guitharsis
Well-known member
Over the soundhole.Never really thought about it, had to grab a uke to check. I'm in the "over the soundhole" camp. I tried to pick over the end of the fretboard and the fretboard just gets in the way.
How can you even pick if you're anchoring your thumb? Anchoring, in general, restricts movement in the other fingers. Plus, I've always found the thumb to be crucial for picking. I've seen people pick amazingly fast using nothing but their thumb.
Some say there are no rules in playing uke, and whatever works for you is fine. I get that. But a lot of time when I try techniques others mention, they just don't seem to be very efficient.
My background in classical guitar has translated well into fingerpicking on the uke. I use thumb, index, middle and ring fingers to pick. I don't anchor, my LH thumb stays behind the neck, and my RH floats just barely above the strings so my fingers are ready to strike with minimal movement.
I'm not saying everyone should adopt CG technique, but it you watch videos by a really good CG player like John Williams, you'll see it looks like his fingers (on both hands) barely move. He's a master of the "economy of motion" approach. If your fingers are flailing all about, you're not being maximally efficient.
YMMV.
Of course fingerpicking the uke is like classical guitar! Use thumb, index, middle and ring fingers to pick; LH thumb behind the neck. Didn't realize that others were using different methods. Interesting. Agree not everyone should adopt the CG technique, but it probably is the most efficient.
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