Finger Placement — Beginner Ukulele Chord Chart
The twelve easiest chords, in the order to learn them · every finger named and placed · tap to see & hear
How to play
- Every chord here spells out exactly which finger goes where, in words, underneath the diagram — “index finger on the E string, fret 1” — as well as showing it on the neck. Fingers are numbered 1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = little.
- Start here lists the twelve chords in roughly the order worth learning them. C is first because it needs one finger. Then Am (one finger), F (two), G and G7 (three). Those five alone will get you through an enormous number of songs.
- Press with the very tips of your fingers, nails short, and arch your knuckles so the pads do not flatten onto the neighbouring string. Put the finger just behind the fret wire, not on top of it and not halfway back — that is the single biggest cause of buzzing.
- The ◯ above a string means leave it open — do not touch it, just let it ring. Strum all four strings unless a × says otherwise.
- Tip — change between two chords slowly, over and over, watching your hand. Speed comes from the shape becoming automatic, not from trying to move fast.
- Tap a chord to see its shape and hear it strummed across the four strings.
- The row of grey buttons picks the chord type — Common holds the twelve every beginner learns, and the rest give you all twelve roots of that type: Major, Minor, 7th, m7, maj7, 6th, m6, sus2, sus4, dim7, m7♭5 and aug. That is 144 chords in total.
- A thick bar across the diagram means a barre — lay one finger flat across those strings and press them all at once. The number on the bar is the finger to use (nearly always your index).
- Some shapes sit further up the neck. When they do, the nut disappears and a label like 5fr tells you which fret the top row of the diagram is — count up from there.
- Reading the diagram — thick bar on top is the nut; the four vertical lines are the strings g, C, E, A (left to right). Dots show where to press, and the number is the finger. ◯ = open, × = don’t play.
- Tuning is re‑entrant: the g string is higher than the C string, so the strings aren’t low‑to‑high left‑to‑right — that’s normal for a ukulele.
- Strum re‑plays it (tap the diagram too). Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
- Tip 1 — C is the easiest (one finger); start there, then try Am and F. Those three plus G7 already cover a lot of songs.
- Tip 2 — if a barre chord buzzes, roll the finger slightly onto its bony side and move it closer to the fret wire. Pressing harder is rarely the fix.
This is an interactive chart that will help you listen to the sounds of ukulele chord as well as see their shape. It’s smooth to navigate both with your keyboard or mouse. Simply click on one of the chord buttons to play its strum and show you diagram. To move around just hit Space/Enter or simply tab to each chord button in the grid.
There are three main areas: a row of buttons that select type of chord, a grid containing various chords, and a large panel on the right that shows selected chord in detail. Initially, it displays a selection of popular chords in what it thinks is best order to learn them. Alternatively, you can change this by selecting either major or minor, for example, which will show all twelve keys across the same range. Tapping on a type button swap the underlying grid for those types.
How to Use the Ukulele Chord Chart
The left side contain buttons and a grid, while the large panel on the right show the selected chord in detail. This is displayed as a neck diagram. Numbers refer to index, middle, ring and little fingers. Dots show where each finger go. Open circles over strings are played open, and crosses represent muted strings.
Underneath the diagram are the following step-by-step instructions. These instructions tell you exactly what string and finger to play on that string. Then, it detail the notes within the chord. This helps you connect the physical shape to the music theory behind it.
The slider allow you to control the volume (handy when practicing late at night). The strum button plays the chord that you have chosen. Clicking on the neck diagram will allow you to strum too. The Fullscreen button increase the size of the widget so you can see it better. The How to play button display a help panel that gives some tips about how to play and where your fingers should of go.
Beginning with a single-fingered C, you can then add in some simple shapes such as F and Am. Slowly work through changing from one to another. Keep your fingers down as close to the fret as possible without any buzzing. It won’t be long before you find that your muscle memory has formed into something naturaly and speedy.
Make the sound comfortabley with the volume control. If something feels uncomfortable, refer back to written directions. It’s made as a confidence builder. Click on each of the chords and listen to how they differ. Before long your hands pick up shapes naturaly.