Note 5, Learning Chords Up and Down the Fretboard, Part 3 of many: He who knows, and knows not he knows...

...he is asleep, wake him. Or so the proverb goes.

These are a few things that, once pointed out to me, I realized I already knew, but I didn't appreciate how much they applied to mastering the fretboard.

If the ukulele is like the first four strings of a guitar capoed at the fifth fret, then the ukulele capoed at the seventh fret is like a guitar, only an octave higher. That is, the notes at the 7-th fret are DGBE!

There are three places on the ukulele where there are no accidentals (sharps or flats):

• the nut, or zero fret, (GCEA), as we all know,
• the 7-th fret (DGBE) as we've just seen, and last,
• the 5-th fret, (CFAD).
• Everything repeats once we get to the twelfth fret.

Most of us know many first position chords and are comfortable moving from one to another. The same relative changes work all the way up the neck. For example consider, A (2,1,0,0) to D (2,2,2,x) [three string version]. If the A chord is made by using the middle and ring fingers, the index finger is available to be used as a bar, making the chord moveable. So, for example, (5,4,3,3) is the A chord moved up three frets making it, Bb, B, C. It's C! If one now does the same thing one did moving from A to D, the new chord (5,5,5,x) must be an F! You can see that by counting frets D, Eb, E, F, but it also follows automatically from changing the A shape to the D shape.

Note 4, Learning Chords Up and Down the Fretboard, Part 2 of many: The C, A, G, F, D System.

Note 3 discussed the CAGFD chord shapes. The CAGFD system is a way to find the same chord in different shapes up and down the neck. The concept is illustrated in this diagram from ukulelesafari.com.

from http://ukulelesafari.com/uploads/TIPS_1.zip (accessed February 7, 2016)

The key to the system lies in the order of the letters in CAGFD. The best way to remember it is by observing how similar it is to the word CAGED, which is what the system is called on the guitar. CAGED becomes CAGFD by dropping the bottom horizontal bar from the "E".

THe CAGFD system is based on the observation that when working up the neck,

• the C shape of a chord will be followed by the A shape,
• the A shape of a chord will be followed by the G shape,
• the G shape of a chord will be followed by the F shape,
• the F shape of a chord will be followed by the D shape,
• the D shape of a chord will be followed by the C shape,
• and keeps on going that way until there are no more frets.

If you can follow this next simple piece, all the rest will be mere detail.

Consider the first position C chord, (0003). The next place the C chord appears is as an A shape at (5433). And that's the CAGFD system: C shape followed by A shape followed by G shape followed by F shape followed by D shape. Here it is spelled out for C major.

• The first position C major is (0003).
• The next place the C chord appears up the neck is an A shape at (5433).
• The next place the C chord appears up the neck is a G shape at (5787).
• The next place the C chord appears up the neck is an F shape at (9787).
• The next place the C chord appears up the neck is a D shape at (12,12,12,10).
• The next place the C chord appears up the neck is a C shape at (12,12,12,15), if there are that many frets.

The same exercise for G is GFDCA, which is CAGFD wrapped around to start at G.

• The first position G major is (0232).
• The next is an F shape at (4232).
• The next is an D shape at (7775).
• The next is an C shape at (7,7,7,10).
• The next is an A shape at (12,11,10,10).
• The next is an G shape at (12,14,15,14), if there are that many frets.

All that remains is to explicitly note how the shapes overlap.

• C to A: The bar for the A shape starts at the note on the 1-st string where the C shape ends.
• A to G: The A and G shapes share the note on the 4-th string
• G to F: While very dissimilar fingerings may be used for the two shapes, they share the same notes on strings 1, 2, and 3. They differ only in the note on 4-th string.
• F to D: The only case where there is no overlap. The note on the 1-st string of the D shape lies one fret up the neck than the note on the 4-th string of the F shape.
• D to C: The shapes differ only in the note on the first string. It lies two frets below the bar for the D shape and three frets above the bar for the C shape.

The theory is that memorizing the way in which shapes are related will allow you to know the location of any chord anywhere on the neck. Maybe for some, but it doesn't work for me. If I need a chord up the neck, I don't have time to do the mental calculations before the need passes. Perhaps, its value lies in making it easier to learn where specific chords in specific places, It is interesting to compare the CAGFD system to Calvin Chin's Ukulele Breakthrough (see Note 3). The CAGFD system would have us learn every location of a specific chord, where Chin would have us learn which chord results from moving a specific shape up and down the neck. I find Chin's Breakthrough method works much better for me. However, as they say on the Internet, YMMV.

Because the ukulele has 4 strings compared to the guitar's 6, some have advocated for a more compact system, which is often called GDB. The B shape is the same as the A shape, so GDB is equivalent to GDA. This makes GDB (GDA) a simplified version of CAGFD. That is, GDA is GfDcA, which is cAGfD wrapped around.

Note 3, Learning Chords Up and Down the Fretboard, Part 1 of many: The C, A, G, F, D major chord shapes.

In order to learn chords up and down the neck, it is necessary to learn the notes on the fretboard.

One approach to learning chords is based on a system known as CAGED for the guitar, which becomes CAGFD for the ukulele. It begins by recognizing that there are essentially 5 basic chord shapes for major chords. They're named by the chords they form in the first position, that is, closest to the nut.

Each of these shapes can be made into a movable chord when it is slid up the neck by using a the index finger as a bar (except in the case of "D"). For example, take the C shape and slide it up the neck two frets (remembering to bar the 2-nd. 3-rd, and 4-th strings). (0003) becomes (2225) and the C major chord becomes a D major (C to C#/Db to D).

There are many ways to look at it. Focusing on the major chords only:

• The chord produced by the C major shape gets its name from the note on the 1-st string.
• The chord produced by the A major shape gets its name from the note on the 1-st string.
• The chord produced by the G major shape gets its name from the note on the 2-nd string.
• The chord produced by the F major shape gets its name from the note on the 2-nd string.
• The chord produced by the D major shape gets its name from the note on the 3-rd string.

The scheme could be expanded a bit.

• The chord produced by the C major shape also gets its name from the note on the 3-rd string.
• The chord produced by the A major shape also gets its name from the note on the 4-th string.
• The chord produced by the G major shape also gets its name from the note on the 4-th string.

but I'm not sure it helps. Trying to memorize too much can lead to overload, better to learn it by repetition playing.

The scheme for 7-th and minor chords are different For example, in C7=(0001) the C appears only on the 3-rd string, while in Cm=(5333), C appears on both the 1-st and 4-th strings. It has been suggested that one memorize a system for each type of chord.

Calvin Chin, in his delightful book Ukulele Breakthrough, suggests grouping forms by string! For example, the note on the first (A) string names

• the major chord resulting from moving the first position C shape,
• the major chord resulting from moving the first position A shape,
• the minor chord resulting from moving the first position Am shape, and
• the minor chord resulting from moving the first position D7 shape.

There is something to be said for picking a system and sticking with it. There is also something to be said for picking up a little bit here and there. Whatever leads to an "Aha!" moment is good!

These are the chords, but it is not the CAGFD system. We'll see that next time.

Exercise

Pick a simple three chord song.

• Play it by using chords rooted on the first string only.
• Play it by using chords rooted on the second string only.
• Play it by using chords rooted on the third string only.
• Play it by using chords rooted on the fourth string only.

For example, if the song were in C, the three chords would be C=(0003), F=(5558), G=(7,7,7,10).

(You can transpose to a different key
if the chords would drive you too far up the neck.)

Note 2: Ukulele Songbooks

Pixelated

There isn't much need for a post like this. Enter "ukulele songbook" in Google (without quotation marks) and you'll get so many songs that there's a real danger of being swamped by them. You run the risk of spending more time managing the songbooks than playing their songs! That said, there are three sites worth investigating. If you start with these, it may be unnecessary to go anywhere else!

• Dr. Uke has over 1,500 songs in PDF files. It also has baritone ukulele versions. The site has been archived at archive.org, so the content will continue to be available should the link stop working.
• Richard G has over 1,200 songs in PDF files. The site has been archived at archive.org, so the content will continue to be available should the link stop working.
• A trip to Jim's Ukulele Songbook will get you a songbook containing over 1,200 songs. The songs on Dr Uke and Richard G's sites are intended to be downloaded one at a time. Jim's songbook is a single file containing all of Jim's songs. This songbook, too, has been archived.

The Ultimate Guitar Archive is a great complement to these sites. It's the place to start if you're looking for a specific song. Some may remember the Online Guitar Archive (OLGA). It was shut down by music publishers for violating their copyrights. The Ultimate Guitar Archive, however, operates under an agreement with the Harry Fox Agency, which represents over 44,000 publishers.

Paper

As with online songbooks, there's really no reason why one needs a ukulele version UNLESS one wants ukulele chord diagrams accompanying the tunes. Many ukulele songbooks--way too many--are nothing more than guitar songbooks with guitar chord diagrams replaced by ukulele chord diagrams. I'm of two minds about this. OT1H, why not? The buyer gets the songs and the diagrams that make the songs easier to play. OTOH, see note 1.b. (The ukulele is NOT like the first four strings of a guitar capoed at the fifth fret!). One would hope that a publisher would have the courtesy to make the arrangements sound a bit more ukulele-like.

There seems to be--you'll forgive me my observation--considerable price gouging going on. There are too many songbooks where the cost per song seems exorbitant, especially when all that is done is replacing guitar chord diagrams with ukulele chord diagrams. Using current Amazon prices and not naming names, many songbooks come it at about 33 cents per song. Two notable exceptions are The Daily Ukulele and The Daily Ukulele Leap Year Edition, which cost out at a bit less than 14 cents per song.

Note 1.b. The ukulele is NOT like the first four strings of a guitar capoed at the fifth fret!

How many times have I looked at a long string of chords in a piece of ukulele sheet music with my first thought being how to simplify it. Yet, simplifying often removes the part that makes the ukulele shine...without making things simpler!

Consider the sequence

[G] [Gmaj7] [G6] [Bbdim] [Am7] [D7] (2 beats on each chord except for the last two, which get 4 each)

Hoo-boy! In the past, I might have looked at that and said, [G] for 8 beats, [Am] for 4 beats, [D7] for 4 beats... Yeah, that's it! And it would have worked, after a fashion. But, then I might as well have been playing cowboy chords on a guitar. (Not that there's anything inherently wrong with cowboy chords on a guitar. They've served me well. But, this is a ukulele arrangement and I've just removed everything ukulele about it!)

If we take a closer look at the sequence, we see

The only thing the intimidating sequence [Gmaj7] [G6] [Bbdim] [Am7] is doing is letting our fingers go for a walk!

• The [Gmaj7] has us moving from the 3rd fret of the second string to the 2nd fret.
• The [G6] removes a finger from the second string, effectively moving from the 2nd fret to the 0th fret (the nut).
• The [Bbdim] moves the fingers on the first and third strings one fret closer to the nut.
• The [Am7] has us remove our fingers from the first and third strings.

It's a lovely finger dance that says, "You're listening to a ukulele."

Note 1.a. The ukulele is like the first four strings of a guitar capoed at the fifth fret!

The notes on the first four strings of a guitar are (D,G,B,E).
The notes on the first four strings of a ukulele are (g,C,E,A).

1. The notes on the first four strings of the guitar capoed at the first fret are (D#,G#,C,F).
2. The notes on the first four strings of the guitar capoed at the second fret are (E,A,C#,F#).
3. The notes on the first four strings of the guitar capoed at the third fret are (F,A#,D,G).
4. The notes on the first four strings of the guitar capoed at the fourth fret are (F#,B,D#,G#).
5. The notes on the first four strings of the guitar capoed at the fifth fret are (G,C,E,A).

The only difference is the ukulele's reentrant tuning, that is, the ukulele's 4-th string 'g' is an octave above the guitar's 4-th string 'G'.

This means that chord shapes formed on the first four strings of a guitar are also ukulele chords, but with different names. For example, the D chord on a guitar becomes a G chord on the ukulele, that is, a D chord moved up five frets (D=0,Eb=1,E=2,F=3,F#=4,G=5). The same holds true for any other guitar chords one might know. Guitar players can be confident that much of what they know carries over to the ukulele.

Note 0. Introduction

By way of introduction...

I first got serious with the ukulele in the late 1990s because of my interest in the popular music of the 1920s and '30s. I drifted away in the early 2000s to concentrate on Old Time music, the music of rural America in the 20s and 30s played on fiddle, banjo, and guitar.

I returned to the ukulele in 2014 as a result of chance encounters with other ukulele players. I found that the intervening years had changed everything...for the better! Back then, there were few sites devoted to the ukulele and not too many makers. Now, I can't count the latter and I doubt even Google can count the former. 

I had authored some ukulele web pages during my first go-around with the ukulele, but today they are obsolete. I considered taking them down entirely not only because they're obsolete, but also because they didn't seem to add anything to the pages that are already available. I'm finding two things, though.  The first is that too much can be a curse as well as a blessing. Sometimes the information I seek is spread out over a number of sites. forcing me to aggregate. The other is that I often find myself having "Aha!" moments and realizing...surprise...that I see things differently from the way others do.

That's what prompted this blog.  It won't be comprehensive.  It won't focus on any particular aspect of the ukulele. It will simply be a collection of observations that I feel worth recording in this Notebook in the hope that they will lead others to their own "Aha!" moments.