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Ukulele Lessons: Advanced Chord Melody - “Avalon” -NEW!

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This page contains a transcription of a video lesson from Ukulele with Craig Chee & Sarah Maisel. This is only a preview of what you get when you take Ukulele Lessons at ArtistWorks. The transcription is only one of the valuable tools we provide our online members. Sign up today for unlimited access to all lessons, plus submit videos to your teacher for personal feedback on your playing.

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[MUSIC]
Now that you have several versions of

Avalon under your belt,

we're going to talk about
creating chord melody.

Now, I have an arrangement that I've
put with this curriculum for you.

However, I want you to start
coming up with your own as well.

For now, in lesson resources, go ahead and

grab my arrangement, and
I'll walk you through it.

That way, you can use pieces of it,
and also create your own.

So looking at the chords that I've chosen,
it looks more like I'm

doing some pieces of the second version,
and pieces of the third version.

You'll see.

Now the very first note that's
listed in our pick up is an F note.

You have two options for this note.

You have it here, on your first fret.

Also, you have it up
here on your fifth fret.

So that was E string first fret,
C string fifth fret.

You might choose to play it here
just because you prefer the tone.

Or, you can start at here on the fifth
fret because you're gonna be holding

the C minor seven, cuz that's going
to be the chord that you play and

the melody note that you
need in the next note.

So, I'll play both versions for
you real quick.

So you have,
[MUSIC],

versus,

[MUSIC].

It's up to you, personal preference
as to which one you'd like to use.

In my arrangement, it looks like a double
note, it's because I have both listed, so

you don't forget that you have options.

Moving on, so you have,
[MUSIC]

with your C minor seven.

The next note we need is actually
this D note found on your fifth fret.

[MUSIC]
So you can keep holding the same chord,

just add that note, so.

[MUSIC]
We need another C minor seven that has

the sixth fret, that's our melody note.

So the next C minor seven
is barring the fifth fret.

Then you're going to take your middle and
bar the E and

A string on the sixth fret, excuse me.

And then you're going to put your ring on
the seventh fret here on the C string.

[MUSIC]
That's what it should sound like.

So let's play up to that point.

[MUSIC]
Sounds lovely.

Next note we need is on
the eighth fret on your A string.

And what do you know, I can reach
it while still holding this chord.

[MUSIC]
So I can just play it as a chord.

So again, we've got
[MUSIC].

Now, if you're playing this
tune particularly fast,

you might end up skipping some chords, and
you may end up playing it more like this.

[MUSIC]
And then pick, chord, and pick.

Honestly, it doesn't matter
to me which one you use,

because you want to
create your arrangement.

For now, I'm gonna stick to
still playing it with chords,

because that's the arrangement
that I've come up with.

So, moving on to the F seven, where we

left off was this C minor seven that had
the pinkie added to the eighth fret.

The F seven, or as it's written in
the chart, F nine that we're going

to use is take away folks and
scoot someone over.

So, the pinkie goes away, your ring finger
gets to stay and your middle finger scoots

over so it's only holding the A string and
is no longer holding the E string.

So it's a very slight movement
going from there to there.

And this how this chord,
[MUSIC]

That F nine chord sounds.

So you have
[MUSIC]

And then, we need to play,

it's on the fifth fret of your A string,
the next note that we need.

[MUSIC]
So we could, potentially,

[MUSIC]

And just lift up a finger.

I'm not a big fan of how that sounds, so

I'd actually like to move
to a different chord there.

The chord I'm going to move to is
a version of our first position F nine

chord, and I'm going to reach up to
the fifth fret with my pinkie for

that melody note.

[MUSIC]
This is an F 13 chord.

So, we moved from this F 9 on
the fifth fret, to the 13,

and then the next note we
need is actually that C

note that's on the third fret of the A,
so you're actually holding it.

So, just pick up your pinkie.

[MUSIC]
>> Perfect, let's play up to that

point starting from the beginning.

[MUSIC]
So you can hear our melody coming through,

and we're using some really beautiful

chords to create a sense atmosphere and

just something pretty.

[MUSIC]

[MUSIC]
Next, moving on,

we've got that F note happening again.

I actually recommend now playing that
note here [SOUND] at the first fret.

And the reason why is that
the next note following it,

is a B flat node and
a B flat chord comes next.

So you might as well go ahead and be in
the vicinity of where you need to be,

right?

To be efficient.

So you can either play B flat six,
which is listed in the music,

or you can play a full
B flat if you'd like.

You'll notice that we're not
playing B flat major seven.

[SOUND] And the reason is we need this
melody note, we need that B flat.

Now for the words the, so this is
[MUSIC],

we need

[MUSIC]

for the next two notes.

You've got [SOUND] a C note happening
here on your A string on the third fret.

The chord listed above is an F9.

So that change is fairly simple,
from B flat 6 [SOUND] to your F9,

which you've been playing before [SOUND],
2, 3, 3, 3.

And then we're going
up to a G minor seven.

Now I did a little slow
mo of my fingers moving.

I'll do it again.

So going from the F9 [SOUND] to this
G minor seven which is 3, 5, 3, 5.

[SOUND] So what I am doing is,

my pinky is actually in
the vicinity of that fifth fret.

[SOUND] So it's hovering, it comes down,

my middle finger is already
on the correct fret.

Everybody else anchors around it.

[MUSIC]
Now because our instrument is small,

it means that we don't have as much
sustain as something like, say, a piano.

So that melody note that's happening
here lasts for quite a while.

So we're gonna fill that
time by playing a C9 chord.

And for us,
that's just a one finger movement.

We're gonna move my ring finger and
we're just gonna move it down one fret.

So on the C string, [SOUND] scoot down.

[SOUND] Just to get that
one little note out.

Let's play from the beginning
up to this point.

Here we go.

[MUSIC]

C9,

nice.

Continuing on,
we have another F note happening [SOUND].

Again, I'm gonna recommend playing that
F note down here on the first fret,

because the next chord listed is F7.

But it's not your typical F7,
we're gonna have an open A [SOUND],

because that's the next melody note.

So we have the pickup note,
then F7 with that open A.

[SOUND] Then we have F7 still listed,
but we need to add a B flat note,

which is the first fret of your A string.

[SOUND] So all I did was take my
finger [SOUND] and flatten it [SOUND].

Fingers up [SOUND] and
then we flatten [SOUND] like that.

Next up, you get to play a real F7,

[SOUND] add your pinky and
then take it away.

[SOUND] So that whole little section,

starting with that pick up note, I.

[MUSIC]
You'll notice, after I flatten my index to

play that B flat note,
I actually leave the finger flattened.

Because I know I'm going back to it
after I pick my pinky up from the third

fret at the A string.

So let me just play that one more time.

[MUSIC]
So that way you can do less movement.

Again, if you're playing
this a little bit faster,

you might not play chords each time.

You might end up doing, [SOUND] and then
a pluck, [SOUND] chord and then pluck.

It's up to you.

But the arrangement I've done so far,
we're just gonna play it all in chords.

[MUSIC]

[MUSIC]
The next measure is a C minor 7 and

it has an open A string
being shown there or A note.

So C minor 7 looks like this,
right, so what we need to

do is actually play it with three fingers,
[MUSIC]

because we need [SOUND] that note.

After [SOUND] that A note,
there is a G note.

Now low G users, you could [SOUND]
pluck that third fret of your E

string if you want, or high G,
[SOUND] you have that G right there.

So because I have my high G,
I'm gonna play the high G arrangement.

So starting with that C
minor 7 area we have have,

[MUSIC]

we have the first fret another F happening

there.

So from the F7 with the pick up,
[MUSIC]

third fret,

[MUSIC]

that's for the low G guys.

I played that third fret for you,
then now let's do it with the open G.

Same place with the pick up

on the F before F7,
[MUSIC]

there we go with that open G.

I like the open G better because
you have that note lasting for

a little bit longer as you go to hit
that F note happening on your E string.

Continuing on, we have an open A,
or an open G, excuse me,

and we have sailed which is
a D note in the notation and

we need to find some form of B flat
major that has [SOUND] this note in it.

I've chosen to go to a B
flat major 7 because I like

the quality of that chord
versus the B flat 6 chord.

You can actually choose
whichever one you want but

for now B flat major 7, 3-5-5-5,
[MUSIC]

open G,

[MUSIC]

B flat major 7.

So that's sailed away.

Now during this time,
when you have long periods of

a chord happening,
[MUSIC]

you can actually add extra notes,

you can add a lick in those areas.

So I could always do something like,
let's see, and sailed.

[MUSIC]
That's something really simple but, and

I call that pinkie dancing when
you're adding extra little

notes with your pinkie, or you can do,
[MUSIC]

so I went through a different B flat,

a did a B flat, walk down to a B flat,
G string, B flat.

So I just added a little fill to make
this have a little more interest and

just to change it up and
make the song more of my own.

However, in the notation you'll see
that I left that area up for you.

So I just have sailed,
open G, away, all right.

Continuing on, we're getting to that
D minor 7 flat 5 fun stuff coming up.

So we have another open G4,
I dream of her, so

when we're dreaming of her the melody
note is on the fifth fret.

And if you remember from the version
previous to this of Avalon, we actually

are playing that in the voicing that I've
showed you, for our D minor 7 flat 5.

It is 4-5-5-5, [SOUND] and
we're holding it right there.

The next note we need is on
the sixth fret, [SOUND] so

you can either play the single note or
[SOUND] add it and play as a chord.

Moving up, because the melody note
actually is on the eighth fret, [SOUND] so

what we wanna do is find another
D minor 7 that's up here.

And that is going to look like something
you've actually already played.

You're going to bar the seventh fret, add
your middle finger to the eighth fret of

the A string, and then your ring reaches
across to the ninth fret of the C string.

This looks a whole lot like that F9
chord we played very early in the song,

but further up.

So remember in earlier lessons in
substitutions I talk about how you have

a lot of look-alikes, here's a look alike.

This one is called D minor 7 flat 5,
[MUSIC]

and there's our melody note right here.

The next melody note we need
is on the tenth fret, and

I can reach it with my pinkie.

[MUSIC]
So

that whole phrase we're starting
on the fourth and fifth fret.

[MUSIC]
Add to the sixth fret on the A string,

[MUSIC]

move up to the next D minor 7 flat 5,

which is barring and
then adding two fingers,

[SOUND] add the tenth fret, [SOUND] nice.

So,
[MUSIC]

now we're going to do that B flat,

A flat G7 walk-down, and

it's actually very easy to
get to in this position.

All you have to do, leave your
index barring the seventh fret, and

bring over your middle finger so
it's barring three strings,

[SOUND] there's the melody
note that we need.

And this chord shape is a B flat 9 chord,

which is just an extension
of a B flat 7 chord.

So we're going to play B flat 9,
[SOUND] and then we're gonna scooch

down to A flat 9, and then to G9,
[SOUND] and there's that awesome

walk down that we did earlier that
happens to have the melody note.

Let's actually start from
that D minor 7 flat 5 and

play all the way through the walk down.

Here we go,
[MUSIC]

one more time,

[MUSIC]

perfect!

Keep going, we're almost

done with the song actually.

[MUSIC]

[MUSIC]
So the word from, is a G.

You can either play the third fret of
your E string if you're a low G player,

or
[MUSIC]

your open G.

From,
[MUSIC]

and the word dusk, is a C note.

And that is in your C minor seven chord,
which is listed.

[MUSIC]
Dusk.

Then we need the D note, so we're
gonna reach for it on the fifth fret.

[MUSIC]
'Til.

Now we need to play an E flat minor 7 that

has a note happening on the sixth fret.

Luckily for us, it's very easy.

II's just barring the sixth fret.

[LAUGH]
[MUSIC]

So that again, was

[MUSIC]

dusk til

[MUSIC]

dawn.

Now, because that melody note lasts so
long,

I've given us another
piece of chord movement.

So, after you play this
[MUSIC]

E flat minor 7, I want us to play this

[MUSIC]

A flat 9 chord.

So that movement is,
I'm on the sixth fret.

I'm scooting down my index
to bar the fifth, and

adding this middle finger here,
[MUSIC]

on the sixth fret,

just covering three strings.

It's a small difference, but at least
gives you a little bit of movement there.

So let's play that part one more time.

And then I'm gonna show you something
that I think is really cool.

So, here we go.

[MUSIC]
Dusk.Two, three.

[MUSIC]
'Til, [MUSIC] sixth fret,

and the

[MUSIC]
A9.

Now, you'll notice,
[MUSIC]

going from the third fret,

up to the
[MUSIC]

sixth fret.

You have some extra frets that
you could maybe be fancy on,

and walk up to that sixth fret.

So you could do something
that sounds like this.

See, open G, from
[MUSIC]

dusk, two, three

[MUSIC]

'til dawn.

I am skipping
[MUSIC]

this chord.

And I'm just
[MUSIC]

walking up to that one.

So I'm changing my melody a little bit.

But it's a cool little thing that
you can add if you so desire, and

if you wanna stray from your
melody a little bit, all right?

Almost there.

Now we've got, after you're
playing that A flat 9 chord here.

[MUSIC]
Which is here on the fifth and

sixth frets.

[MUSIC]
The note we need is actually right under

our fingers, the G flat.

The G flat is here on the sixth fret
[MUSIC]

of your C string.

And then, the next note we've got is an F.

[MUSIC]
I recommend going down to the first fret

because you're gonna to
need a B flat note next.

Which is on your A string first fret.

[MUSIC]
And the B flat 6 chord is listed, so

you can play B flat major 6.

So again, we had, after playing the
[MUSIC]

B minor7, or E

[MUSIC]

flat minor 7, to

[MUSIC]

A flat 9.

And,

[MUSIC]
so

[MUSIC]

Now the next note we need is a D note,
and a B flat 6 is listed.

A B flat 6 looks just like G minor 7.

And do you remember what G minor 7
looked like that we've played earlier

in this lesson?

It was on the third and fifth fret.

So you're actually going to play the
[MUSIC]

B flat 6 and reach up for three, five,

three, five.

This is also a
[MUSIC]

B flat 6 chord.

So we have the F note,
[MUSIC]

and so

[MUSIC]

I think

[MUSIC].

The next note we need is going to be
on the eighth fret of the A string

[MUSIC].

The chord listed is still B flat 6.

So we need to play one
that's way up there,

[MUSIC]

and here it is.

It is seven, seven, seven,
seven, six, and eight.

[MUSIC]
So let's go through that.

We have that F note.

[MUSIC]
Move up to the third and fifth

[MUSIC].

I have my pinky go up to the eighth,
and everyone else follows.

If you've been working
on your chord scales,

you'll probably recognize this
from a couple of lessons before.

Because this kind of movement,
I actually have us doing in those scales.

If you remember.

[MUSIC]
That's the piece of the scale,

but we're skipping a few notes and doing
[MUSIC]

this instead.

[MUSIC]
All right?

After we've gotten here,
we get to go way up high.

We need a note that's happening on
the 12th fret, we need that octave A.

And, we need to be playing a G7,
or a variety, of G7.

So what we're gonna actually
be playing is a G9 chord.

What it is,
is you're barring the tenth fret.

You're gonna take your middle finger,
and play the 11th fret on the C string.

[MUSIC]
That is a G7.

But the 9 chord, is just taking our ring,
and placing it on the 12th.

[MUSIC]
So that's we need for our melody.

And what we're going to do is just
have our pinky down, remove it for

the next note, and put the pinky back.

Not the pinky, I'm sorry, ring finger.

Here we go.

[MUSIC]
Ring,

[MUSIC]

take it away.

[MUSIC]
Put the ring back.

[MUSIC]
So this is measure 27.

[MUSIC]
Travel

[MUSIC]

on.

And then continuing on,

you have that G7 listed where
you take away your ring finger.

[MUSIC]
To.

And then we get to play C minor 7,
in our second position.

That fifth fret, sixth fret,
two bars, and ring.

[MUSIC]
At.

Then we get to go down here for
a version of F9.

It's actually your F13,
if you remember from earlier.

Two, three, three, five.

[MUSIC]
The.

[MUSIC]
And then B flat major 6.

[MUSIC]
On.

During that section,
because you have C minor 7 and

F9 happening for so long,
please feel free to be creative.

What's written is just simply
[MUSIC].

You can throw in some extra things.

You can add some pinky dancing.

[MUSIC]
If you'd like.

And what I did here,
[MUSIC]

was just a little walk down to the F9

chord.

Yes, these notes are not technically
in the melody, but you can add them.

It's your arrangement.

[MUSIC]

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