Ukulele Theory #1 - the Dominant 7th

Last blog I mentioned that in a particular song there was a "mystery" chord that preceded the Bm chord that drove my friend crazy because he couldn't figure it out. It was the bridge section of the song "Lei Ho'oheno" by Weldon Kekauoha.

Well, when you hear it, there is really only one choice as to what that chord could be. So, to save you a LOT of time, here's how to figure it out: take the letter "B" and count forward in the alphabet four letters. You get "F". So if you were to use the letter "B" as #1 - the starting point - "F" would be #5. 1 = B, 2 = C, 3 = D, 4 = E, 5 = F

Now take that "F" and look up in your ukulele chord book how to play F7 and try that as the chord preceding Bm.

I tricked you - it probably still doesn't sound quite right, eh? Now, here's the next thing you gotta do: add a "#" to that to make it an F#7 chord. Now when you play that chord leading into the Bm, it's a very strong resolution and sounds like surf music or Spanish music. Try it for "Hotel California", too.

This is what's called a Dominant 7th chord - it's always 5 letters away from your destination chord and will always be the strongest, most satisfying kind of resolution. Try just playing those two chords - Bm and F#7 - back and forth....sounds good eh? You can also go between Bm and a regular F# major chord without the 7th but note the difference the F#7 makes. Practice strumming it fast and slow and see the difference there, too.

Now try the Am chord and go through the same process to figure out what the Dominant 7th chord will be. Did you get E#7?

That is.....INCORRECT! Correct answer is E7! Why? See if you can figure it out on your own before the next posting!

If you live anywhere near the Redondo Beach/South Bay area in Los Angeles, please contact me for private or group ukulele lessons!