Jazz Up Your Ukulele: Mastering the I-VI-II-V Progression
Looking to add a little jazz flavor to your ukulele playing? Today’s lesson dives into one of the most iconic progressions in jazz music: the I-VI-II-V. But with a twist — we’re using all dominant 7 chords to give it that bluesy, vintage jazz vibe. Whether you’re a beginner ready to explore new sounds or an intermediate player looking to spice up your chord vocabulary, this one's for you.
Gear Check: What I’m Playing
Before we jump into the chords, a quick gear note — I’m using a concert ukulele with a high G string. That high G gives it that classic, old-timey sound that really suits jazz. Don’t worry if you have a low G — this progression sounds great either way.
The Chord Breakdown: I-VI-II-V with All Dominants
We’re in the key of C major, and here’s what we’re working with:
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C7 – This is your I chord
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A7 – The VI chord, usually minor, but here it’s dominant
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D7 – The II chord, also typically minor, but again we’re using dominant
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G7 – Your V chord, and alread
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Jazz Ukulele ii - V - I Chord Progression A Major | 4K
Hi! This tutorial is especially for Jazz fans1 I will teach you how to play ii – V – I chord progression in the key of A Major.
Ii – V – I refer to chords of a specific key. Since in this lesson we are in the A key, the Major Scale is A Major Scale: A – B – C# - D – E – F# - G# - A.
‘ii’ refers to B Minor which is the second chord in the A Major Scale. In this tutorial, we will be using the 7th chords, so it will be B Minor 7th chord.
Use your triads when you play pop and rock music! But as far as Jazz is concerned it will be the 7th chords!
‘V’ refers to the fifth chord in the A Major Scale- which is E. As we are using the 7th chords it will be the E7 chord. But I am using the E 13 chord in this tutorial.
The E13 chord will make your music “cooler” because it has some extra chords for that effect!
‘I’ refers to the first chord of A Major Scale which is A Major. We will be playing the chord A Major 7.
Playing Jazz music on the Ukulele differs from pop because unlike pop in ...
Ukulele D Major Chords Tutorial for Beginner
Ready to learn your next ukulele chord? Brace yourself as we learn one of the most difficult chords played on the ukulele.
My plan was to introduce this chord a bit later in the series, but a conversation with one of my students changed my mind. My student has followed all the Chord Mania!!! videos and was curious to know “what is the most difficult ukulele chord?”
I could have thought of a very hard chord that has a big stretch and nearly impossible to play. Or I could have thought of a bar chord which many people struggle with.
But, I thought that if this student, who is a beginner, wanted to know this info, then others ukulele players probably would want to know what the toughest chord is.
So I decided to film this uke tutorial on the D major chord, which is now online.
In the video, I discuss all the details from the fingering used, the notes in the chord, and how to move up and down the neck effectively.
This video will also help you get ready for other difficult chord
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