Okay, at this point in learning the uke, you might have learned that there are some really easy chords to play, that sound really great on the uke! One of the easiest is C, it’s only one finger. It was probably the first one you learned.
Maybe you learned F and A and Am afterwards…all easy chords.
But then you’re asked to learn this G chord and use your 3rd finger for the first time…. scary!
You play the G chord on the ukulele by putting your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the C string, your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the E string and your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the A string, leaving the G string open to ring out.
We’ll I’ll show you a great way to get started learning this chord, so you can easily start adding this chord, and tons of more songs into your repertoire.
Why does the G chord on my ukulele sound bad?
The G chord on your ukulele sounds bad because you just need more practice and more confidence! If you practice holding all three strings down at just the right pressure so that they each ring clear, and make sure that you leave the G string free, your G chord will start to sound excellent with just a bit of practice!
Since this chord is one of the more complicated “beginner” chords, you should expect that if you haven’t practiced it very much it might not sound as great as you want. So be sure to spend time practicing and building muscle memory for this chord, and before you know it it’ll sound just how you expect it to.
Also! Be sure that your ukulele is in tune! If your uke isn’t tuned right you’re never going to get it to sound as you would expect it to. Maybe all you need to do is adjust the tuning of your strings just a little bit and you’ll sound perfect.
How do you read ukulele chords?
You read ukulele chords by examining the chord diagram and putting your fingers in the positions identified by number, on the frets identified by number.
For example, in the chord diagram above, you’ll see a triangle shape of black dots, with the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on each dot. Those numbers on the dots are recommendations of which finger you should use to hold down those strings.
At the bottom of the diagram are numbers that correspond with the strings. Those numbers indicate which fret you’re supposed to be pressing the string down in front of. Frets 2 and 3 are the ones used in this chord, with one string left open and shown as a 0.
How do I stop my ukulele from buzzing?
You can stop your ukulele from buzzing by holding down on the string very close to the fret with just the right amount of pressure. Buzzing is caused by the ukulele string vibrating against the fret, when it shouldn’t be.
It’s most commonly caused if you have your finger too far away from the fret that you’re trying to hold the string down against. Maybe your fingers are close to the fret up above, and not giving quite enough pressure.
The secret to having a great sounding chord with no buzzing is to press down on the strings right behind the fret with just the tips of each finger. You also need to adjust the pressure to the exact right point.
If you don’t press down hard enough, then you’ll have trouble with the string vibrating against the fret giving the buzzing sound.
But if you press too hard, you might stretch the string and it’ll start to go out of tune.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of practice to get it sounding right, and your muscle memory will kick in letting you play a beautiful chord over and over again.