How to play E major Ukulele Chord

The E major chord on the ukulele is relatively one of the most difficult chords to master. However, with a fair amount of practise and focus, anyone can play the E major chord on the ukulele.

Also known as the E chord, the E major chord is a four finger chord. So, this chord needs all four fingers on all four strings to get the sound of E major.

There are so many different ways we can play the E chord on the ukulele. Let us explore the different positions of the E major chord on the ukulele! But first, let’s find out the notes that make up the E major chord.

Notes in the E major chord

No matter what instrument you play, whether it is the guitar, piano or ukulele, the notes of E major chord will always be the same. The notes that make up the E major chord are E, G# and B. It is worthwhile to remember the major chords consists of the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th notes of the respective major scale. In case you want to know the theory behind how major chords are created, you can read it here.

How to tune the ukulele in standard tuning

Before we play the E major chord, let us first understand how to tune the ukulele in standard tuning. First, please keep a tuner next to you. You can access our online tuner here (click start button). It works for both guitars and ukuleles!

Now, let’s see how we can tune the ukulele in standard tuning:

• Start by tuning the 4^th string to G (or G₄ )
• Next, tune the 3^rd string to C (or C₄ )
• After that, tune the 2^nd string to E (or E₄ )
• Finally, tune the 1^st string to A (or A₄ )

How to play the E major chord

Now that the ukulele is tuned properly, let’s take a look at the diagram below to understand how to hold the E chord. There are finger numbers inside the circles, which tells us which fingers to use. As you can see this chord requires all our four fingers pressed in a particular shape to play the E chord.

These are the particular fingers which hold the E chord:

• The 2^nd finger (middle finger) holds the 4^th string at the 4^th fret.
• The 3^rd finger (ring finger) holds the 3^rd string also at the 4^th fret.
• The 4^th finger (little finger) holds the 2^nd string also at the 4^th fret.
• The 1^st finger (index finger) holds the 1^st string at the 2^nd fret.

Now, let’s strum all the four strings in one stroke with our strumming hand. That’s it! We can now play the E chord perfectly on the ukulele.

Alternate finger positions for the E chord

Yes, there are many different ways we can hold and play the same E major chord. You can play the exact same notes using different fingers too. Here’s a couple of different finger positions to play the same chord shape:

Alternate fingering #1

We can play the E chord just by using three fingers instead of all four fingers. This makes it relatively easy to hold and play this chord. The image below shows the finger positions. So, let’s see how to hold this chord without the pinkie (the 4th finger):

• Start by pressing the 3^rd string at the 4^th fret with the middle finger (2^nd finger)
• Next, press the 2^nd string also at the 4^th fret with the ring finger (3^rd finger)
• Finally, press the 1^st string at the 2^nd fret using your pointer (1^st finger)

Well, this seems to be much easier! But, only the three strings being held down with your fretting hand can be played. Therefore, we strongly recommend to practise the previous version using all four fingers.

There is another way to hold the same notes on the same frets using just two fingers! Will that make it easier to hold down and play the E chord? Let’s find out.

Alternate fingering #2

Here, we will use the barre technique. We’ll use the third finger to hold more than one string while making sure we don’t mute the 1^st string (A string). Let’s follow these steps to play the same E chord using alternate fingering:

• Start by flattening your ring finger (3^rd finger) and press the 4^th, 3^rd and 2^nd strings at the 4^th fret.
• Now, use your index finger (1^st finger) and press the 1^st string at the 2^nd fret.

At first, this chord may sound muffled. This is because the ring finger barring the lower strings is touching the 1^st string (A). So, try bending it a little to avoid it from touching the A string. It’s not so easy now, but with practise it will get better.

Practise the E chord using these fingers as this shape can be used to play other major chords on different frets as you move forward to play more chords. You can learn to play Happy Birthday if you want to play an easy song to start your Ukulele music journey.

Interestingly, there are other chord shapes of the E chord using different frets, some that are over and above the 4^th fret. These chord positions may sound higher in pitch, but they have the same notes E, G# and B of the E major triad. Let’s see what they are.

E chord – 2^nd position

The 2^nd chord position of the E chord has notes between the 7^th and 9^th frets of the ukulele. This chord position requires us to use all four of our fingers as shown in the diagram below. Let’s break it down step-by-step to understand how to hold this chord shape:

• Start off by placing your little finger (4^th finger) on the 4^th string at the 9^th fret.
• Next, place the ring finger (3^rd finger) on the 3^rd string at the 8^th fret.
• After that, keep your pointer (1^st finger) on the 2^nd string at the 7^th fret.
• Finally, use your middle finger (2^nd finger) to press the 1^st string also at the 7^th fret.

Well, this finger placement is quite hard to get used to. Fortunately, here is an alternate finger placement to hold the same chord shape on the same frets. Let’s find out how!

Alternate finger placement for the E chord – 2^nd position

So, let’s see an easier alternate way to play this chord within the same frets. Looking at the diagram below, this chord shape looks close to the F major chord shape on the guitar. Let’s follow a step-by-step method to hold this chord.

• Begin by pressing the 4^th string at the 9^th fret with your ring finger (3^rd finger).
• Next, push the 3^rd string with your middle finger (2^nd finger) at the 8^th fret.
• Now press both the 2^nd and 1^st strings by flattening your pointer (1^st finger) at the 7^th fret.

There! Not so difficult, is it? It may be tough for the pointer to hold down both strings at the same time. This is something you will get used to over time.

E chord – 3^rd position

Now we’re about to play a much higher position of the E major chord i.e., the 3^rd position of the E chord. This chord shape looks similar to the D major chord (open position) on the guitar. So, let’s refer to the diagram below and follow the steps to hold and play this chord between the 9^th and 12^th frets.

• Place your pointer (1^st finger) on the 4^th string at the 9^th fret.
• Next, press the 3^rd string at the 11^th fret with your middle finger (2^nd finger).
• After that push your pinkie (4^th finger) on the 2^nd string at the 12^th fret.
• Finally, flex your ring finger (3^rd finger) behind to press the 1^st string at the 11^th fret.

It may be difficult to shift to this particular chord position, since it is so high up the fretboard. The frets are also much closer to each other. For bigger hands, this could also pose a problem.

Here’s an alternate finger placement for this particular chord shape which may be helpful.

Alternate finger placement for the E chord – 3^rd position

This is a slightly different way to hold the same E chord in the 3^rd position using the same frets. We’ll be using three fingers this time instead of four. Will this be easier? Let’s check out the diagram below, follow the steps and figure it out!

• Keep the pointer (1^st finger) at the same place (on the 4^th string at the 9^th fret).
• Barre the 3^rd, 2^nd and 1^st strings at the 11^th fret with your ring finger (3^rd finger).
• Keep the pinkie (4^th finger) on the 2^nd string at the 12^th fret.

Practically, the 3^rd position of the E chord is not played as much it’s lower positions. But, it does sound great if played at the end of a song or as a finishing touch at the end of a solo. Try it out and listen for yourselves!

Tips to play better

Play all the strings one at a time to see which string is muting. Then, press that finger harder to get a clean sound from that particular string. After that, proceed to strumming all the strings to get a clean sounding chord strum. This should be your rule of thumb when you practice any of the above chords shapes with different finger placements.

Once you can play the chords clearly, you can proceed to practising chord strums with other related chords. Learn to shift from chord to chord without cutting off the previous chord. Later, try practising along with a metronome to play at a steady tempo.

I hope you’ve learned something from this blog. Whether you’re practising by yourself or playing to a crowd, don’t forget to have fun!