OldePhart
Well-known member
I'd go with the nut holding the ukulele as its the same problem with a Mainland or a KoAloha. the constant to the problem is me.
Well, in that case you are probably right. Mainlands and KoAlohas both tend to be set up quite well at the nut, though I tend to have to bring the bridge down on KoAlohas to get to my prefered action - but that's up the neck and doesn't affect the Bb chord.
You've had some good advice so far but if anybody has mentioned doing the chord as a barre chord I missed it. Instead of trying to fret the E and A strings with the tip portion of your index finger try dropping the wrist a little and forming a barre all the way across all four strings with your index finger. Initially, it would seem like this is harder but it really isn't (especially since it's not important if you get the C and G strings all the way down). This way of fingering the chord has two advantages - first, you are using the stronger inner part of your index finger to fret the A and E strings and, second, this leaves the other fingers in a better position to fret the C and G strings.
Now, for the really cool part. Since you are typically going to be playing a Bb with C and F chords (key of F) you can just move that whole shape up two frets for the C. For the F, just lift your index finger and slide down (toward the headstock) one position, fingering the E and G strings with your second and third fingers and letting your index finger hover above the nut.
Now, initially you're probably thinking "that sure is a harder way to make the C and the F" - but when you are playing them with a Bb it's actually much easier and requires less "flip-flopping" of the fretting hand. Your hand is always in the same "shape" and you're just moving it up and down the fretboard and lifting or placing one or two fingers. Oh, and if there is a Dm (another common chord in F) you do the same thing - let the index finger hover over the nut and use your second and third fingers to fret the Dm (the third barres the C and G strings).
Now, for the final cool thing. Need to play the same song but in Ab to match a singer's vocal range? - just move everything up the fretboard three frets (and, of course, use the index finger to barre for the "F" and "Dm" instead of leaving it hovering).
The same principal applies (albeit with slight differences) if you are actually playing something that is in the key of Bb (chords of Bb, Eb, F)
Get out of the habit of thinking of a song as a set of chords - a song is a set of chord transitions. If you have more than one fingering for most chords then you can look at a song and create a "map" in your head of what makes the most sense for each transition. Occasionally I'll even switch fingerings in the middle of a chord if it can be done fluidly and will "set up" for the next transition.
John