`Ukulele Strums - Getting Started

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`Ukulele Strums - Getting Started

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.

A Strum is the Execution of a specific Rhythmic pattern, at Tempo in a particular Style.

Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are:

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

Execution

For instruments such as Ukulele, Guitar, Piano, Mandolin, and Banjo capable of play harmonically, i.e., Chords. Getting the strings going can be accomplished by striking all the strings at once with a pick or plectrum or fingerstyle plucking all the strings at once.

Rhythmic

Rhythm — I have used and still use use the Modular Phonetic Rhythm, The Foundation and Workbook 1 by Chuck Anderson. With great success, pretty much guaranteed success.

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Tempo

Tempo — And, most importantly do ALL of this in tempo.

Style

Style — Style is the Rhythmic patterns that are particular to that style as well as the technique to execute those patterns.

Harmonically, Chords

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 or rhythmic patters. 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. Read that last line again. 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 these lessons.

A Note Regarding Learning Strums and Rhythm

Many people fall into the trap of mixing up play by ear with learning by ear. Learning by ear is a hit and miss, hunt and peck proposition with more misses than hits.

The goal is to play and perform with the inner ear in control - that is “Playing by Ear”. Learning is better suited with a system and plan of attack.

I've seen it way too many times with my own private students. They insist on trying to learn a specific strumming pattern by their intrinsic stroke directional pattern — the down and up pattern. For only the basic, simplest of strums this might work at times. But, it falls apart for really learning rhythm, which is directly linked to strumming. It is helpful when training the strumming hand to place to emphasis on the downbeats or pulse of music with a down stoke.

Cutting to the Chase — You CAN learn any rhythmic pattern by it's standard music notation and the counting pattern used to recreate the sound of the pattern. What this does is allows you a method to accurately reproduce any pattern on demand — no need to resort to hearing it first. You hear it first with you inner ear and you hands are trained enough to reproduce it on demand. Eyes -> Ear -> Hands.