3rd fret"
Yep, with the pinky on the 8th. Me too!
John Colter
Yep, with the pinky on the 8th. Me too!
John Colter
Without having my uke handy, I'm thinking it's a pinky on the 6th. The 8th seems like too big a stretch if I'm picturing it in my mind.
Sorry - you're right, of course! I should have re-read that before posting.
John Colter
John Colter
I also hate the Bm chord - it's getting that bar across those three strings to be nice and tight! Can never seem to apply enough pressure, tho I have been able to reach the top string with my ring finger! But the biggest problem I have with it - and any other chords that need to bar a few strings, or if they're particularly convoluted - is then changing to the next chord quick enough. That, and my pinkie finger refuses to do as its told, so any four-finger chords are a bit of a mystery to me right now xD
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Hi Elin,
Your post makes me wonder if the strings on your uke are set at the optimum height at the nut/first fret. Making a successful barre/bar close to the nut should not be that difficult. Forgive me if you already know this, but try pressing each string down at the third fret, and checking how much clearance there then is between the string and the first fret. The clearance should be minimal - no more than the thickness of a piece of paper.
I hope this helps,
John Colter
Your post makes me wonder if the strings on your uke are set at the optimum height at the nut/first fret. Making a successful barre/bar close to the nut should not be that difficult. Forgive me if you already know this, but try pressing each string down at the third fret, and checking how much clearance there then is between the string and the first fret. The clearance should be minimal - no more than the thickness of a piece of paper.
I hope this helps,
John Colter
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