How to Play the Ukulele: Introduction to Chord Melody

Chord melody is one of those things that I wanted to do from day one when I decided to learn how to play ukulele. So many of the great ukulele artists and musicians play these incredible arrangements of classic songs using chord melody. 

But what is chord melody, anyway?

Basically, chord melody is a way of taking your basic fingerstyle on the ukulele and adding in the chords for each note. This brings a beautiful rich, full sound to your song. While you're still playing the melody, you're adding in these deeper layers of tones and harmony. 

If you want to play songs using chord melody, it's easy enough to find loads of books and sheet music out there that have the chords already written out for you. But if you're really up for a fun music theory challenge, learning how to write your own chord melodies for songs you love requires a little bit of effort in understanding your fret board.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a great book to help you get started with chord melody, check out Chord Melody Method for Uke by Jerry Moore, published by Mel Bay.