A Guide to Ukulele Strums

If you're a registered site member and have the correct permissions you can view ALL the pages of this PDF or Samples pages at a larger size using the LearningUkulele.com Online PDF Viewer.

However, if you'd like to support the site even more ❤️ you can buy the PDF.

Product Info

• Product Code: UKESTRUM1
• Author(s): Curt Sheller
• Publisher(s):
• Published: 12 July 2008
• Updated: 29 September 2025
• ISBN-13: 78-1-60321-019-5
• Size*: Book ANSI A (8.5 x 11 in), PDF A4 (210 x 297 mm)
• Pages: 26
• Hard Copy Price: $15.95
• PDF Price: $7.00

Regarding Book, Lesson and Charts Paper Sizes
• click to Hide more info • click to Show more info

Starting 2020 LearningUkulele.com and Learning Ukulele with Curt moved to A4 paper sizes for all new books and new editions of books, lessons, and charts.

The A Series was adopted in Europe in the 19th century, and is currently used all around the world, apart from in the USA and Canada.

• Decoding Printer Paper Sizes: A4 vs Letter vs Legal. which is Standard?

NOTE: Printing A4 to US Letter Size: As the sizes are relatively close, simple select Scale to Fit and the A4 size will print out fine.

One of the first skills a ukulele player learns is the art and craft of strumming, playing rhythm. This refers to an accompaniment technique suitable for the singer, singer - songwriter or someone who plays a support role for another instrument.

Strumming requires a specific set of skills:

• Memorization of chords
• The ability to switch chords smoothly
• The ability to choose and execute a suitable rhythmic strum

It's this 3rd skill that is our focus in A Guide to Ukulele Strums and Rhythmic Patterns.

Though strumming looks natural to the casual observer, it is anything but natural to the beginning ukulele player. Even experienced players have difficulty in identifying and executing certain strums. Though this is one of those topics that is typically taken for granted, there is much to learn about rhythmic feels, accents, dynamics, strum direction, feel, percussive accents, idiomatic styles and tempo variation.

First and foremost, the subject of strumming is inseparably linked to rhythm. Though an ability to read rhythm is helpful, it's not necessary to profit from this material.

Each strum is identified with a term that differentiates it from every other strum. This term is typically called a feel. Drummers learn these terms early in their studies so learning this language is not only helpful to learning the strums, it's also helpful with communications among musicians in general and drummers in particular.

The strums in this book work in any tuning or instrument. Chord examples shown for ukuleles in C tuning.

One strum is different from another based on the stroke direction, the stroke density, the subdivision of the beat and the accent pattern.

Strums covered include: Quarter Note, Sustain, Rock, Light Rock, 12/8, Shuffle, Power Shuffle, Double Time, Gallop, Flowing 3/4, Ska, Bass Note Patterns, 3/4, Reggae and Broken Patterns.