Beginner Ukulele Chords Part 3: How to Play a G Chord

In this, the third part of the series on beginner ukulele chords, we’ll be taking a look at the G chord. This chord fits very well with the two chords we have looked at already in this series (C and F).

There are a huge number of songs that can be played using just these three chords. This chord structure crops up in everything from punk to blues to country to rock.

Play G Chord

The G chord is another step up in difficulty as it uses three fingers. First, put your third finger on the E string at fret 3. Then your second finger at fret 2 of the A string. And your first finger goes on fret 2 of the C string. You don’t need to fret the G string at all.

To test that you have every noted fretted correctly, play them all individually. If the E string doesn’t sound clear, don’t worry. Beginners often have trouble with that string. They often find that the string isn’t ringing clear because their ring finger is touching it and muting it.

To stop this, make sure that your ring finger is arching high above the string. In order you do this, you may need to adjust your left hand positioning a little.

To get it so your ring finger isn’t muting the E string, you will need to shift your hand position. If you position your thumb around the middle of the back of the fretboard you will be able to fret better and to change chords more quickly.

When To Play A G Chord

The G chord fits great with the C and F chords we’ve looked at already. It can quite often be found after these chords towards the end of the progression.

Using the G chord in this way adds a tension to the progression which creates a climax before the release that is created moving back to the home chord of C.

With some basic major chords covered, in the next part of our series we’ll be moving on to a new chord form: minor chords.