An easy introduction to jazz chords!

At last I am starting to get my head round jazz chords. If you haven't come across jazz chords yet, try this for starters!

Play the simple chord progression C, Am, Dm, G7 a few times. Now we'll change them to jazz chords..

C Am Dm G7 becomes CM7 (also notated CMaj7) Am7 Dm7 G7

C becaomes CM7. For CM7, simply move from the C chord down to the 2nd fret. That's CM7, or C Major 7.

Am becomes Am7. For Am7, simply play all open strings.

Dm becomes Dm7. For Dm7, finger Dm but add the C with the little finger (pinky) as if playing a C chord. That's Dm7.

Then play G7 as normal.

In their simplest form, jazz chords are major 7ths and minor 7ths. And as you've just discovered, a major 7th is not the same as the usual 7th chords that we learn as part of the basic chord library. Those are actually dominant 7ths!

There are lots more jazz chords... but this'll do for an introduction!

Doug Frink - original song, "You Might've Guessed, I'm in Love"

I don't know why, but it always gives me huge pleasure to hear an original song or instrumental played on a ukulele by the composer. I think perhaps part of it is the feeling that the ukulele itself is part of the inspiration, the instrument is such a joy to play.... and I think the very nature of it just brings out the whole musician in us.

And here's another.... this song, written and sung here by Doug Frink, has a definite jazzy vibe about it to me. The chords are certainly jazz chords, and the song includes quite a few of those diminished chords that give such a 30's sound. I love it. Dedicated to his wife - that's the way to do it!

I asked Doug to tell me about himself and the song. He writes:

"Although I've been an amateur musician most of my life, I started getting serious about the ukulele about 5 years ago after taking it along on a backpacking trip to Yosemite. My brother-in-law brought a small guitar, and we had some great fireside jams, and I decided to really learn to play. Along the way I discovered Ukulele Underground, and started writing songs and posting videos to YouTube, it's really been great fun.

This particular song developed one day when I was just noodling around. That descending progression seemed to just sort of fall into place, and I had most of the tune worked out in about half an hour. It reminded me of something from the 30s or 40s, so I added some old cultural references into the lyrics, and what could be more retro than a song about being in love? I forget how the tap dancing and baseball bat sound effects came to me, but they do seem to add to the fun."

I wish I could do that... one of these days, maybe I'll try....

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Jazz Chord Melody lesson

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, jazz chord melody lesson with tab by Aaron Crowell, courtesy of Andrew Kitakis of Hawaii Music Supply at theUkuleleReview.com

Important - uke tuned with a low G string.

I've always shunned Twinkle Twinkle, but this is a great jazzy arrangement, I love it. It's my sort of level, not for the absolute beginner but not beyond the reach of an "improver". There was a tab freely available for this lovely arrangement but no longer, I have just discovered.... (edit 4/Sept/13)



This is a great piece for focused practice - it's not a long piece but there are lots of specific points that you can focus on to improve your playing. I'll be writing more on the subject of practice very soon..... I'm quite fired up by some ideas...meanwhile, thanks for dropping in to share my uke time with me!

Ukulele Quote of the Day - and a new Ukulele Hero for me - Curt Sheller

"Woman is at a uke festival with a lovely soprano ukulele under her arm. Another woman walks up and gazes admiringly at the first woman's uke, at which point the woman holding the uke looks over and says with a smile; "I got it for my husband." Second woman nods and says, "good trade.""

Hadn't better show LSH (Long-Suffering-Husband) that one. He's actually about to make me a bacon sandwich....

But the quote - I found on a great website I've just been perusing - it's
Curt Sheller 'All Things `Ukulele and Jazz Guitar and it's well worth a good look.

For example - Curt invites us to learn a new chord every day of the year... and there are plenty of top quality free lessons on offer. This makes Curt Sheller a dead cert as a Ukulele Hero..

Jazz on Uke - Great Chord Progression, three positions!

One of my personal targets a few months back, to make some real progress on the ukulele was to learn some chords up the neck of the uke - and I also wanted to get some jazz chords under my belt. They just sound so cool! Thanks to Marcy Marxer in Hawaii, here's not only a great sounding jazz chord progression, but she shows us three positions - the common positions low on the neck, and then two more positions going higher. It's a great tutorial video....

The chord progression is C6 - C#dim - Dm7 - G7. That sounds really good - but up the neck it's even better.

Thanks, Marcy! And - she's playing a Kala tenor.

"Bye Bye Blues" - Ukulele lesson tutorial by ukulelemike, Mike Lynch

I've been looking at the popular jazz standard "Bye Bye Blues", written by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray and published in 1930. More on the song here.

This lovely version, by ukulelemike, Mike Lynch, has quite a jazzy sound because of the chords chosen... lots of 7ths and minor 7ths. Mike puts the chords up on the video, which is really helpful when you're trying to follow it...

For ease, here they are in order

A - F7 - Em - F#7 - B7 - E7 - A - Cdim7 - Bm7 - E7

Next time .... another great version of Bye Bye Blues, a couple of tutorial videos by Matthew Richards for playing Bye Bye Blues melody-style, using basic chords. You can take your pick!

An eventful sort of week, in many ways...

To all those who follow me here or otherwise click on a webpage during a search and arrive somewhat bemused on one of my pages .... well, welcome and thanks! I'm on a journey of discovery and delight with my ukuleles and am happy for you to tag along with me here.

Hint - look at the label cloud at the bottom of the page - it shows you what I've posted on different subjects... click the label to see the related posts.

It has been a funny week... I got my computer sorted and upgraded, installed a webcam and posted my first Youtube video; I discovered the talent and history of Roy Smeck for the first time, thanks to a video a fantastic player posted on the Ukulele Underground Forum; I have been called "sassy" (for writing a blog) and "dynamic" (for organizing stuff)... people who know me better would probably choke over their cup of tea!

I have been given a surprise gift of a CD by Jake Shimabukuru by someone I've met only once... how lovely! I can't get over that - and I have just added "Taking a Chance on Love" to my "Summerhouse Practice List". What a great song - full of minor 6ths and minor 7ths... what delicious chords - had to go and play them down LSH's (Long-Suffering-Husband's) ear as he sat working at his own PC...

The summerhouse - yes, the sun is out, it's gorgeous, and I have sat for a while playing my uke down there, in the tranquility of the garden. Bliss. What a difference a little sunshine makes....

I've resolved to bite another bullet today; my lovely 90 year old vintage Slingerland banjo-uke has to be tackled. I was told at the GFS Convention that it needed some adjustments, but - in true style, I have been putting it off.

Today's the day.

Sharp intake of breath.

You all have a great day now. Or Evening. Whoever and wherever you are. And if you've got a uke - do play it today! :)

Pennies from Heaven for Ukulele - Tutorial by Ukulelemike

I've never known a summer when it has rained so much. The whole of April - the whole of June - and it hasn't stopped so far in July. Well it has - for a few minutes here and there, just while another cloud rolls in off the Atlantic. One minute the sun is actually shining, and you look again and the rain is pouring down. The sky is a patchwork in shades of grey, white and a little blue, but darkest grey predominates. Early this evening the sun was shining while the rain fell really heavily - the edge of a cloud I suppose. But not usual.

There have been some incredible rainbows, really bright, and double ones... a little beauty to behold, while you remind yourself that elsewhere at other times, people actually have lost their homes and their lives in flooding. So it's not so bad, and I must stop moaning.

One of my favourite old songs is Pennies from Heaven, (1936) by John Burke and Arthur Johnston.

I found this great tutorial video from ukulelemike, Mike Lynch, my favourite ukulele teacher! This arrangement has some lovely minor 7th and diminished chords - delicious! Just the thing to chase those rainy blues away.



Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven
Don'tcha know each cloud contains pennies from heaven?
(You'll find your fortune fallin' all over town)
(Be sure that your umbrella)
Is upside down

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love, you must have showers
(So when you hear it thunder) Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from heaven for you and me

(Every time it rains, it rains) Pennies from heaven
(Don'tcha know each cloud contains) Pennies from heaven?
(You'll find you fortune fallin') All over town
(Be sure that your umbrella) Is upside down

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love you must have showers
(So when you hear it thunder) Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from heaven for you and for me

I haven't found the link to the chord sheet, but the tutorial is great - I'm hoping to get this under my belt eventually, but a chord sheet would be really useful.

And here's a few more songs about the rain.....

Just Walkin' in the Rain
I'll Do my Cryin' in the Rain
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head
It Might as Well Rain Until September
Pennies from Heaven
April Showers
Drip Drip Drop Little April Shower
Let a Smile be Your Umbrella
Bus Stop (Wet day, she's there....) - The Hollies
Singin' in the Rain
Raining in my Heart
Stormy Weather
Don't Rain on my Parade
Rainy Night in Georgia
Rhythm of the Rain
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

A new Ukulele Hero, with Jazzy Ukulele - Glen Rose

Busy day, quickie post - you'll see I've joined the Top 100 Ukulele Sites; did it a few days ago - have been staggered to see us climbing up to number 28 today - amazing! I think it's down to the great videos of my ukulele heroes! But going down the list of websites there, I came across Jazzy Ukulele, by Glen Rose. A new hero for me.

He's a jazz man. You know, all my life, jazz has been one of the few genres of music that I declared I didn't like - but I do love those jazz chords... the quirks inside the chord that take them out of the normal triad.... and the way a progression of jazz chords creates tension and then resolves it. Music is such a weird thing, the way it affects you...

Glen has a couple of fantastic free videos on his homepage. I watched them both and would recommend... I learned a lot. He uses a low G string - go on, read his page!

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy..... with ukulelemike

At last, summer has arrived in the UK - wall to wall sunshine today, coast to coast, temperatures 24 - 26 degrees everywhere, just about.... and it's gorgeous. I turned to my uke in October last year, to get me happily through the plunge of the sun into winter - I'm just a spring and summer person - and apart from some lovely and unseasonably warm weather in March, it has been downright chilly, damp and miserable. But now - gorgeous. The leaves are all beautifully fresh and green, the birds are chasing each other about, utterly "twitterpated" (Bambi - remember?) and at last this morning I was coaxed away from my ukulele for an hour or so to give the garden some much-needed attention before it actually got too hot!

And - "Porgy and Bess" is coming to Birmingham in a couple of weeks, courtesy of Cape Town Opera. LSH and I are big Gershwin fans, and we've just bought our tickets; can't wait!

The song "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess is such a wonderful song - I looked for a ukulele version - and came up with this from one of my ukulele heroes, Mike Lynch. Click here for much more information on the song and a tutorial with chords.

Mike Lynch - you are wonderful!

My second Ukulele Hero - Mike - Mike Lynch

When I hear music, one of the things that will always stop me in my tracks is interesting chords. While pootling around on my ukulele, trying to figure out the chords for a particular song, I've discovered that, try as I might, sometimes the right chord just can't be found. And I've realised that when that's the case, it's because the chords are not the straightforward major, minor or 7th chords - they're something else. I'm not going to get technical here - I'm not capable of getting too technical about it - but those elusive interesting chords are often associated with jazz. My appreciation of jazz is rather limited - but I drool over those interesting chords. When you're reading the chords for a song, they're the ones with "aug", (augmented), "dim" (diminished) or "sus"(suspended) after them - or a number like 6, 9 or 13.

Yesterday I showcased Mike Lynch's arrangement of "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin. The jazz chords in it are A aug (A+) and Bbm6. Delicious! There's no doubt in my mind that Mike is one of the best and most inspirational teachers of Ukulele on the net, and I would wholeheartedly recommend his videos on Youtube.

If you like those interesting jazzy chords, just watch ukulelemike's first jazz chords video for the ukulele. I can't fault his MO. His love of the ukulele, of the music, and of teaching it just shine through. A ukulele hero. Hail Mike! I wish you Blue skies.

To watch ukulelemike's first video on jazz chords for the ukulele, click here. He also goes by the name MusicTeacher2010.

JAZZ UKULELE TUTORIALS by “UKULELE MIKE” LYNCH