Sooner or later a song throws a chord at you that just will not cooperate. On the ukulele these are mostly E, Bb and D. Do not worry – almost everybody struggles with them. There are three ways out: practise with the right trick, use a simpler substitute, or move the whole song into a different key.
D: three fingers on one fret
For D, the G, C and E strings are all at the 2nd fret while the A string stays open. That is a tight squeeze for small hands. Try index, middle and ring finger side by side at a slight angle. Some players prefer laying one finger flat across the three strings – just keep the A string free.
DSubstitute: in many songs D7 works too. A very easy form of D7: index finger on the G string at the 2nd fret, middle finger on the E string at the 2nd fret, with the C and A strings open.
Bb: the mini barre
For Bb, lay your index finger flat across the E and A strings at the 1st fret. Add your middle finger on the C string at the 2nd fret and your ring finger on the G string at the 3rd fret. Press with the outer edge of your index finger, right next to the fret wire – that takes less strength.
BbE: the final boss
E major is genuinely hard on the ukulele. A common shape needs three strings at the 4th fret plus the A string at the 2nd. Beginners have two better options: E7 often fits almost as well in the same spot and is far easier. Or you transpose the song.
E7The joker: transposing
Songs in A or E are full of awkward shapes. If you shift every chord by the same amount, for example to C or G, the tune and mood stay the same – just a little higher or lower. Transposing explains how. For the songs in the app you can change the key directly.
All chords