There comes a point in a ukulele player’s journey where one must face head on, with courage and bravery, that dreaded and difficult-to-play E major chord on ukulele.
By learning the E chord on ukulele, you unlock a whole new world of playing songs on the ukulele with the most notable song using the E chord being Hey Soul Sister by Train.
Don’t worry because together in this lesson we look at three of the best ways to play the E major chord on ukulele. I provide you with three variations of E major and give you the pros and cons of each, so you can learn how to play the E chord and determine which one is easiest for you.
Watch the video and learn how to play E major on ukulele.
How to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele: Variation #1
To play the E major chord on ukulele in this first variation, place the middle finger at the 4th fret of the top g-string, ring finger at the 4th fret of the C-string, and index finger at the 2nd fret of the bottom A-string. Let the E-string ring open.
How to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele: Variation #2
To play the E major chord on ukulele in this second variation, perform a barre by pressing your index finger on the top g-string, C-string, and E-string on the 4th fret and place the little finger on the 7th fret of the bottom A-string.
How to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele: Variation #3
To play the E major chord on ukulele in this third and most popular variation, perform a barre by pressing your index finger on all four strings on the 2nd fret and perform a barre by pressing your ring finger on the top g-string, C-string, and E-string on the 4th fret.
Be sure to watch the video to get tips for playing this tricky position.
How to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele: Variation #4
This fourth variation of the E major chord is the same chord as Variation #3 but uses a different fretting hand position.
To play the E major chord on ukulele in this fourth variation, place the middle finger at the 4th fret of the top g-string, ring finger at the 4th fret of the C-string, little finger at the 4th fret of the E-string, and index finger at the 2nd fret of the bottom A-string.
I recommend using this Variation #4 if you have small hands and fingers, but for those of us with larger hands and fingers (like myself), learning Variation #3 is better.
Was This Chord Too Hard to Learn?
The E major chord on ukulele is infamous for being the hardest chord to play on ukulele.
If you’re a beginner and this was too difficult, don’t be discouraged. I recommend starting with the free ukulele lesson book Your First Ukulele Lesson and Then Some where I teach you easy ukulele chords and how to apply those to strum and play actual songs.
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Hi Brett-
My fingers are too small to barre the E major chord as in Variation #3 and too large for Variation #4.
In Variation #4, instead of using fingers 2 and 3 to barre the 4th fret, I just use finger 3 to barre both the G and C. Pinky 4 still barres the 4th fret as you show. Produces a cleaner sound for me.
Thanks for the well-produced lessons.
-Scott (a ukulele newbie)
Great work, Scott. You’ve outlined another practical example of finding an alternative finger position to make a chord playable.
Nice topic, but your Variation 1 is not an E chord. It should be like Variation 3, giving B E Ab B not B E E B
True. If you wanted to be technical, Variation 1 is known as an E5 chord, since it contains just the root note and fifth scale degree in the chord (E and B). However, it’s a very suitable substitution, especially for songs written in the key of E major.
I never looked at it that way. Thanks.
Yahoo, I was hoping there was a way!!!! Thanks
Hi, Brett
Great vid. Thanks for suggesting alternative finger placements. My fingers aren’t that bendy yet so I appreciate different positions to try.
BTW, very cool uke strap. What is it? Can I order it?
Thanks,
Karen
I use the “Uke Leash” brand leather strap. It’s awesome!
Maaate …. the baritone gets no love from you …. how about incorporating big bad Barry as a supplement to its three spoilt cousins and share the love …. Easy peasy on a barra …. the e chord that is ! cheers big ears …. Ricky … Melbourne Australia.
I know, I know. I hear you baritone players. 🙂
My fingers are big as well. I play the barre on the 4th fret from the top with my thumb. On the 2nd fret i use the index finger. Works good for me.
Anything wrong with that?
Michael
Hey Michael, there’s nothing wrong with that per se, however, you may run into difficulties changing to and from this position quickly since the thumb is making a more drastic movement to hit this position. You may have to adapt for certain chord progressions, but if that position is providing good results for you, then go for it!
YEESH! lol
Haha, well said, Jean! This chord isn’t an easy one.
I thought position 1 was index on high g#
Hey Ted, there are multiple positions and variations to play this chord. What position are you referring to?
I like (don’t know if it’s a true E)
First fret G
2nd fret A
4th fret C
Yep, that works, Sarah! If you stack up the notes from the top g-string to bottom A-string in your example you get G#-E-E-B. Since an E major triad consists of the notes E-G#-B, this chord variation is perfectly acceptable as an E major chord.