Published:
2014-02-18
Updated:
2025-07-28
Learning Ukulele with Curt
Reading for `Ukulele - Lesson Three, Open Position
Now that you can recognize the notes on the staff in the Treble clef, it’s time to start connecting that knowledge to the ukulele. One of the most significant problems in reading for the ukulele, is that many of the same notes can be found in multiple locations on the neck. For example, the same A note is an open string one, string two - fret (5) and string three, fret (9) and if using a high G tuning - string four fret (2). The only way to cut down this complexity is to organize the ukulele into positions where this duplication is either eliminated or at least, minimized.
Author(s): Curt Sheller Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Code: UKEREAD1S-3
Main Category: Reading Main Instrument: Ukulele
Categories: Chords
2026-08-23
RelatedLessonAssets
Number of Pages: 14
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Now that you can recognize the notes on the staff in the Treble clef, it’s time to start connecting that knowledge to the ukulele.
One of the most significant problems in reading for the ukulele, is that many of the same notes can be found in multiple locations on the neck. For example, the same A note is an open string one, string two - fret (5) and string three, fret (9) and if using a high G tuning - string four fret (2). The only way to cut down this complexity is to organize the ukulele into positions where this duplication is either eliminated or at least, minimized.
We’re going to begin by isolating the first position. The first position is all the notes falling between string four and string one, from frets one through four. Open position includes these same notes but also takes advantage of open strings.
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