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When you pick up a ukulele for the first time, it can be a little intimidating. There are so many choice of what you can play - it’s often difficult to start. Chord charts will give you a huge list of chords you can play on the ukulele but they can be quite confusing to use.

Which chords should you learn to play first? Which chords are essential to learn? Which chords can be played easily by a beginner? Which chords go together? Which chords are most often used in songs?

This set of articles sets out to answer those questions and in this particular article we’ll be looking at the F chord.

The F chord, unlike the C chord in the last part, uses two fingers. This makes it slightly more difficult to play for a beginner.

With your middle finger, play the second fret of the G string (the one nearest your head) at the second fret. Now take your index finger and use it to play the E string at the first fret. Pluck these two strings one at time and make sure you can hear them clearly.

Now pluck the C and A strings. Do they sound bright and clear? If not, it is likely that the string is being muted by the bottom of one of your fingers.

Take a look at how your fretting fingers are positioned. If they are fairly flat against the fret board, then they are most likely causing a problem by dampening the strings and preventing them from ringing.

If you find this is a problem, increase the height of your fingers. In order for the strings to ring out, your hand should be arcing above the fretboard rather than laid down against it.

If you want to create a great sound on the ukulele, paying close attention to this aspect of playing is absolutely essential. You’ll encounter this again and again when you start to learn more chords and it’s important to get into the correct way of playing as soon as possible.

So it’s good to get this technique down as soon as you start so that the good habits will transfer through into your later playing.

In rock music, C to F is one of the most common chord changes there is. You’ll hear it over and over in all sorts of genres from country to blues to pop to metal.

And the third chord that will complete this natural progression is the G7 chord. This chord adds the final bit of tension to the progression. And that is the chord that we will be learning in the next article in this series.

Are you a beginner who is looking to learn about different online guitar methods? Maybe you are one who has played around a bit on your own without enjoying too much success?

If so take a deep breath, relax and realize that you are not alone. Many times “too much information” leads to “brain seizure” and in taking no action at all. Learn how to avoid some of the common frustrations by picking a course of action and then sticking to it.

Some common frustrations for beginner’s when learning how to play the guitar:

• Wasting money on lesson books or DVD’s that looked great in the store but you will never understand them at home on your own
• Having local group or private lessons that are not offered during a time that is convenient for you or are too expensive
• Not having your guitar properly “set up”.
• Strings that are too thick and heavy that lead to stinging or bleeding fingers
• Strings that are set too high off the fret board which makes it difficult to play
• A teacher that may know guitar theory but cannot explain it in a way that you can easily understand
• Not knowing the importance of how to set up a good time and place to practice where you will not be disturbed
• Not having an easy to follow method which will allow you to go “at your own pace”
• A method that has you practicing boring drills only to see a slight improvement in your playing
• Not knowing “where and how” to get started

If any of these examples sound familiar and ring a bell with you, know that answers are right around the corner. Do not allow these frustrations to bog you down to the point that you do nothing. Do not give up on your dreams of playing the guitar!

Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. His father and mother were Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart. He had one sister, Maria Anna Mozart, who was born in 1751.

Mozart’s father was a minor composer with an interest in music. When his older sister was seven and Wolfgang was three, their father began giving Maria Anna piano lessons as Wolfgang watched with great interest. He had a natural talent for picking out chords, and by age five Wolfgang was composing small pieces on the clavier. His father wrote the pieces down, and they eventually were popularized under names like the Andante and the Allegro in C.

As evidence of Wolfgang’s genius became apparent, his parents decided to put him on tour across Europe and showcase him as the child prodigy he was. They traveled to cities like Vienna, Munich, Prague, Paris, Mannheim, London, The Hague, Zurich and Donaueschingen. During his travels, Wolfgang met many influential musicians, including Johann Christian Bach. However, travel was difficult and the family was often wrought with illness.

In 1769 the family set out for Italy. The journey took them until 1771. When they arrived at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Mozart witnessed a performance of Miserere by Gregorio Allegri. He then was able to write down the entire piece from memory, much to the amazement of the music community. Transcribing the music was technically illegal according the Vatican, but the event remains legendary to this day.

In Milan in 1770, Mozart composed and successfully performed the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto, which led to two future operatic commissions for Ascanio in Alba and Lucio Silla. Mozart traveled back and forth between Salzburg and Milan to complete these pieces in the years that followed.

When he returned to Salzburg in 1773, he was appointed as royal musician to the court by the ruler of Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colleredo. His popularity increased tremendously, but so did his yearning for bigger and better successes.

After years searching for a new job in Paris and Mannheim, Mozart eventually was sent to Vienna by his employer. His salary was cut, and he attempted to resign, but the request was denied. He was eventually fired with dishonor in 1781, and he set out to make a freelance career for himself.

His career blossomed in Vienna, and in 1782 he married a woman named Constanze with whom he had six children. At this time, composer Joseph Hayden and Mozart became good friends. He finally obtained an aristocratic commission in 1787 when Emperor Joseph II appointed him as chamber composer. In the same year, Mozart’s famous opera Don Giovanni opened in Prague to much critical acclaim.

In the last few years of his life, Mozart produced many noteworthy compositions, like The Magic Flute and his famous unfinished Requiem. He fell ill in 1791 while in Prague for the premiere of his opera La clemenza di Tito in September. By November of that year, Mozart was bedridden because of his illness. He was tended to by Constanze and his family doctor until his death on December 5.

It is impossible for modern medicine to pinpoint the exact cause of his death, but the old medical practice of bloodletting is believed to be a contributing factor. He was buried in a common grave, as was the practice of the time in Vienna. While illness may have stopped the progress of his musical career, the genius of Mozart’s compositions lives on through the ages.