A Chord Chart — Ukulele
Re‑entrant tuning g C E A · 4th string g on the left · the A‑chord family
How to play
- Tap a chord to see its shape and hear it strummed. Every chord here is rooted on A.
- Reading the diagram — thick bar on top is the nut; the four strings are g, C, E, A (left to right). Dots show where to press; the number is the finger. ◯ = open, × = don’t play.
- A major, Am minor, A7 dominant seventh, Amaj7 major seventh; Asus2/Asus4 replace the 3rd with the 2nd or 4th.
- Strum re‑plays it (tap the diagram too). Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
- Tip — A is two fingers; drop the middle finger for Am, and lift to the C string for A7.
A ukulele widget that allows you to try out all variations on an A chord in your browser, click on the chord with your mouse or trackpad (if you prefer something more tactile then you can play them on your computer keyboard instead). It also give you a clear visual demonstration of finger placement and immediately plays each voicing so you can hear sound too.
To get started, simply click on any of the chord names in the left-hand grid. Every button are a different version of an A chord, ranging from simple major and minor chords all the way through to trickier suspensions and sevenths. Once you’ve chosen your chord, the diagram will appear on the right giving you a clear indication of how to place your fingers. The numbers within the dots clarify which finger should of be used.
How to Use the Ukulele Chord Widget
To try a chord just click on the Strum button above/below the widget and the chord will be played for you. You can also tap straight onto the chord diagram which will produce sound too. That way you can choose a chord and instantly hear what that voicing sounds like. This lets you compare them easier.
Next to this is a strum button and volume slider. Use this to set how loud you want the artificial version of ukulele sound to be depending on where you are playing. Below the chord name, there’s a big preview section that displays the notes of the chord. This will give you an idea of exactly what is being produce with each shape.
If you’re more of a keyboard person, navigation is straightforward too. To move focus from one chord button to the next in grid, use Tab. When you have a chord selected, hit Enter or Space to pluck string and hear that chord played. You can cycle through all eight variation on the A chord without picking up your mouse.
The How to Play button opens up a quick reference guide that’s inside the widget. There it will explain all of the symbols used in the diagrams (e.g., open string vs. It explains all of the symbols used in the diagrams, such as an open string versus a muted note, so you can read the charts with confidence. You might forget something, like whether an X mean one thing or a circle means another. Pull out that panel.
Click the fullscreen button to expand chart to fill your whole screen. If you’re practicing playing along with a physical uke, this is nice for displaying chords on another monitor. To return to regular size, simply click the button again whenever you like.
Listen out for the change in mood when you switch from Am minor to A major. It completeley changes the nature of the harmony, all done by moving a single finger. Practise these seventh chord too and see what suits your songwriting. The suspended chords provides a kind of open sound that works well in progressions.
Use it as a way to learn to form shapes without taking out instrument. Seeing the numbers of fingers on the chart will help develop muscle memory for hand position. Learning to strum each chord over and over again also train your ear to pick up on different textures.
Pick out the common A major chord for example and strum it once or twice. Now work through the grid gently and hear change in sound with each option. The keyboard shortcuts will allow you to continue working without stopping.
Have fun experimenting with what the ukulele can do from the comfortly of this page.