How to hold a ukulele

I wrote an article about how to hold a ukulele. Just my 5 cents.
Any comment is appreciated.

http://uke4u.com/ukulele-know-how/how-to-hold-the-ukulele/

Will help a lot of beginners. As a word of caution, some of the long sleeve shirts, especially the pullovers, are made from synthetic fibers that are very "slippery" and make holding a uke difficult, even for experienced players. I try and avoid wearing them when I'll be playing.

@PhillUSAFret: That's a good point. Never thought of that because I mostly wear cotton.

@ubulele: First of all thanks for your detailed feedback.

I have to buy a real ukulele or mandoline strap, but I don't think the one from my electric guitar affects the way I'm holding the uke in any way.
I usually hold the neck with the thumb on top because it's the most natural way without any tension ( that's why I posted the first photo of the hand without a uke ). I also often use the thumb to grap the 4th string
( like Formby did ).
You're right, for a barre etc. you should put the thumb on the back of the neck ( like in the last picture ).
For me the two most important things are:
1. A good intonation with a clear tone.
2. Both hands in a relaxed and steady position.

I just bought a cheap (~US$7) uke thong off eBay [ http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ADJUSTA...AP-MANDOLIN-PARLOR-GUITAR-THONG-/281635761159 ] and it sucks. Length is adjusted by tightening the noose around your neck -- and its strap is narrow and unpadded. The clip fits ukes (that don't really need it) and maybe some mandolins but is unusable anywhere else. AVOID THIS ONE.

I saw an article once on this, the guy said that there's only one way to hold a uke (his way), and you do it that way either standing or sitting. Well, heck. I have a soprano, a concert and a banjolele and I play 'em all differently and I don't like playing while standing but I can do it. Whatever works best is best. Ukes are pretty easy to hold for the most part, you realize this if you play something like a balalaika or a sanxian or a rawap, if you hold them wrong you either can't work the strings, you muffle the soundbox or you scratch up the expensive skin, in the case of the balalaika it'll stick you. I usually rest a uke on my right thigh while sitting, that's it. I can't hold it like the guy in the article, either his uke is microscopic and / or he's huge.

Ukeefus said:

I can't hold it like the guy in the article, either his uke is microscopic and / or he's huge.

Click to expand...

I am rather taller and somewhat thinner than the fellow illustrated and I would not be comfortable holding tenor, soprano, or banjo-ukes like that. Up higher and against my chest, please. Of course that raises the problem of dampening resonance and reducing projection. Here is an article on building a tone frame to hold a small lute (uke, mando, etc) away from the body.

Sitting down, I don't use a strap with soprano, concert or tenor ukes. Standing up I can play soprano and concert ukuleles without a strap but with a tenor, I need extra support and I use a uke leash ( http://ukeleash.com/ - They were devised by Lori who is a member of UU). It gives the extra support to the neck and headstock I need without having to add a strap button. I use a hold something like the OP's variation 4 hold but with the body of the uke tucked into the crook of my arm. That way, I can support it with only a part of the body of the instrument in contact with my body. I used to support the neck in the curve of my thumb and forefinger but increasingly I am placing the thumb behind the neck. The neck is still supported but my fingers are better placed for playing chords cleanly. I don't play up the neck much but the thumb in this position enables going up the neck when I need to. I do go back to supporting the neck in the curve of my thumb and forefinger if I need to take all my fingers off for a chord change.

I use a strap for my banjo uke which is quite heavy. I clip it to two head tensioning rods, one on either side of the head. I also use a strap with my two Risa Ukes. With all these three, it's not practical to hold them at all without a strap but otherwise I generally prefer not to use a strap.

I don't have a baritone ukulele nor am I intending to get one but I suspect you really do need one for a baritone.

PhilUSAFRet said:

Will help a lot of beginners. As a word of caution, some of the long sleeve shirts, especially the pullovers, are made from synthetic fibers that are very "slippery" and make holding a uke difficult, even for experienced players. I try and avoid wearing them when I'll be playing.

Click to expand...

The Mobius Strap gives hand-free support for any size ukulele without any modification to the instrument, even when wearing a long sleeve shirt!