Develop Your Hawaiian-Style Chord-Melody Approach with “Henehene Kou ‘Aka (For You and I)”
BY BRIAN LIU | FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE
Born and raised in Hawaii, I grew up listening to the melodic sounds of the ukulele. I was especially drawn to the stylings of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (“Iz”) from the Makaha Sons, Jake Shimabukuro from Pure Heart, and Troy Fernandez from the Ka‘au Crater Boys. As I learned the instrument, I noticed how these skilled players defined the ukulele’s distinct place in Hawaiian music by playing chords higher up the fretboard, using more advanced strumming, and creating melodies as they moved between chords.
Inspired by those moves, this lesson explores how to play a melodic Hawaiian-style chord solo on the ukulele. We’ll start by learning the chords to a traditional song using open positions and basic strumming. From there, we’ll move to new chord shapes higher up the fretboard. Finally, we’ll look at how to use melodies, embellishments, and more advanced rhythms to build a complete chord solo.
Getting Started
Begin with a chord progression in the style of the classic Hawaiian song “Henehene Kou ‘Aka (For You and I),” shown in Example 1. Start with open-position C, F, D7, and G7 chords, using steady downstrokes to feel the timing of each change. Then play the same progression while adding upstrokes on the ands of the beats, as demonstrated in the video. Even with the added motion, the chord changes happen at the same time and the tempo remains steady. Keeping the right hand moving consistently is a key component of Hawaiian chord soloing.
To build a chord solo from here, it helps to be comfortable with chord inversions. A chord inversion is a rearrangement of a chord’s notes into a different order. Take the C chord as an example: in root position, the notes from low to high are C–E–G. The first inversion rearranges them to E–G–C, and the second inversion to G–C–E. Play through Example 2 and notice how each inversion moves into a higher register.
Next, explore the inversions for the remaining chords in the tune (Example 3). Some use barre shapes with the first finger across all four strings, while others require more involved finger placement.
Example 4 applies these shapes to the full progression. Work one or two measures at a time to get used to moving between them. A melody begins to emerge as the highest note of each chord—played on the first string—creates a contour, though some of the leaps may still feel a bit wide.
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Getting Melodic
Example 5 smooths out the movement by choosing inversions that create a melodic line with smaller steps between the top notes. In measure 1, when the first finger bars the F chord, the remaining fingers outline a descending melody on the first string from fret 8 to 7 to 5. By doing this, we’re simultaneously playing an F chord and creating a simple melody that moves from F to E to D.
In measures 2 and 3, the progression moves from a higher inversion of C to a lower one, with the melody on the first string descending from fret 7 to 5 to 3. By shifting between these inversions, we can maintain a comfortable fretting-hand position while allowing the melody to move smoothly from E to D to C.
Next, add interest to the D7 and G7 chords by creating a simple melodic line on the first string between the fifth and seventh frets. When playing D7 as a barre chord at the fifth fret, adding the seventh fret of the first string creates a D9 chord. When moving to G7, I like to use three individual fingers, resembling an elongated version of the open-position G chord. This also makes it easier for the fourth finger to reach the seventh fret on string 1, creating a colorful G13 chord.
Spice It Up
A signature sound in Hawaiian chord soloing is chromatic chord movement—moving chords up or down by one fret. By sliding a chord shape along the fretboard, we can easily introduce this effect. Example 6 shows several ways to apply this technique to a C chord shape. In the tune, chromatic movement often follows the D7–G7–C vamp, moving through Bb–B–C. This helps create a clear stop in the strumming on the C chord before the lyrics begin (Example 7).
Putting It All Together
Example 8 brings these techniques together in a syncopated chord solo. One way to create excitement is through syncopation—shifting accents from downbeats to upbeats to create a buoyant, unexpected feel. Play the chords that fall on the beat with a downward strum, and those on the ands with an upward strum, as shown in the notation. Pay close attention to the placement of the upstrokes and how they help propel the solo forward.
One effective practice strategy is to intentionally make the upward strums louder than the downward ones while maintaining a steady tempo. Learning this style of chord soloing takes slow, deliberate practice—especially when navigating chord changes and movement along the fretboard. Over time, as you internalize the chord shapes and melodic lines, your left and right hands will begin working together more naturally to create a flowing chord melody.
Take it slow, celebrate the small victories, and before long you’ll be playing Hawaiian-style chord melodies with confidence.
Brian Liu is a performer and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find him on YouTube and Instagram under the handle @bliumusic or at his website, melodicukulele.com.
