Play Ukulele Tunes With Two Chords: C and G7

Parents Can Teach Lessons and Learn Baritone Uke with Their Child

Sep 24, 2008 Marcy Paulson

Parents and kids learn the new chord of G7 and practice smooth chord changing with two great songs for the ukulele.

Once parents and kids have learned to tune and hold their ukuleles properly, and are able to keep a steady rhythm while singing and strumming a C chord, they’re ready to throw in a chord change. In the key of C, that chord change is likely to be a G7.

What’s A Ukulele Player Need to Know about Keys?

The third part of this article introduced a song in the key of C. Most often, the key of a song is the note where the tune finds resolution, or the last note of the song. Once a song’s key is identified, accompanists have a good idea of the set of chords commonly used in that key.

So far, parents and children have played “Frere Jacques” in the key of C using only a C chord. In this article, they’ll learn two more songs in the key of C, but add a G7 chord to spice things up.

Play the G7 Chord on the Ukulele

To play a G7, only one finger is needed. Parents can help children press their left pointer finger on the E string before the first fret.

Changing Chords on the Ukulele

These two songs will change fingering from the C chord learned in part 3, to G7. It’ll feel awkward at first, but the more parents and kids practice, the smoother they’ll get.

An entertaining way to introduce chord changing with children is by playing a duet. Parents and kids sing together, but parents let their kids strum all the C chords until it’s their turn to take over with G7 or vice-versa. This method will end up in a few hilarious train wrecks, but it’s a lot of fun.

Two New Songs to Play on the Ukulele

There’s only one chord change in the songs “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat,” and “The Farmer In The Dell.” In both songs, the switch to G7 doesn’t happen until the very last line. Just like in Lesson 3, Parents should direct their kids to strum only on the downbeats. These syllables are shown in all caps.

Row, Row, Row, Your Boat

(To find the first note, parents and kids can make a C chord and pluck the B string their pressing with their pointer finger.)

GENT-ly DOWN the STREAM.

MERR-ily, MERR-ily, MERR-ily, MERR-ily,

(G7) LIFE is BUT a (C) DREAM.

The Farmer In The Dell

(To find the first note, parents and kids can pluck the open G string.)

The (C) FARM-er in the DELL,

The FARM-er in the DELL,

HI-ho the DAR-io,

The (G7) FARM-er IN the (C) DELL.

Parents should congratulate themselves and their kids. They’ve learned to change chords and have three great songs for the ukulele under their belts. Once their able to keep a steady rhythm during chord changes, they’ll be ready for parts five and six of this article introducing a few more challenging songs in the key of C and a jazzy new strum pattern.

The copyright of the article Play Ukulele Tunes With Two Chords: C and G7 in Musical Instruments is owned by Marcy Paulson. Permission to republish Play Ukulele Tunes With Two Chords: C and G7 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.