Find every way to play a chord

Pick a chord below and see all its voicings across the fretboard, sorted by how they sound and how hard they are to play.

Difficulty:
Sound:

C Major

5 voicings found

How to use the Chord Compass

1

Choose your chord

Pick a root note and chord type from the dropdowns. The quick-pick menu has the most common ukulele chords ready to go. You can also use the share button to send someone a direct link to any chord.

2

Browse the voicings

Each card shows a fretboard diagram with finger positions. The colored dot tells you the tonal mood: amber for mellow, sky for bright, plum for jade-green for full-bodied. Difficulty stars show how challenging the shape is.

3

Filter to fit your level

New to the uke? Stick with Easy voicings. They use open strings and small stretches. As your fingers get stronger, try Medium shapes with partial barres. Advanced voicings cover full barre shapes and wide stretches up the neck.

4

Find smooth transitions

Tap any voicing card to see which chords commonly follow it in real songs. Each suggestion shows a sample voicing so you can see how your fingers move. This helps your progressions flow instead of jumping around.

Why explore beyond open chords?

Most chord charts give you two or three ways to play a chord, all clustered near the nut. That works for simple songs, but it limits your sound. The same chord can feel warm and gentle near the headstock or bright and punchy at the 7th fret. Learning even a few new voicings opens up the whole instrument.

Players who only know open-position C major often struggle when a song calls for a C that leads smoothly into F or Am. A C voicing at the 3rd fret puts your fingers closer to those next chords, making the transition almost effortless.

This compass is built for the player who has learned the basics and wants to sound more interesting. It is not a theory course. It is a practical map showing where the good sounds are and how to reach them.

What to know before you start

  • All diagrams assume standard GCEA tuning (high G string closest to your chin).
  • Fret positions are numbered from the nut (0) upward. The 12th fret is marked with a double dot.
  • Difficulty ratings are approximate. A shape rated Easy might still feel hard if you just started playing.
  • Voicings above the 9th fret work best on concert or tenor ukuleles with 15 or more frets.

Common mistakes when learning new voicings

  • Muting adjacent strings. When you barre, make sure each string still rings clearly. Press with the bony side of your index finger, not the soft pad.
  • Ignoring the suggested fingering. The number on each dot tells you which finger to use. Following the suggestion usually leads to smoother transitions.
  • Skipping the open-string voicings. Even if you want to learn barre chords, open voicings still sound great. Mixing both in a song adds texture.
  • Trying to learn all voicings at once. Pick two or three that fit a song you are working on. Master those before adding more.

Printable chord cheat sheet

This one-page reference covers the twelve most-used ukulele chords with two voicings each: one easy open shape and one moveable shape for higher up the neck. Print it and keep it by your practice space.

Ukulele Chord Cheat Sheet

12 essential chords with open and moveable voicings

Standard GCEA tuning. Open voicings shown at the nut. Moveable voicings show lowest comfortable fret.

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