The following interactive chord chart for Ukulele shows all chords in the A family and you can both see them and play back each one. The ukulele has a typical bright voice because it is tuned in key of GCEA (standard reentrant).
There are two methods of using the widget. You can simply tap on buttons and diagrams with a finger if on a touch screen or with your mouse pointer. If you prefer not to take your hands off the desktop, you can use computer keyboard as follows: Below the diagram is another view of just the tabs showing exactly which fret number correspond to each string. You can think of this like reading tablature or sheet music, it’s very clear and simple to understand.
How to Use the Ukulele Chord Chart
On top of main diagram there is also a larger version of the chords’ diagram. Here you have information relating specificly to the chosen chord shape. The vertical lines represent the four strings (from left to right they are G, C, E, A). The horizontal lines depict the frets across the neck of the ukulele. The dots indicates the position of your fingers and the numbers relate to conventional fingerings. If the dot has an open circle next to it then it means pluck that string open without holding down a fret. An X indicates a string you shouldn’t play.
Eleven possible chords is displayed in a grid at the bottom of the widget. They include Major, minor, 7th, sus, aug, dim, and others. All you have to do is tap a chord from the grid and it will be immediately reflected in the big diagram above. It highlights the chord that’s been chosen so you’re never unsure of what chord shape being shown. Tap them all quickly and you can see the difference between how they look (or sound) on the fretboard.
There are also two buttons specifically designed to play sound. One is called the Strum button, which plays all the strings at once. It’s like doing a rapid downstroke along the neck. So if you’re learning to play chords it gives you the whole sound of a chord. The other is the Arpeggio button that will then play up through each string individually. That allows you to hear how the notes combine but it can also be used as a practice tool when you want to work on your fingerpicking pattern, You can instantly change from one playing style to the other and try out some different rhythms.
There’s a volume slider located next to the play controls. You can drag this to set how loud the audio plays. Whether you’re working late into the night or are in a shared workspace, you don’t have to blast out the sound. This makes things more comfortabley. The audio engine was designed to mimic the brightness of a nylon string instrument. It has a synthesized pluck sound that gives instant feedback without needing an external device.
Keyboard shortcuts will speed up navigation too: Just hit the arrow keys to the left or right to scroll one position back or forward in the list of chords. Hit the space bar to play the chord (that way, you don’t have to take your finger from the mouse). To make room for diagrams on the screen, hit F to enter fullscreen mode which will then expand the widget to fit size of your window. That’s helpful if you like having as much screen space available as possible for the diagrams. The fretboard markers is also easier to see in this mode. Exit with another click of the dedicated button or hitting F again. A help panel explaining what all the visual symbols mean is accessible by pressing the question mark key.
A good place to begin using this is with a simple chord such as an A major, strummed around. If you listen carefuly you will hear all the notes ringing in unison. Next go into the arpeggio mode that separates the chord into its individual notes allowing you to hear melody inside the harmony. Notice also the difference in the voicing between the full A dominant 7th compared to the open A7.
If you find diagrams hard to read, use the tablature version below. It shows exactly which frets are used and whether specific strings is muted. The chart above is handy for developing muscle memory too. Close your eyes and see if you can recreate the shapes just using the number of fingers indicated by the dot in each position. Then play them either one note at a time or with a strumming pattern to develop hand coordination. It will respond right away, so you’ll be able to keep running through variations until you’re happy with a particular set of positions.
No judgment here. Hit a chord, hear how it sounds, and tweak it to match. Now go explore the variations. Feel your way around the grid, tapping on the ones that seem to fit well beneath your fingertips. If you want to scan through the list quickly just use the arrow keys. Turn up or down the volume as you want and try each style of playback. This is a tool intended to help you visualize and then hear the result in real-time. Get stuck in and play your very first chords today. You should of tried this sooner.