Is there an alternative to b- flat?

Ambient Doughnut said:

Can you play the same shape at other frets? If so then I'd second the setup suggestion.

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Another tick here for checking the setup.

On my first uke I could play the B chord shape after some practise, but never could hit Bb properly and it was really frustrating me, turns out the string height at the first fret was way too high, like stupidly high.

As soon as I held a properly set up uke, the dreaded Bb became much easier to hit cleanly!

Seeing these posts about people having trouble barring strings, I feel lucky for never having a problem with Bbs or bar chords.

If you want, you can bar the entire first fret, it may be more comfortable.

Ambient Doughnut said:

B flats are pretty common if you're playing any song in 'F' as it's the IV chord. Retuning to Bflat will solve that particular chord but won't get you out of playing that shape - You'll now need it to play Aflat - or A for that matter.

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AD is entirely correct here. Retuning doesn't get you out of any chord shape.

It can, however, reduce the times you deal with it. That depends on the music you play.

a2mu said:

...If that chord weren't in almost every song I play, I wouldn't worry, but it is...

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Of course that doesn't tell you much, but if these are B flat jazz tunes then you'll deal with B flat a lot.

My point was that in addition to the possibility of getting around a frequent uncomfortable situation with that particular shape, you generally get easier transitions and better sounding chords when you play in the key in which the song was written. Since most horns are B flat instruments, jazz tends to be written in that key.

Look at what you're playing, and the frequency of the B flat chord and, as AD pointed out, the the A flat chord. For a trial run, just take a typical chord progression from something you play now, slack your current strings down to B flat, and go through it with the new shape sequence.

The "lagniappe" (or little extra bonus), as we say in Dixie, is that Tenors sound better - resonate more fully, when tuned to (high re-entrant) B flat.

addicted2myuke said:

Ok, so I've been playing everyday for 7 months, and I have yet to master the b chords. Especially the b-flat. My fingers are of normal size, but barring the a and e string on the first fret is not producing much sound. Just a muted sound really. I keep reading that I will eventually master it, but I have serious doubts. If that chord weren't in almost every song I play, I wouldn't worry, but it is, and it is seriously affecting my ability to get good sound from my uke. I have a tenor Kala with Aquila strings. Is there another finger placement that will give me the same sound, or should I just try to muddle through and hope for the best? Thanks everyone who responds with words of encouragement.

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have you tried an A Sharp?










j/k Keep at it. It will come eventually.

another thing is that the groove for your nut is not deep enough..but I don't think its that...try to press the strings on the first fret individually..are they hard to fret??

I've got the same problem.It doesn't matter how I hold the ukulele or how I position my finger,I always get at least one dead string,usually more.So my solution is to miss out the A string and just play GCE.It sounds close enough I can usually get away with it.On baritone however,the difference between C and F is a little too subtle so I might have to think of something else there.

Thanks so much for all the tips here, everyone. I've been playing about 3 weeks now, and the B flat chord is the only one that's really giving me any trouble. I tried some of the ideas while reading this--they work!

PatriciaPDX said:

Thanks so much for all the tips here, everyone. I've been playing about 3 weeks now, and the B flat chord is the only one that's really giving me any trouble. I tried some of the ideas while reading this--they work!

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Pat, Three weeks eh, Wait till you try the E chord..

ukulefty said:

Another tick here for checking the setup.

On my first uke I could play the B chord shape after some practise, but never could hit Bb properly and it was really frustrating me, turns out the string height at the first fret was way too high, like stupidly high.

As soon as I held a properly set up uke, the dreaded Bb became much easier to hit cleanly!

Click to expand...

:agree:....i've only been playing for 3 weeks, but as UAS has set in, I bought another uke recently which was set up. I received this a few days ago, and I have found it A LOT easier to playing certain chords, like the Bb chord! So setting up a uke is definitely a must!!

I went from a tenor to a concert and I find the Bb way easier on the smaller uke. I don't have the biggest hands in the world. It still sounds muted sometimes but at least I can form the chord now.

Actually, most of the chords are easier on this size for me. Just food for thought.

Another advantage to Bb tuning on a tenor is you can use a capo if you want to switch back to C tuning for a certain song. Or D or Eb for that matter.

I'm still having trouble with it, but it gets better the more often I practice it. I'll just force myself to get it down since it's so necessary for the F chord progression.

This will sound silly at first, but I think it actually helps...

Instead of playing Bb (as memorized), play an A#... that is play your normal A shape, moved 1 fret up the neck by barring the first fret. I know that this bar-chord Bb has already been mentioned, but i think it really does help to think in terms of open chord shapes, just moving up the neck by barring.