Barre chords on ukulele, like Bm (B minor), present a lot of challenges, but they also present opportunities to improve your fretting hand technique.
Bm Ukulele Chord Diagram
If you can figure out a barre chord like Bm on ukulele, then, there’s no reason you can’t play dozens of other barre chords! That’s not to say barre chords are easy, but with the right approach, you can begin to get your fingers acquainted and comfortable playing barre chords.
And that’s what we’re doing today.
I’ve covered difficult barre chords before like Master the Bb Chord on Ukulele With These 3 Easy Steps, When to Play the Easy Hawaiian D7 Versus the Barre D7 Ukulele Chord, or 3 Best Ways to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele, but this chord deserves special attention.
Let’s take a look!
Overcome These 3 Biggest Bm Chord Challenges on Ukulele
In this lesson, I walk you through the three biggest challenges to playing the Bm chord, like not having the strings ring out or not being able to reach, and I show you how to overcome those with proper fretting hand position and technique.
By the end of the lesson, you’ll feel much more confident approaching Bm and other barre chords on ukulele.
Be sure to watch to the end of the video, because I offer a simple substitution whenever you come across a Bm chord in a song.
That said, take the time to practice this chord because you’ll be a stronger and more confident ukulele player in your jams knowing this chord!
This is very useful and encouraging. I struggle with barre chords. Thank you, Brett.
I’m very glad you found this so useful, Trish! Thanks for your comment.
Thanks Brett
I’m always interested in how others teach different chords. I do encourage placement of thumb further up the neck so that you get more leverage, less straight squeeze on the hand. Also, for barre chords, make sure you are holding the uke snuggly with strong arm which reduces need for hard squeeze with weak hand
That’s another great tip about holding the ukulele snuggly, which I forgot to mention. Thanks for sharing that here in the comments!
More of the same on different bar cords please and thanks
Good to know, Jane! I’ll see what I can do. Glad you enjoyed this.
Small hands guy still struggling but appreciated the bit about lowering & pushing the elbow forward to get that ring finger up there with less muting on the barre. Thanks
Keep working at it, Albert! The thumb and elbow position will really help and you might consider utilizing that little finger too. Glad this gave you some ideas.
Hi Brett,
The thing I learned from this video was how to place your thumb on the back of the neck of the uke. I have been playing for a few years and have never been instructed on how to actually hold the neck. I can get a cramp in my left hand sometimes and maybe it’s because I’m not holding the neck correctly. Thank you for this,
I’m glad I could help, Gwen! I didn’t mention it in the video but sometimes using a ukulele strap can really help to provide that extra stability to allow you to focus on comfortable and strong fretting hand position. That’s another thing you can try if you find yourself struggling with maintaining the thumb position behind the neck of the ukulele.
Ps. I am interested in a lesson on chord patterns.
For some strange reason I found doing this Bm chord easier than any other B chord. I especially liked using my little finger and get a reasonable sound this way.
Nice, Doreen! A lot of these tips and tricks can apply to other barre chords like Bb (e.g. using a full four-fret barre). I’m glad the little finger worked for you.
Option for Bm7 also useful. Thanks so much. We’ll sequenced instructions. And good tips.
Awesome, Szifra! Thanks for watching!
Great video! Maybe take one more step and show a transition to another chord that sometimes is in conjunction with Bm. I can do Bm but it is hard to transition to it from another chord. Any tricks or tips?
That could be a good followup video on changing to and from barre chords. Thanks for your comment!
I like the sequence about using the little finger; it needs all the remaining it can get. Any videos about moveable chords wilful defaulter be useful in the future.
Thanks Brett, and keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching, Ian!
You are awesome. Thank you for tips
Glad you enjoyed, Vickie! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the information. A lot can be used for other bits too.
My pleasure, Matt. A lot of these ideas can definitely be applied to other chords too.
I would love to learn more about moveable chords.I love your Videos Brett. Keep up the good work
Maureen Wedlock
Ok, good to know, Maureen! Thanks for watching.
Great tips Brett particularly thumb and wrist positioning. More moveable barre chords tips required please!
Good to hear, Lisa! Thanks for your comment.
So happy you suggest using little finger! Mine is quite strong (my ring finger is a bit twisted) but my last Uke teacher used to tell me off if I tried to use it.
Strange! The little finger can never be used too much I don’t think. It’s a very helpful finger in the fretting hand! Thanks for watching, P J.
Very helpful, Brett! You hit the target with my issues. Happy to leave my frustration behind.
Fantastic, Liz! That’s great to hear.
Excellent Video Brett. Transition to and from other chords would be helpfull. I also liked your tips, I will pass them on to my class.
Thanks, Bob!
Great advice. Thank you, Bm just became easier.
I love to hear that! Thanks for watching.
Would be interested in more cords that are difficult to play or form the same structure
Good to know, Pam! Thanks for your comment.
Very helpful video. Barring the whole fret with index finger extending above worked well for this small handed person.
I’m glad that tip worked well for you, Patty! Thanks for your comment.
So informative. Thanks so much Brett.
Practice, practice, practice is the the name of the game and the message I’m getting.
Thanks for watching, Margaret!
Thanks Brett for the reminder to place index finger closer to the fret rather than in the middle. I have been working on barre chords.
Glad to be of help! Thanks for your comment, Lois!
Finally had a chance to watch. Great tips! Like many others, I struggle with the barre chords. They definitely take a lot more practice and strength than other chords.
I am interested in moveable chord patterns. 🙂
Thanks for watching, Rudy!
Awesome! I was actually using my baby finger and not holding the four finger directly onto the fret so it was always a bad sound. Now it’s amazing!!!
That’s fantastic, Jean! Great job!
Using the little finger instead of the ring finger works a treat – I have small fingers!
Woohoo! Glad to hear that did the trick, Leni!
I have been using little finger on 4th string, but I think adding middle finger to support index strength and positioning my thumb and elbow will help me. It is good to know that I can subsitute Bm7 if I can’t make the Bm work.
The thumb and elbow position trick can’t be under-emphasized. It’s very important and very helpful! Glad you enjoyed this lesson, Gail. Thanks for your comment!