Reading chord diagrams is easy when you know how. Hey – If ukulele and guitar players can do it, how hard can it be!
Once you learn how to read chord diagrams, you can quickly read just about any song you want, which is pretty cool. Let’s find out how.
A chord diagram is consists of a grid and dots. The top line of the grid represents the nut of the ukulele (the part the string go through at where the headstock connects to the neck).
The vertical lines represent the strings G-C-E-A from left to right. Imagine the ukulele is being held so the neck is pointing straight up.
The horizontal lines represent the frets. Usually there are four or five frets in a diagram.
The dots represent finger placement and often have numbers inside each one. The numbers show which finger to place on which fret. Fingers are numbered 1-2-3-4, which are the index, middle, ring, and pinky, respectively.
Here’s an example of the G7 chord as a chord diagram. See the triangle-shape and the numbers. See if you can finger out how to create this, then watch the video and see if you got it right.
NOw you can read a chord diagram? If you’re shaking your head, just watch the following video, which will explain the entire concept. (It’s way easier than learning from this post, but you had to read to this point to finger that out!)
