All I can tell you ukers right now is that the guitar players are learning some very challenging chords while you all are taking a very pleasant stroll across the fingerboard of your instrument. Just kidding!! Everyone has absorbed two chords, the C and the G, and that is a big deal no matter which instrument you’re playing. In this lesson we’re going to add two more chords, the Am and the F - both fairly simple on the uke - and use them to play the Ben E. KIng classic “Stand By Me.” Notice as you play this how the sound of each chord seems to lead naturally to the next chord. In numerals the progression looks like this: I - VIm - IV - V but in the key of C, using the chord names, it looks like this: C - Am - F - G. You’ll probably notice a very familiar sound as you play these chords, most of the doo-wop songs of the 50’s and early 60’s used this progression. It’s musically satisfying and very, very social once you start plugging in different lyrics. “Teenager in Love,” “ Earth Angel,” “Sha-Boom,” and “Tonight, Tonight” are just a few of the well known songs that use this progression but we’ll stick with “Stand By Me” for now. OK, tune up and dig in so you can start showing off for the guitar players…

Dan Zanes

 

 

 

Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Ukulele