Ukulele Chords
Chords are where the ukulele really clicks. Learn a handful of shapes and you can play hundreds of songs, which is the whole magic of this little instrument.
This is your home for everything chords. Start by learning to read a chord diagram, get the essential beginner shapes under your fingers, then work up to bar chords and the dreaded E. If a shape is giving you trouble there are tricks to simplify it, and once the shapes feel comfortable the real skill is switching between them smoothly.
Want to look up a specific chord? The chord diagrams tool has every shape, and the chord namer tells you what you are playing. Pick a guide below and let’s get those shapes ringing.
All Chords guides
Read chord diagrams
Understand the strings, frets, dots and finger numbers.
Basic chords to know
Build C, Am, F and G, then add more useful shapes.
Simplify hard chords
5 tricks to skip the tough shapes and still sound right.
Faster chord changes
Five techniques to switch chords smoothly and in time.
Play bar chords
Technique and exercises for clean, ringing bar shapes.
How to play the E chord
The chord that scares everyone, broken down.
Seventh chords
The three 7th families, with the easy shapes that pay off fast.
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