chords

• Here's a great video about chord changes, nice and slow. Get your Uke and play along.

• Print this Chord Changing sheet and keep it near your Ukulele:

1. Fluid Chord Switching might be the SINGLE MOST HELPFUL thing to your success as a Ukulele player.
2. Try 4 strums for each chord, then 2 strums, then try 1 strum between chords.  
3. Keep it loose and relaxed, just float into the next chord. If you don't get there by the first strum, don't worry.
4. Jams with the group are the BEST way to learn to keep moving while you play. Nobody will every know that you missed some chords (everybody else did too).
5. Feel the correlation between chords, there's a pattern. Sometimes you can leave one finger holding still as an ANCHOR until the other fingers find their way.

• Print this 12 chords we use the most:

1. Rock up on your fingertips, not like fingerprinting.
2. If you are buzzing, you might need to shorten your fingernails because you can't fully press the string with long nails.
3. For a clear chord sound, slide closer to the fret bar. Like this: Play a C chord, slide around a subtle amount and notice WHERE your finger touches in that "C" space....listen carefully to when it is most clean. That's the sweet spot for all of your chord playing.

• Relax your hand. If your fingers hurt, maybe you are pressing too hard with your fret hand, watch this Matt's Quick Tips

• Can I substitute G and G7?

• F to G7 is much easier than F to G. Try it. 
• C to G is easy, but C to G7 is a jump. Try that too.
• In most songs, you won't hear the cheating / switch.
• Essentially the "7th chords" add a 4th layer of sound to the chord triad - so it's related.
• As a beginner, its more about how fast you can switch chords. Eventually, you'll be fast enough to do it "right" as the music reads.

• Em is our trickiest chord! Here is the easy way to play it:

• Since you already know the G chord, do that.
• Then drop your pinky to that extra string.
• It's a little stretch, and takes a bit of dexterity, but you'll eventually get it.
• Here is a video of some other ways to do it: do what works best for you.
• Here is a PRINTED visual of some of those trickier chords.

• Tutorials for EVERYTHING UKULELE - songs, strumming & techniques: our favorites Cynthia Lin & Ukulele Fool .
• Here's a guy who does SO many songs with just the 4 magic chords.