72 – Another Way To Learn Basic Chords

In this post: Learn basic chords

Note: If you are new to the ukulele, I suggest you read the posts in the order in which they are numbered.

I'm baaaaack. Sorry to be away so long. My saxophone trio, the Winded Jammers, has kept me busy. We've had a bunch of concerts lately and have expanded our group to five by adding a bass guitar and bongos. I'm looking to expand our capabilities, which has gotten me back to the uke and the tenor banjo. I'm looking into amplifying a uke, or getting one already setup, such as a solid body Eleuke.

Meanwhile, I came across an idea on the Banjo Hangout forum. The author of the post explained his methodology for learning chords when he was starting out. I like it because the sequence is fun to play. Basically, he played a I-VI-II-V-I major chord progression and a I-vi-ii-V-I major/minor chord progression. For example, this would give you sequences like:

Major:

G – E7 – A7 – D7 – G
C – A7 – D7 – G7 – C
F – D7 – G7 – C7 – F
Bb – G7 – C7 – F7 – Bb

Major/minor:

G – Em7 – Am7 – D7 – G
C – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 – C
F – Dm7 – Gm7 – C7 – F
Bb – Gm7 – Cm7 – F7 – Bb

Eventually you would want to start in all 12 keys. You can use the circle of fifths to figure out the remaining sequences.

Later