Published:
2012-04-22
Updated:
2019-10-11
Learning Ukulele with Curt
Alternating Thumb Style, Additional Time Signatures
The patterns in the previous chapters were all in 4/4, common time with four beats per measure or pattern. The alternating thumb fingerpicking style can be used with additional time signatures.
Author(s): Curt Sheller Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Code: ULFP117m-CH-13
Main Category: Fingerpicking Main Instrument: Ukulele
Categories: Chords, Fingerpicking, Technique, Beginner
2026-08-23
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Number of Pages: 12
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The patterns in the previous chapters were all in 4/4, common time with four beats per measure or pattern. The alternating thumb fingerpicking style can be used with additional time signatures.
A time signature is placed at the beginning of a score or piece of music and indicates the number of beats in a measure and the type of note to receive one beat. A time signature is represented as stacked numerals where the top number is the number of beats in a measure and the bottom number is the type of note to receive one beat.
Ukulele
For UKulele the adjacent four strings sets are:
Guitar
Called "Travis Picking" on Banjo, the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied to the guitar as well.
As the ukulele has only one set of four adjacent strings, the Guitar has three sets of four adjacent strings. This means the same principles are directly applicable to the guitar. And can be adapted to the guitar's adjacent string sets.
For Guitar there are four adjacent four strings sets are:
Banjo
Called Scruggs Style
on Banjo the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied.
For Banjo there are two adjacent four strings sets are:
However with the standard 5-string banjo has a high string five that you'll mostly use the top (towards your toes) strings for the Banjo Rolls all five strings are used.
End of Lesson - Thanks, Hope You Enjoyed It!
Related Lessons, Videos, Lesson Series, Songs, Books & Reference Charts, Resources & Assets, Workshops are below.
Fingerpicking for Ukulele - Alternating Thumb Style, 2nd Edition
Fingerpicking for Ukulele - Alternating Thumb Style, 2nd Edition is an new expanded edition which focuses on the alternating thumb fingerpicking style through a series of graduated lessons-chapters incorporating your index and middle fingers with the alternating thumb.
Related Related Series
Related Related Series for Alternating Thumb Style, Additional Time Signatures
Alternating Thumb Fingerpicking on Ukulele
This is the common alternating thumb and two finger strumming style utilizing the thumb, index and middle fingers. Commonly called “Travis” picking in the guitar world. This series of lessons explores and adapts this style to ukulele. Travis Picking is a finger-style made famous by Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. This style is commonly played on steel string acoustic guitars.