A Movable Chord Formation & The Importance of R 5ths

   Back when I was in my late teens & into the electric guitar rock thing,I loved movable chord forms. So simple- one form,many chords as long as you knew your notes on the root string. Well guess what-the same thing exists for baritone uke. I present to you a moveable major chord form that will have it's root on the 1st string. Drum roll please....

  So as long as you know the notes on your first string,you're in business! At the first fret,that is an F major chord. Now to make it more interesting,lets talk about root & 5th patterns. When I played bass as a youngster,playing the root & 5th of a chord added an extra something to the song-a nice bit of texture,and it was usually a memorable part of the song. You can do the same thing on baritone uke to add a little something extra while the soprano players are strumming away. Take a look at the next pattern:

   Now I've added the 3rd just so you have it-and I'm showing you the movable forms if the root note is on your 4th string as well as your 3rd string. R,3,&5's make arpeggios of chords as well. So if your soprano player is playing an F chord,see the first diagram with the root note on your 4th string. Playing a G chord,move it on up to the 5th fret. Most the time root note & 5th will work with most common chords. As with all goodies in a players' "bag of tricks" just don;t overdo it-but the R 5 works wonderfully during a "dry spot" of a song,or if you're playing a chord for a longer period of time than usual. Have fun & experiment with this,and Happy Valentines' Day!