How to Play Sparks Chords by Coldplay on Ukulele

Sparks is a beautiful song by Coldplay, released in 2000 on their debut album Parachutes. The song is a soft acoustic ballad that features a gentle melody and harmonies. The song has been used in several movies and TV shows, such as Wedding Crashers, The O.C., and Scrubs.

If you want to learn how to play Sparks by Coldplay on ukulele, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and fingerpicking techniques. In this article, we will show you how to play the song in the key of C, using a capo on the first fret. You can also play the song in the original key of Bbm, without a capo, by using the same chord shapes and moving them down one fret.

Chords

Chords: (all chords relative to the capo on 1st)
C        x32013
Am7      x02213
Fadd9/A  x03213
 
 
[Intro]
Each chord here is strummed
   Am  Ammaj7 Am   C7  Am6 Fmaj7/A
e|--0----0----0----0----0----0---------|
B|--1----1----1----1----1----1---------|
G|--2----1----2----3----2----2--2p0----|
D|--2----2----2----2----4----3------0--|
A|--0----0----0----3----0----0---------|
E|-------------------------------------|
 
C   Am7   x4
 
 
[Verse]
C                Am7
Did I drive you away
C                 Am7
I know what you'll say
        Fadd9/A          C
You say, "Oh sing one you know"
C                 Am7
But I promise you this
C                Am7     Fadd9/A
I'll always look out for you
                      C
Yeah, that's what I'll do
 
 
[Chorus]
        Am  Ammaj7  Am  C7  Am6  Fmaj7/A
I say, "Oh"
       Am  Ammaj7  Am  C7  Am6  Fmaj7/A
I say, "Oh"
 
 
[Instrumental]
C   Am7   x4
 
 
[Verse]
C           Am7
My heart is yours
C              Am7     Fadd9/A
Its you that I hold on to
                    C
Yeah, that's what I do
C                Am7
And I know I was wrong
Ammaj7             Am7
But I won't let you down
   Fadd9/A
Oh yeah I will yeah I will
      C
Yes I will
 
 
[Chorus]
        Am  Ammaj7  Am  C7  Am6  Fmaj7/A
I said, "Oh"
       Am  Ammaj7  Am  C7  Am6  Fmaj7/A
I cry, "Oh"
            C       Am7
Yeah, I saw sparks 
            C       Am7
Yeah, I saw sparks 
            C       Am7
Yeah, I saw sparks 
            C       Am7
Yeah, I saw sparks 
 
[Outro]
Sing it out
C     Am7   C
Ahaah ah ah ah...  x4

Strumming

The song has a slow tempo of 72 bpm, and uses a simple strumming pattern of downstrokes and upstrokes. You can use this pattern for each chord:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D U D U D U

You can also accent the first and third beats by strumming harder or softer on those beats. This will create a more expressive feel to your playing.

Fingerpicking

The song also features some fingerpicking patterns that add some melody and interest to the chord progression. These patterns are played by the lead ukulele over the rhythm ukulele. Here are some examples of the patterns used in the song:

• Intro pattern: This pattern is played over the Am chord at the beginning of the song. It uses hammer-ons and pull-offs to create a smooth sound. You can play it like this:

A|-2—2-2—–| E|-0—0h2—0-| C|-0——-2—| G|-x———–|

• Verse pattern: This pattern is played over the C7 chord in each verse. It uses slides and bends to create a bluesy sound. You can play it like this:

A|-3/5-7b9r7p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3h5p3-| E|-x————————————————————| C|-x————————————————————| G|-x————————————————————|

• Chorus pattern: This pattern is played over the F9 chord in each chorus. It uses double stops and vibrato to create a country sound. You can play it like this:

A|-5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5-| E|-6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8b6b8-| C|-x———————————————| G|-x———————————————|

Conclusion

Sparks by Coldplay is a great song to learn on ukulele, as it teaches you some basic chords, strumming patterns, and fingerpicking techniques. You can play the song in different keys, depending on your preference and vocal range. You can also experiment with different variations of the chords and patterns, to make the song your own. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy playing this lovely song.