Modify the G Shape
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that by knowing the scale shape behind the G shape chord, we’d be able to modify the chord at will without memorizing a dictionary’s worth of chord diagrams. This page is all about showing you how that works.
Below, I’ve assembled a list of chord variations based on the G shape beyond G major and G minor. This is not a complete list, but it is probably most of the chords you will need for now. There’s a PDF with all of the shapes on one page at the end of the article.
This might be awkward, but…
Note that a few of these are not especially useful chord shapes. Some are awkward to form; some require deadening a string. Not all possible shapes in CAGED are winners, but it’s still useful to know that they exist. Never leave a tool out of your toolbox just because it’s a little difficult to master. If you can’t use it right now, file it away for later.
Here’s the G shape major scale again. Refer back to it with each chord shape to see how it fits into the scale shape. Thinking of chords as being built directly from scales is a core element to understanding CAGED and getting to know your fretboard.
5 Chord (Power Chord)
A 5 chord is a simplification of a major chord. You make it by getting rid of the major third (3) and leaving only the root (1) and the perfect fifth (5). You are left with a chord that is neither major nor minor. It’s ambiguous, but it’s also powerful – which is why you will sometimes hear it called a power chord.
These simple chords are popular on guitar for all genres of rock music because they are easy to play and sound pretty wicked with a bit of distortion.
To play a G shape 5 chord, play your standard G shape and but leave out the A string.
Form this shape by placing your index finger on the root note of your choice on the G string; grab the C string two frets down the neck with your ring (or middle) finger; finally, fret the E string one fret further down the neck with middle (or pinky) finger.
If you are a guitar player looking for the true equivalent of a power chord on uke, this is the shape you have been looking for.
Maj7 Chord
A major 7th chord is made of the root (1), the major third (3), the perfect fifth (5), and the major seventh (7) intervals. Major seventh chords are sort of “more” major than a regular major chord. They are bright and very complete sounding.
The major seventh is always one fret down from the root. Shifting the root note on the E string of the G shape major chord gives us this shape, which sounds pretty good.
You can form this chord by barring the CEA strings with your ring finger while grabbing the root note two fret up on the G string with your index finger. If you can’t manage the barre, you can also play the three notes on the CEA string with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers.
However you do it, make sure that you can reach the root on the G string and have it ring out clearly. If the root note isn’t present or hard to hear, the remaining three strings can end up sounding like a minor chord. You might remember that three notes next to each other on the CEA string like this is also the minor triad from the C shape with the root note on the A string.
Dominant 7 Chord
The dominant seventh chord, usually known simply as a 7 chord, is made up of the root (1), the major third (3), the perfect fifth (5), and the flatted seventh (b7) interval. Dominant 7 chords have just a touch of dissonance to them, enough to make them interesting. They are a fundamental building block of blues music, and they are common in rock music, which grew out of the blues.
This is a four-finger chord, but it’s relatively comfortable. Fret the root note on the G with your index, and then form the upside-down triangle with your ring finger at the point on the E string and your middle and pinky fingers on the C and A strings, respectively, one fret down.
This is a very useful 7 shape that you use all of the time when you play blues rhythm guitar. While a bass or another guitar is handling the low notes, a second guitarist will play staccato “stabs” of this chord high up the neck to give a song some nice texture.
Minor 7 Chord
The G shape is the first time in the CAGED system that we have an opportunity to form a practical min7 shape. For the C and A shapes, there was really no way to get all four notes necessary to make this chord and still have it sound nice or be playable.
Min7 chords are made of the root (1) minor 3rd (b3) perfect fifth (5) and flatted seventh (b7), making it the minor form of the dominant 7th chord, rather than the minor form of the major seventh chord.
Min7 chords have an interesting sound. They’ve got the tension of the minor 3 and the flatted 7th, but they still somehow don’t sound overly dissonant. They are used to play minor blues progressions and in jazzier sounding arrangements
Form the chord either by fret all four notes individually (index on G, pinky on C, middle on E, and ring on A) or form the dominant 7th chord, lift your pinky, and hyperextend the last joint of your middle finger to form a mini-barre across the E and A strings.
sus2 and sus4 Chords
Suspended chords (usually just called “sus”) come in two varieties, the sus2 and sus4. You make both by suspending (getting rid of) the major third (3) of the usual major triad and replacing it with either the major second (2) or the perfect fourth (4). Both chords have their own distinct “open” sound.
A sus2 chord is made of the root (1), the major second (2), and the perfect fifth (5):
You can think of the G shape sus2 chord as either the major shape with your ring finger lifted or the 5 chord shape with a full barre. Either way, the only way to pull this off is a full barre with your index finger, but the effort is worth it to produce this beautiful chord.
A sus4 chord is made of the root (1), the perfect fourth (4), and the perfect fifth (5):
To form the Gsus4 shape, form a 5 chord with your index, middle, and ring fingers and then tuck your pinky in next to your ring finger on the A string.
Switching quickly from the major to the sus4 while strumming can add a nice bit of flavor to an otherwise boring chord progression. With practice, you’ll be able to pull this off quickly by switching strings with you ring and pinky fingers OR by hyperextending the last joint of your pinky to form a mini-barre across the E and A strings.
Augmented Chord
Augmented (aug) chords are made using the root (1), the major third (3), and the sharp five (#5). They have a tense, dissonant sound, and they are mainly used as transition chords, good for adding an accent while moving between chords or to transition from one key to another mid-song.
The G shape augmented chord is an oddball. Forming the full four-string chord requires all four finger and a tricky shape under the barre.
You can play a simplified, and much easier to form, triad of this chord by leaving out the G string. Use your middle and ring fingers for the C and E strings and then use your index finger to grab the root note on the A string.
Wrap Up
I’ve combined all of these chord shapes as well as the parent scale diagram on a downloadable PDF for quick reference. Click the download button if the embedded PDF doesn’t display correctly on your device.
You can play all sorts of chord progressions just by moving these shapes around the neck, but it gets even more fun when you start learning the other shapes of CAGED as well. Check back in future weeks as I continue to explore moveable chord shapes on ukulele.
Leave a comment below if you found this article useful or if you have suggestions on how to improve it. Happy picking!
The-G-Shape-CAGED-for-UkuleleThe G Shape – CAGED for Ukulele PDF Download
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