Make Smooth, Seamless Chord Changes In 5 Minutes Or Lessby Brett McQueen of UkuleleTricks.com

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Chords are the building blocks of any song you'll play on the ukulele. But, maybe you've noticed, chords, even the "easiest" ones, can come with all sorts of challenges:

"Ouch! My fingers hurt."

"Ah! My fingers won't go where I want them to go."

"Will I ever be able to change chords without hesitating?"

It's one thing to know how to position your fingers to play a single chord but it's another thing when you have to switch between chords in a song. Even a song as simple as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (as seen on page 23 of Your First Ukulele Lesson and Then Some) can seem like an impossible feat at first.

Rest assured. There's no need to smash your ukulele to tiny little bits! All these things are normal challenges whenever you’re tackling new and difficult chord changes. You aren't alone.

In this mini-lesson ebook, improve your chord changes by learning key steps to change chords smoothly without pausing, hesitating or stopping altogether. Then, take a look at five chord progression exercises you can use to improve your changes. These progressions show up in all sorts of songs.

On the last page of this worksheet, grab a one-page sheet packed full of the 24 most essential ukulele chords in a printable, easy-to-view format.

It takes just 5 minutes to start making smoother chord changes.

3 Ways To Think Smarter About Chord ChangesThere are three main things you can begin thinking about and practicing to help make your chord changes smooth and seamless with no pausing in between.

1.) Training Your Fingers to Remember Chords

Learning and memorizing chords is a lot like learning to tie your shoes.

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The first few times you tried tying your shoes probably took a lot of fumbling with the laces, but eventually, you got to a point where you can tie your shoes. And if I had to guess, now, you can probably do it blindfolded.

The only way to train your fingers to “automatically” and “instinctively” know where to position themselves to play a chord is through repetition.

In the beginning stages, it can feel frustrating trying to adjust your fingers in a way that allows all the strings to ring out clearly. But working at chords through consistent practice will allow you to see improvement.

Like learning to tie your shoes, learning and playing chords is the same. Your fingers need time to develop muscle memory.

With practice, your fingers start to "automatically" know where to position themselves for a chord, to the point where you don't have to give the chord a lot of conscious thought.

Takeaway: Don’t be discouraged if chords don’t come easy at first. Learning chords requires time, practice and repetition. Keep in mind we’re not talking about practicing hours each day! But with a little practice each day, playing chords becomes more automatic, requiring a less conscious effort.

2.) Setting Up the Chord Change

While consistent practice is critical, even if you know where to position your fingers for a chord, it doesn’t always mean that changing chords becomes smooth. Let’s face it, some chords a real pain in the you-know-where to play!

More often than not, you’re ability to switch to a chord quickly and play that chord cleanly is determined by how well you prepare for the chord before even playing it.

To set up a chord change, I like to use a technique I call the Hover Technique.

Here’s how I would set up a chord change using the hover technique.

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Say you're switching from a C to F chord, such as in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (as seen in Your First Ukulele Lesson and Then Some), as shown in the following chord diagrams:

Play the C chord by placing your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the bottom A-string, as shown in the above chord diagram.

Knowing you will switch from a C chord to F chord, while playing the C chord, take your free index and middle fingers that aren't being used and hover them over the frets and strings that are played in an F chord position.

This means, while playing the C chord, hover your index finger over the 1st fret of the E-string and hover your middle finger over the 2nd fret of the top g-string.

Don’t press down on the strings yet.

When it comes time to switch to the F chord, your index and middle fingers are already in position–all you need to do is press down your fingers on the strings to play the F chord and lift up your ring finger from the bottom A-string.

Try applying the hover technique to a C to G chord change:

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While playing the C chord, as shown in the chord diagram above, get ready to change to the G chord by hovering your index finger over the 2nd fret of the C-string. In a similar manner, position and press your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the bottom A-string, while playing the C chord (behind your ring finger).

When it comes time to switch to the G chord, press down your index finger on the C-string and life up and move your ring finger to the 3rd fret of the E-string. Since you’re middle finger is already in position on the 2nd fret of the bottom A-string, you’re ready to play a G chord!

Takeaway: Always think a chord ahead as you play a song. Setting up chords using the hover technique is an excellent way to anticipate chord changes allowing you to make smoother, faster changes.

3.) Thinking Outside the Box With Alternate Finger Positions

The hover technique won’t always work in all cases. Some chords are just more difficult to play and require more creativity.

For example, how do you prepare to switch from a G to F chord?

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The G chord requires you to use three fingers to play the chord: index, middle and ring fingers. This leaves only your little finger free to “hover” and prepare for the next chord. How do you set up and prepare to switch from a G to F chord more easily?

Consider using an alternate finger position to play the G chord. The numbers below the chord diagram (numbers 1-4) are only used as suggested fingerings. In certain songs or chord progressions, you might consider using an alternative finger position to play a chord to more easily switch to the chord that follows.

In the example of changing from a G to F chord, consider playing a G chord making use of your little finger, freeing up your index finger, as shown in the following chord diagram:

Playing a G chord like this allows you to then hover your index finger over the 1st fret of the E-string preparing you to switch to the F chord that follows. Then, all that is required to play the F chord is to move your middle finger up to the 2nd fret of the top g-string and lift up your other fingers off the frets.

Let’s look at one more example of using alternate finger positions in action.

A tricky change can be from a C to D7 chord, as seen in the song I’ve Been Working On the Railroad (as seen in Your First Ukulele Lesson and Then Some).

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I prefer to simplify this chord change a bit.

To transition from a C to D7 chord, play the C chord, as shown in the above chord diagram. However, use an alternate position to play the D7 chord.

In the alternate D7 chord position, keep the ring finger on the 3rd fret of the bottom A-string, like in the C chord position, and use the middle finger to barre the strings instead of the index finger, as shown in the following chord diagram:

To change from the C to D7 chord, while the ring finger is on the 3rd fret of the bottom A-string playing the C chord, hover the middle finger over the 2nd fret of the top three strings to prepare to press down and barre the strings. In this way, to more easily make the transition, you use an alternative finger position for the D7 chord and the hover technique in combination.

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to a chord’s finger position. Playing a chord in an alternate finger position can work better in some cases, freeing up your other fingers to use the hover technique, and

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ultimately, allowing you to minimize pauses or hesitations between chord changes.

5 Chord Progression Practice ExercisesThese five practice exercises are based around common chord progressions in a few different keys.

These chord progressions find themselves in all sorts of songs in different arrangements, tempos and rhythms. If you get these chord progressions down, you’ll have a strong foundation for approaching thousands of songs!

A couple tips for practicing these chord progressions:

• Start simple with down strums. Just think about playing these chord progressions with a simple down-strum strumming pattern to a count of four: 1, 2, 3, 4. Once you get the chords down, consider practicing these chord progressions with other strumming patterns, such as some of those that I teach in the free video lesson 5 Effective Strumming Patterns For Beginners.

• Take it slow. Play through these chord progressions at a slow, easy-going tempo at first. The key is to focus on playing the chords cleanly and keeping steady, consistent timing.

• Rearrange the order of the chords in the progression. Once you’ve learned these chord progressions, take out a pencil and paper and rearrange the order in which you play through in the chords in the progression. This allows you to strengthen your skills in setting up and transitioning to and from chords in different arrangements.

• Remember the suggested fingerings are optional. Keep in mind that the suggested fingerings underneath the chord diagrams in these exercises are recommended and not required. You might find that an alternate finger position for a particular chord works best in the context of the chord progression.

Alright, let’s take a look!

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Chord Progression Practice Exercise #1

Chord Progression Practice Exercise #2

Chord Progression Practice Exercise #3

Chord Progression Practice Exercise #4

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Chord Progression Practice Exercise #5

A Few More Final Considerations About Chord ChangesIf after trying out these tips and tricks, you still find yourself wanting to smash the ukulele while trying to change between chords, don’t give up!

As I mentioned above, practice is key. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break and chances are when you come back to it the next day you’ll find it a little easier than the day before.

There are a few other things I’ve talked about in other places that affect your ability to change between chords smoothly. They’re worth touching on again briefly:

1. Check your posture. How you hold the ukulele greatly affects how smoothly you can transition between chords. Ensure the ukulele is in a secure comfortable, playing position. You don’t want the ukulele moving drastically as you change chords.

2. Hurting fingers improve with time. If you’re fingers are sore, give it time. Your fingers need a chance to build calluses and toughen up.

3. Go slow if you have arthritis. I’ve heard from quite a few people in the Ukulele Strumming Tricks course who struggle with arthritis. In talking with them, the best solution for improvement is practicing consistently in small chunks of time and taking breaks. If you have arthritis, it probably won’t be a deal breaker for being able to play the ukulele, but it is essential to be patient with yourself, go slow, and take your time.

Lastly, the best way to practice chord positions is by learning actual songs and putting chords into practice. The beginning challenges of learning to play

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chords and making smooth transitions tend to work themselves out over time and through practice. Don’t give up and don’t be discouraged.

For your benefit, on the last page of this document, I’ve included a one-page printout of the 24 most essential, common ukulele chords used to play thousands of songs on the ukulele. From the top to the bottom row, chords are ordered in their relative difficulty to play. The chords toward the bottom of the sheet make use of more barre chords and all four fingers.

If you can master these chords, you can approach nearly every song out there with confidence.

This sheet is by no means comprehensive but offers a good overview and reference for the most important chords used to play a wide variety of songs on the ukulele. To find more chords, please visit the Ukulele Tricks chord library.

To your success,

Brett McQueenhttp://www.ukuleletricks.com

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