Building Your Core Strums for Ukulele

Building Your Core Strums for Ukulele

As rhythm is in-separately linked with strums these lessons are suitable for any stringed instrument like guitar, banjo and mandolin capable of playing chords.

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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.
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The Muted Strum
The muted strum is executed by relaxing the chord hand during the strum. If the chord is a barre, relaxing the pressure is enough to create the percussive, drum like effect. If holding an open chord, the fingers relax but maintain enough finger pressure to get the muted sound. This is what a few players are calling, The Universal Muted Chord. You're utilizing your ukulele as a percussive instrument and there is no discernible pitch - just like a drum. This chord works on any song just as a drum works with any song and does't care what the key is.
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Quarter Note Strum
Chords and music are organized into bars or measures with the most common number of beats per bar or measure being four. One of the most basic strumming patterns and the foundation for ALL future strumming is the "Quarter Note Strum". As the name implies this strumming pattern is one quarter note per beat.
As the name implies this strumming pattern is one quarter note per beat. For songs in common "4/4" time where there are four beats per measure or bar. This is one down stroke per beat.
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Quarter Note Strum - Variations
Building on the basic Quarter Note Strum lessons, here are four variations to get you started.
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Four Famous Core `Ukulele Strums - Pattern One
For ukulele there are four core, basic strums that will get you started. This is the first of the four core patterns.
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Four Famous Core `Ukulele Strums - Pattern - Pattern Two
For ukulele and guitar there are four core, basic strums that will get you started. This is the second of the four core patterns.
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Four Famous Core `Ukulele Strums - Pattern - Pattern Three
For ukulele there are four core, basic strums that will get you started. This is the third of the four core patterns.
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Four Famous Core `Ukulele Strums - Pattern - Pattern Four
For ukulele, there are four core, basic strums that will get you started. This is the fourth of the four core patterns. This is the famous Island Strum that you will hear a lot in the Ukulele community.
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Four Famous Core `Ukulele Strums - Pattern - Review
Review of the four core ukulele strums.
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`Ukulele Strums - Core Pattern 4.1
Another one of the 72 possible strumming patterns based of the Modular Phonetic Rhythm systems level II rhythmic syllables.
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`Ukulele Strums - Core Pattern 4.1T
Another one of the 72 possible strumming patterns based of the Modular Phonetic Rhythm systems level II rhythmic syllables. The last pattern in this series with the end of the first rhythmic syllable tied to the beginning of the second rhythmic syllable.
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`Ukulele Strums - Core Pattern 6.1
Another one of the 72 possible strumming patterns based of the Modular Phonetic Rhythm systems level II rhythmic syllables.
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`Ukulele Struming Pattern 6.1T
Another one of the 72 possible strumming patterns based of the Modular Phonetic Rhythm systems level II rhythmic syllables.
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Learning the Bo Diddley Strum
The Bo Diddley strum is named after Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley is an American R&B vocalist, guitarist, songwriter ( usually as Ellas McDaniel ), and rock and roll pioneer. He introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged electric guitar sound on a wide-ranging catalog of songs, along with African rhythms and a signature beat (a simple five-accent clave rhythm) that remains a cornerstone of rock and pop.
This pattern can be played in cut time but should be learned in common time. It is often notated in cut time, making if a bit harder for beginner and intermediate player to learn.