Let's introduce some chords with Let It Be by The Beatles!
What is a chord? Short answer: a chord is a combination of three or more sounds. The ukulele has four strings, so at most you'll be able to sound four notes at the same time. On a piano you can sound up to 12 notes simultaneously, using all ten fingers plus hitting two keys at once with a couple of them. Striking two strings at the same time gives you an interval; striking three or more gives you a chord. Depending on where you put your fingers on the fretboard you'll get different chords. What's the importance of chords, you wonder? When you listen to songs you're actually listening to chords and the tunes based on them. The chord changes determine the mood of the song. Chord shifts and sequences will significantly influence the listener's like or dislike of any given song. Of course there are other factors, such as tune, lyrics, beat, orchestration, and presentation, just to name a few.
What makes a chord on a ukulele? You'll need to know which string/s to leave open, and which string/s on which fret you should place a finger on to create a specific chord when you strum all the strings. Naturally, to make this happen takes practice :)
The four chord charts below demonstrate the chords played in the song Let It Be. A chord chart is a visual representation of you ukulele. The vertical lines are the strings, while the horizontal lines depict the frets. The red dots indicate on which string at which fret you'll place your finger to sound the given chord.
This is a common way to depict not only ukulele chords, but chords for other stringed instruments as well. As you get into learning more songs, you'll learn more and more chords by heart. Let's see how the four chords above will play The Beatles' perennial favorite, Let It Be:
This video will give you a jumpstart on showing you how to hold the chords. A daily 25-30 minute practice routine can quickly get you to a level where ukulele music is fun both for the player and for the listeners. Of course if you can spare more time for practice, so much the better!
Once you get going on the bumpy road of learning chords, you'll see that the limits will be only set by your own musical tastes, by what songs you want to learn. The internet has many websites listing chord charts and lyrics for tons of songs, usually in the following format:
The Beatles - Let It Be
C G Am F
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
C G F C
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
C G Am F
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
C G F C
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Am G F C
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
C G F C
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
My teaching video doesn't show you how to play the refrain (Let it be, let it be, let it be.... part) of the song. It is your homework to get through it; just follow the chords written above the lyrics. You can see that from the second verse the chords are not even indicated, because you'll just play the same ones you did during the first verse. To make it easier in the beginning you can copy and paste the lyrics, and write the chords in for quick reference. Listening to the song multiple times and playing along on your ukulele will also boost your learning curve.
