Practice

Your First Chords: C, Am, F & G7

Step 3 of 10 · Beginner Ukulele Path

Fret the famous first four — two of them need just one finger.

What you'll learn

  • Read a four-string chord box: strings, frets, dots, and O markers
  • Play C and Am with a single finger each
  • Add the two-finger F and the three-finger G7
  • Press just behind the fret so open strings ring clean

A ukulele chord box is a picture of the neck: four vertical lines are the strings (g, C, E, A from left to right), horizontal lines are frets, a dot shows where a finger presses, and an O above a string means "play it open". That is all the grammar you need today.

Start with the two one-finger wonders. C major is a single finger on the A string at fret 3 — strum all four strings and you are playing music inside a minute. A minor is one finger on the g string at fret 2. Then add F major (two fingers — it is Am plus one) and the first real shape, G7, a three-finger triangle. Press each string just behind its fret with the fingertip curled so the neighbouring open strings ring clear; if a note buzzes, nudge the finger closer to the fret rather than squeezing harder.

These four shapes — C, Am, F, G7 — carry an astonishing share of every singalong ever written, and the practice routine below drills them in a loop. When you want more, the ukulele chord library has a diagram for every root and chord type on your exact tuning.

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