Hawaiian Vamp Chords
An ‘ukulele vamp (also called a “turnaround”) in Hawaiian music is three chords: II7, V7, and I. The first two chords get two counts (//) and the last gets four (////). If you are playing a down-up strum, one count equals down and up. D7// G7// C//// (D7: DUDU G7: DUDU C: DUDUDUDU). Vamps are usually used in between verses, but are also very common as intros and outros. You will hear the term “picking vamp” too. A picking vamp follows the same sound as the chords, so they fit together. i.e. You could strum a C vamp and your friend could pick a C vamp. If you want to learn picking vamps check out The Picking Vamps Page.
- C: D7// G7// C////
- G: A7// D7// G////
- F: G7// C7// F////
- A: B7// E7// A////
- D: E7// A7// D////
…And the not so common keys:
- E: F#7// B7// E////
- B: C#7// F#7// B////
- F#/Gb: G#7// C#7// F#////
- C#/Db: D#7// G#7// C#////
- G#/Ab: A#7// D#7// G#////
- D#/Eb: F7// Bb7// Eb////
- A#/Bb: C7// F7// Bb////
Here are the chord charts:
If you want to spice things up a bit, try substituting 9th chords for the 7ths and 6ths for the major chords. It will sound less traditional, but more jazzy.
