LearningUkulele.com - Chords?
Learning the Ukulele — Invest 80% of your learning time in the fundamentals of music, the basics, the principles of music - the chords, the scales, rhythm, etc... Leave 20% for the songs.
Chords — What You Do The Most of …
Of the three core elements of music: Melody — Harmony — Rhythm. It's the harmony — the Chords and Chord Progressions, a.k.a. songs, that you'll do the most of. So, whether you're playing covers or writing your own — you need to know your chords and how the works together.
“Chords cannot be named out of context. They can only be named in the context of a chord progression or chord sequence, and then only when the chord's harmonic function within that progression can be determined.” — Curt Sheller (me)
“That's the single most sensible statement about music that I've read in months, maybe years. Thanks, Curt.” — John Kavanagh, The 4th Peg Parlor Room
What is a Chord?
A Chord is a harmonic combination of three or more notes played simultaneously. It is a fundamental building block of music and is commonly used in various musical styles and genres. Chords provide harmony and support for melodies, creating a rich and textured sound.
Chords are typically constructed by stacking notes on top of each other, based on specific intervals. The most common type of chord is the triad, which consists of three notes. Triads are formed by stacking two intervals of a third (a distance of two whole steps or four half steps) on top of a root note.
Traditional three-note chords are called a triad. Two notes are an interval, or dyad. Chords with four notes are a tetra-chord or 4-part chord; six notes are a hexachord, etc.
The traditional triad chord types are major, minor, diminished, and augmented. Each chord type has a distinctive sound and emotional quality.
Every chord can be given a specific name based on the notes that constitute the chord and the distances or intervals between the notes. As well as a "Chord's Harmonic Function" within a tonality or chord progression. It's actually this "Harmonic Function" that determines the name of the chord.
The "Harmonic Function" is a critical part of a chord, and only once you determine the chord's, harmonic function can you Naming Chords ⇒
, as the same-shape chord can have many possible names, but only one name at a time.
What is a Chord Progression?
A Chord Progression (or harmonic progression) is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships. Chords and chord theory are generally known as harmony.
A chord progression can be thought of as a harmonic simultaneity succession: it offers an ongoing shift of level that is essential to the music of Europe (at least since 1600), Oceania and South/West Africa. A change of chord, or "chord change", generally occurs on an accented beat, so that chord progressions may contribute significantly to the rhythm, meter and musical form of a piece, delineating bars, phrases and sections.
Common Chord Progressions
Understandably, with chords being what we do the most of, this is series of lessons is one of the most popular destinations on LearningUkulele.com..
- Simple Progressions ⇒
- Three Chord Progressions
- Four Chord Pop Progressions
- Blues Progressions
- 50’s "Do-Woop" Chord Progressions
- Andalusian Chord Progression
- Mixolydian Progression
- Backdoor Chord Progression
- Montgomery-Ward
Types of Ukulele Chords
You can organize your chords into these four categories: Open Position Chords, Movable Form Chords, 4-part Contemporary Chords a.k.a., "Jazz" Chords, and Free-form Chords.
1) Open Position Chords
• Your basic chords in the first four frets, including the open strings, that most players learn first. There are, at most, 20 chords in this category to get you through the common chords for the basic keys.
2) Basic Movable Form Chords
• Your basic Open Position Chords, re-fingered and transposed up the fingerboard to different keys. This includes transposing the open strings as well. In C Tuning, the Bb major, based on the open position A major chord, is typically the first movable form we learn that fits this category.
3) 4-part Contemporary Chords, a.k.a., "Jazz” Chords"
These contemporary 4-part chords find their way into a wide variety of music. This is a massive category where you really start to learn how chord construction works and can create any — Yes — ANY chord you run across.
4) Free Form Chords
• These are the chords that don't fit into one of the four chord categories or are a basic triad. This is where you “REALLY”, and I mean really, know the ukulele fingerboard and the notes of the chord and can create it.
And at the heart of an overwhelming number of the chords we play are: Triads.
Traditional and Contemporary Triads
• These Traditional and Contemporary Triads ⇒, built in thirds, are the foundation for all chords in the above categories. Triads are also great for when you are improvising. The “adjacent set of three strings” are how these can be learned. The Basic Open major and minor chords are triads, with one of their notes doubled.
Organizing Your Chords
If you're going to learn more than one song, it's probably a good idea to organize and create a chord vocabulary for using in learning songs beyond your first song.
Organizing ukulele chords can be done in several ways to make them more accessible and easier to navigate. Here are a few methods you can use to organize ukulele chords:
- Alphabetically: Arrange the chords in alphabetical order. This method allows you to quickly find chords based on their names.
- Key-based: Group the chords based on their respective keys. For example, gather all the chords in the Key of C ⇒ together, then group chords in the Key of G ⇒, and so on. This organization can help you understand the chord progressions within each key. This is a great way if you are learning the Ukulele using songs.
- Chord Types: You can organize your chords into these four categories (see above): Open Position Chords, Movable Form Chords, 4-part "Jazz" Chords, and Free-form Chords. This aligns with the next possibility.
- Music Genre: Organize chords based on the musical genre they are commonly used in. For example, group chords commonly used in folk music, Blues, pop music, country, or Jazz. This organization can help you explore different styles and find chords that suit your preferred genres.
- Common Chord Progressions: Organize chords based on common chord progressions. Group chords that are frequently used together in specific progressions, such as the very common I-IV-V or II-V-I. This organization helps you understand and memorize common harmonic patterns. This is the harmonic content of songs. And, pretty much everyone getting into playing and learning ukulele wants to play songs.
- Personalized System: Create your own system of organizing chords based on your preferences and learning style. You can categorize them by chord types (major, minor), chord extensions (7th, 9th, 13th), or any other criteria that makes sense to you.
Keep a "chord diary" of your favorite chords.
Links and Resources
- Types of Chords Available on `Ukulele ⇒
- Traditional and Contemporary Triads ⇒
- Basic Open Position Chords for C Tuning ⇒
- A Ukulele Chord a Day ⇒ - A series of lessons started in 2013. Videos for each chord were added in 2020.
- Movable Form Chords ⇒ - 20 plus ukulele chord lessons cover the open position forms and their movable forms. This allows you to play basic chords in ANY key.
- Core Chords — The "Big Six" ⇒ - These chords, often called "Jazz Chords," find their way into a wide range of traditional and contemporary music. They form the foundation for building those chords with the wacky names such as 13-9, #11, 9b5, etc.
- The Dominant Seventh Chord ⇒
- Cool Chords Lesson Series ⇒
For someone new to ukulele, start with this Series of Weekly Lessons ⇒ that will help you create a core foundation for future development. And, fill in some gaps in your existing knowledge and skills.
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