Any of these shapes can be used interchangeably. But if I wanted to substitute 6th chords for these plain majors, I’d play: G6, C6, D6.

So if I was playing a 1 4 5 in the key of G, I’d play: G, C, D. The major 6th family of ukulele jazz chords is a direct substitution for any MAJOR chord, regardless of key.

It’s easier if I include the chord diagrams as we work through some of the progressions so keep reading to get to the shapes. I’ll tell you where to put these shapes in this lesson, but if you want to know how to move them into any key, you should buy the book. They allow you to retain the core harmony, but also expand upon it for a more diverse sound. There are lots of options for substituting chords, but I’m going to show you three families of shapes that I think are the best starting point and cover 95% of the songs you might want to play on your ukulele.Ī substitution chord is simply a shape that you play in place of another – usually more boring – chord. Most of the magic of ukulele jazz comes from fancier voicings that highlight more interesting decoration notes in the chord. You could play any of the following jazz chord progressions with standard chord shapes and they would sound very plain.

To get started we’re going to need some… Jazz Chord Shapes for Ukulele From the common ukulele jazz chord shapes to common chord progressions to a songs you can use to learn the style. In this lesson I’m going to talk about the basics of playing chords that sound jazzy on your uke. The harmonies and sounds they evoke have an inherently pleasing sound. There are few ukulele chords that sound better than some standard jazz shapes played in a simple progression.

B flat on ukulele