The e chord is every beginner ukulele histrion's nemesis. Players will become to swell lengths to avoid playing an E chord on ukulele. Information technology'due south not uncommon for people to play an E7 in it'due south place or just to transpose a vocal completely. Check out my guide to helping you get to grips with the e chord…

Can't I just permanently avert playing an E chord?

In a word, no. Well technically you lot could but yous shouldn't. Why place that restriction on yourself? That's similar saying y'all're only e'er going to play downwardly strums because up strums are a niggling bit tricky. Information technology's hugely limiting to you and your ukulele playing. Get to grips with the E chord and you lot'll never need to transpose songs or driblet in an E7 that might non piece of work anyway.

The skilful news…

Hither comes the good news, simply like every chord in that location are multiple means to play an Due east (otherwise known every bit chord inversions) and some are easier to fret than others. It's a case of selecting the one that fits into what y'all're playing and which chord you're transitioning from. Here's 3 of them (there are more though)…

Alternative E Chords Ukulele

Looking at the chord boxes in a higher place, information technology'southward the first Eastward chord that unremarkably strikes fear into a players heart. Essentially this version of an Eastward is a D chord shifted upwardly 2 frets. I personally almost never play this version of the e chord they way I've shown information technology in the diagram. More oftentimes than not I volition play this chord with 2 fingers using my third finger to bar strings 2,three and iv of fret 4. It takes a piddling getting used to, and again I would recommend using the 60 second chord changes method daily to get this version downward.

The second version of the Eastward chord shown to a higher place is quite different and in that location's no barring involved (phew). I'chiliad more likely to call on this shape when I'm coming from a chord that shares similar fretting positions. A Chiliad chord is a practiced example, yous get to leave your second finger where it was.

Finally, and in my opinion the easiest manner to play an Eastward – simply bar all the strings at fret four with your kickoff finger so use your pinky to hold down fret 7 of the A string (help playing barre chords hither). If you're coming from a bar chord then it makes sense to stay with another bar chord and the transition should exist relatively like shooting fish in a barrel. The but real upshot with this version is that it can audio a piddling foreign if you've been playing open chords before it (but attempt information technology and see) and it tin can also be a bit of a jump moving iv frets higher.

More options to master the E chord

There are more means to play an East on ukulele but we'll stick with those for now. I'd highly recommend getting to grips with each 1. Over time you lot'll start to find that you develop a feel for which i you should be using in the context of the vocal that y'all're playing. Take a minute every day to work on your e chords – maybe fifty-fifty throw information technology into your practice routine, you'll accept them mastered in no time!

Extra – the really easy way to play an due east chord

E Chord Ukulele Easy WayIf you've read this far then congratulations, your advantage for reading on is this rather piece of cake way to play an eastward chord.

Find it'south the same as the rather difficult style to play an e chord but this fourth dimension we're either muting or merely not strumming the bottom (A) string. That's considering it's not necessary.

This is where a bit of chord construction knowledge comes in handy. Fear not though, I'll save the lesson on chord structure for another day. All y'all demand to know is, a major chord consists of just 3 notes. So that's all we need.

Ordinarily nosotros fret the A string at fret ii giving us a B only as we already have a B note fretted on the G string nosotros don't need to accept another in. Y'all tin simply leave it out and you've still got an E.