This is an earlier version of some ideas now available at: Jazz Chords for Baritione Ukulele
Chords are formed from the notes of a major scale beginning on the note. So a C chord is based on the C major scale. The _ are sharps and flats in between.
A major chord is made from the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale. So a C major, or simply C chord is made of C E G:
Note there are two whole steps between the C & E, a major third, and a whole step and half step, a minor third, between E & G. This is true of all major chords.
Here is the D scale, which adds sharps to F & G to preserve the spacing of a major scale:
A D major, or D chord has the notes D F# A:
Again, a major third followed by a minor third. This thinking of a major chord as being a note followed by a major third and minor third is probably more useful, as you can then take any note on the scale and figure out the notes in the chord.
Movable Major Chords
You probably already know how to finger a C chord, but assume you didn’t. Look at the chart above and, using open strings, see how you could pick a fingering with C, E and G in it. Because there’s a fourth string, double up one of the notes. There is only one choice, the familiar C chord:
Replacing the open strings with a bar, that pattern can be moved to the 2nd fret to form a D chord, D A F#.
By simply knowing the note on the second string, you can use this pattern to play any of the 12 major chords, like with the bar on the 6th fret it’s an F# major chord, and the 11th fret is a B. It’s fun to accompany some music using all chords from just this pattern, sliding up and down the neck.
The basic E (E G# B) chord and G (G B D) chord can also be used this way.
By using a bar, each of these can also be slid up and down the fretboard to make all 12 major chords. (Notice how easy this is on a baritone ukelele.) You can play chord progressions anywhere on the fretboard just moving these shapes around.
Generic Scale and Chords
Scales can be described generically with numbers. Here is the major scale (the _ are the sharps #s and flats bs in between):
The first, third and fifth notes of a scale are then, yes, 1 3 5.
The tuning of the ukelele means the relationship between notes is fixed. The bottom two and top two strings are a fourth apart. That is, say notes 1 & 4, or 3 & 6. The middle two strings are a major third apart. Say 1 & 3, or 5 & 7, or 2 & 4#. You can see these relationships in the generic fret board. (These hold true for any ukelele, the four high strings of the guitar, and other four stringed instruments like the lute.)
Do it Yourself Moveable Chords
Using this chart you can easily find generic chord fingerings. Major chords, like C major, are made up of the 1 3 5 notes. Looking at the fret board, you can find patterns for chords made up of 1 3 5:
The 1 is the root note of the chord. So finger any of these patterns anywhere on the fretboard, and look at the note under the 1. That’s what chord you’ve got.
I IV V
Chords can also be written generically using Roman Numerals, upper case for major chords. The chord that has the first note as it’s root is I. The chord that has the 4th note is IV, and the 5th note is V.
So in the key of C, the I, IV, V chords are C, F, G. And here’s how to play them sliding the C pattern from the nut to the 5th, 7th, 5th frets. Strum the chord symbol on each /, rest on the -, and you’ve got Louie Louie.
You can do the same thing with any of the 3 major chord patterns, anywhere on the fret board. You can play Louie Louie in any key, anywhere.
If you’d rather not make the big slide between that I and IV, you can choose a I fingering that’s closer to the other two. For example:
Do it starting on the second fret, then up to the 7th and 9th. That’s I IV V in D.
Here’s classic blues. Strum 12 measures with these chords: I I I I IV IV I I V IV I I
