Ukulele Chord Changes - How to Make Them Smooth

The biggest challenge beginner ukulele players face is getting their chord changes quick and smooth. Too often players' strumming is halting whilst playing.

This article will give you a few tips on how to avoid this situation and bring together your chords to make smooth changes.

Tip 1: Play At A Slower Tempo

The biggest mistake most beginners make when learning the ukulele is trying to play too fast. Whenever you learn a new song, always start playing it at a snails pace. This will get your fingers used to making the changes.

If you're playing too fast, you will make mistakes. And the more mistakes you make, the more your fingers will repeat that same pattern and continue to make mistakes.

Tip 2: Strum Evenly

When you are strumming, make sure you strum slowly enough so that the chord changes fit between the strums and the music is smooth. At the beginning, this may mean you have to play exceptionally slowly. Don't worry about it.

Once you have it under your fingers, you can start to increase the tempo gradually. This will result in much smoother playing.

Tip 3: Prepare for the Changes

You should have in your mind and which chord comes next and how you're going to change to it. Think of ways you could make that change easier for yourself.

Take the change from a C chord to a G chord. With the C chord you'll be fretting the A string with your third finger. Whilst you're doing this, you could also be holding down the A string at the second fret with your middle finger - so it will be there already when you have to change to G.

Another preparation you can make is to have your fingers placed just above the string where they will have to be for the next chord. Now they will be much closer to where they need to be for the next chord.