Ukulele Chords Workout

My Ukulele Chords Major Workout is finally online as part of the Ukulele for Beginners series.

Included with this workout is a free printable PDF, found at the bottom of this page, which includes all 12 of the major chords that you'll find in any song!

Ukulele Tuning

The tuning that we're using is the classic ukulele 'reentrant' tuning, which has a high g on the 4th string, which means that the 3rd string is the lowest note.

This is the standard ukulele tuning that is otherwise known as "My Dog Has Fleas." However, you can also use the ukulele chord chart and chords workout with a uke that's has the Low G tuning.

Basic Ukulele Chords

The above TAB shows an example of what's found on the printable PDF chord chart. These are the first two chords of the chord workout, and are probably the chords you already know.

All the chords are presented in three ways: as musical notation; as a chord chart; and in TAB so you know where to put your fingers.

Ukulele Barre Chords

Moving along in the PDF, the above example shows the next two chords. These are examples of what are known as 'barre' chords. Think of your index finger as if it was a bar of steel, and you'll get the idea.

The first chord above is the Eb, and uses a "half-barre". Your first finger will press down and hold the 1st and the 2nd strings simultaneously for this chord. If at first you don't succeed with making both these notes sound out, just come back to it tomorrow. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for your index finger to build the strength needed to make these "barres".

The next chord in the above example is the Eb. Here you'll be using your first finger to simultaneously hold down the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings while easing off the pressure just a bit by the time the finger gets to the 1st string.

Notice the big "X" in the chart at the head of the 1st string---that means don't sound that string, otherwise known as "mute" the string.

Again, this may take some practice for your index finger to get used to pressing some strings and not others, but this skill can be learned, and it is essential to playing really good uke! So keep practicing!

I'll save the rest of the remaining chords for the PDF below. The chart is not called a "workout" for nothing! You'll probably be going outside your comfort zone with a few of the chords. But the workout--outlined in the accompanying Youtube video--is designed to get you comfortable with all your major chords, because sooner or later, you'll need one of them!

Ukulele Chord Chart

Download the free Major Chords Workout PDF here.

Return from Ukulele Chords back to the NY Ukulele Singer's homepage