Ukulele Movable Chord Shapes
Three shapes — major, minor, and dominant 7th — are all you need to play any chord in any key. Learn them once, then just slide.
Why three shapes cover everything
Every chord you'll meet in beginner and intermediate songs falls into one of three families: major, minor, or dominant 7th. Each family has a movable shape that keeps its quality no matter where you place it on the neck — only the fret changes, and the fret you land on tells you the chord's name. Learn one shape per family and you effectively know dozens of chords at once.
Shape 1: Movable major
Barre the G, C, and E strings at any fret with your index finger; leave the A-string muted. The note under your finger on the C-string names the chord — fret 0 is C, fret 2 is D, fret 4 is E, and so on.
Shape 2: Movable minor
Barre the G and C strings together at a fret, then drop one finger back one fret lower on the E-string; A-string muted. That single fret difference on the E-string is what flips the chord from major to minor.
Shape 3: Movable dominant 7th
Barre the G, C, and E strings at a fret — same as the major shape — then add one more finger one fret higher on the A-string. That extra note adds the "7th" that gives dominant chords their pull toward resolving to another chord.
Common questions
What does "movable shape" mean on ukulele?
A fingering with no open strings, so the same pattern can slide to a new fret and produce a different chord of the same type — major, minor, or 7th.
How many shapes do I really need to know?
Just three: major, minor, and dominant 7th. Combined with knowing the notes on the C-string, they cover a major, minor, or 7th chord in any key.
How do I know which chord a shape is making?
The barred note on the C-string names the chord — wherever your finger lands on the C-string is the root note and the chord's name.
Do movable shapes replace open chords?
No — open chords are usually easier and still the fastest way to play common keys like C and G. Movable shapes fill in the chords that don't have a comfortable open version.
See every shape mapped across the neck
Melody Monkey shows you exactly where your fingers go for any chord, in any key, with instant playback.
Open the chord & scale library →Still stuck? Ask Your Personal Music Teacher about Ukulele Movable Chord Shapes →