5 Ways to Play G Major on Baritone Ukulele

G major is the first chord that many players learn, in the basic open position. Why learn more ways to play G major on baritone ukulele?

  • To make faster chord changes. (See my full article on How to Make Faster Chord Changes for Baritone Ukulele.)
  • To control the high note to form a melody, called chord melody or chord soloing.
  • To control the low note (the bass note) which gives chords a slightlly different flavor and lets you make interesting bass lines with the low notes.

In this article we cover five different ways to play a G major chord, showing the names of all the notes you’re playing, tips for when to use the option, and what the notes look like in music notation.

At the end, I’ve included an Appendix for Theory Nerds, to show where a G major chord appears in the keys that you’ll typically be using on baritone uke.

If you need to review the five basic major chord shapes in their open and moveable shapes, check out this article with lots of full-color diagrams.

G Major – Option 1

Option 1 is the basic open position for G major on baritone ukulele.

Option 1 is very handy when you’re switching between G major and C major in a song, a common chord change in the keys of both C and G. When you’re playing the open position C major, you only need to move your pinky up and down to change from C to G.

In this position, the notes from lowest to highest are D-G-B-G, like this:

Music notation, G major option 1 for baritone ukulele

Here’s the moveable version of the G major shape. Use it on the 12th fret to play a G major:

 

G Major – Option 2

Option 2: On the 3rd fret, use the moveable E shape to make a G major chord. You probably recognize this shape as the F shape chord. Notice that when you place the barre on the “zero” fret, above the nut, you’ll see that at the most basic level, the F shape is actually an E shape, moved up one fret.)

In this position, you get a G note on the bottom of a G chord. It is also the position for playing a root position G major chord, i.e. G-B-D-G, i.e. 1-3-5-8.

This position is very handy when you need to swtich between F major and G major, which happens frequently when you play songs in the key of C major. (F and G are the IV and V chords of C major).

Use this shape on the 1st fret to play an F major, then slide up two frets to the 3rd fret to play a G major with the same shape.

Similarly, this shape is very handy when you need to swtich between G major and A major, which happens frequently when you play songs in the key of D major, another common key for baritone uke. (G and A are the IV and V chords of D major).

Use this shape on the 3rd fret to play a G major, then slide up two frets to the 5th fret to play an A major.

Here’s how it looks in music notation:

Music notation, G major option 2 for baritone ukulele

G Major – Option 3

G Major – Option 3

Option 3: On the 7th fret, use the moveable C shape for another way to play a G major.

This option is very handy when you need to swtich between G major and B minor, which occurs frequently in the keys of G major and D major.*  You can use the 7th fret for both chords, and simply lift your finger off the B string to play the Bm chord:

Here’s option 3 in music notation:

Music notation, G major option 3 for baritone ukulele

*In the key of G major, Bm is the iii chord and G is of course the I. In the key of D major, Bm is the vi chord, and G is the IV chord. These are very common chord changes in popular music.

G Major – Option 4

Option 4: On the 10th fret and use the movable A major shape to play a G major chord.

You might use this option in chord soloing when you need a D note on top.

Here it is in notation:

Music notation, G major option 4 for baritone ukulele

G Major – Option 5

Option 5: On the 12th fret, use the moveable G shape to play a G major. Remember that the notes on the 12th fret are the same notes as the open strings (zero fret), but one octave higher.

Music notation, G major option 5 for baritone ukulele

For more options for playing chords across the neck, check out my article about the CAGED method for baritone ukulele. I spent weeks on those illustrations. Hope you find them helpful!

Quiz for theory geeks: Can you tell which shape is missing between option 2 and option 3?

Appendix for Theory Nerds

This chart shows you where a G major triad occurs, in terms of scale degree, in the six easiest keys for baritone ukulele.

I recommend focusing on the easiest keys for baritone uke, and using a capo if you absolutely must play in other keys.

Some ukulele and guitar teachers recommend focusing on just two keys, C major and G major. I think that’s a great idea, for starters. But for baritone ukulele, I also recommend working with the key of D, because D is the lowest note on your bari uke.

But, at the most, I would stick to the six easiest keys for baritone ukulele.

Getting back to our G major triad chord and the 5 options shown above, any particular major chord functions as a different scale degree in different keys. Like this:

Key
I
II
bIII
III
IV
V
bVI
VI
bVII
VII
C
C
D
Eb
E
F

G

Ab
A
Bb
B
D
D
E
F
F#

G

A
Bb
B
C
C#
E
E
F#

G

G#
A
B
C
C#
D
D#
F
F

G

Ab
A
Bb
C
Db
D
Eb
E
G

G

A
Bb
B
C
D
Eb
E
F
F#
A
A
B
C
C#
D
E
F
F#

G

G#
Cat playing a ukulele at a store in Vermont

Hi folks, I’m Cat. I fell in love with baritone ukuleles in the summer of 2017. I love to play and I love to practice. I created this site so I could spend even more time and money obsessing about baritone ukuleles!

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Check out this wonderful solo piano album from composer and performer Jeff Lantz. The title track, It's Okay to Be Happy, is an unforgettable delight. Listen to the album free on YouTube and support this gifted independent artist by buying the full album of eight original compositions here.

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