Thumb fingering

UkeJordi

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
147
Reaction score
0
Location
Belgium
Dear ukers

Forgive me for what may be a stupid question but I am relatively new to the business. When selecting chord positions with the left hand on the fretboard, is (or should) the thumb be used at all for the g string? I normally use the 4 other fingers but not the thumb. I only use the right hand thumb (for plucking). Is this right or wrong?

Thanks

Jordi
 
I don't use my left thumb for anything other than supporting the neck. One buddy I play with uses his thumb to mute the G string and to fret chords like E7.

My vote is to do whatever is comfortable.
 
Thumb fretters are definitely a minority. For some people it makes one or two of the chords easier which seems nice when you are beginning - but the practice can hold you back in the long run. Do what is most comfortable for you, of course, there are no absolutes in playing posture. However, it is probably best to develop the habit of using the thumb to support the back of the neck as this makes switching between open and barred chords much more fluid and, if you progress on the uke, you are going to eventually encounter the need to play barre chords.

John
 
Lots of tutorials on YouTube. Search.....ukulele, how to hold, how to fret, how to strum for many examples. There are generally accepted "correct" ways to do these because they facilitate learning, and/or transitioning to, other techniques. They are not, however, the only way and you will see some differences in the demos. In the end, you will tend to play in a way that is comfortable for you and allows you do do what you need to do on the fretboard. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
I thumb-fret the G when playing a Bm chord. This is not a recommendation; I wish I could play it another way, because it can slow the move to the next chord, but (so far) I can't. So I'd say to thumb-fret as a last resort . . . while trying to find another way.
 
I thumb-fret the Bm and the Ab. With practice, transitioning to and from those chords within a song has not been a problem for me. Frankly, I wasted too much time early in playing uke worrying about what was and was not "correct."
 
I occasionally use my thumb to fret the G string as an adaptive measure to overcome a weak pinky. Since I would not otherwise be able to make the chord this is certainly acceptable.

The thumb can also be used for "dead thumbing" technique. This allows you to play a base and melody line at the same time. Its a sophisticated technique but you can you it to play Yankee Doodle and Dixie at the same time!
 
I was at the Kansas City Uke Slam yesterday. There was a group of grade school kids there that did a set All of them, including their teacher, were using their thumbs for making D chords and fretting the G string. I thought it was a little odd, but they played their set extremely well.
 
That makes a lot of sense, tune dependent. I use different chord phrasings in different tunes to make chord transitions easier. I use different techniques on instruments I feel competent with but to get a group of kids, (of any age), to quickly perform ensemble this sounds like the idea of a great teacher.
 
I use my thumb when playing a jazz chord like Cdim. I learned that from a Glen Rose video. It's fast since the first 3 strings are a simple G7 then the thumb covers the 4th string and you have a Cdim shape that moves up and down the fretboard. But that's not set in stone. At other times, depending on what chord precedes or follows, I'll use 4 fingers to play that shape.
 
Using the thumb to fret will ultimately hold you back. Ultimately you will have much more reach if you learn to hold the uke properly. That said, once in a while I use my thumb but prefer not to whenever possible.
 
Dear ukers

Forgive me for what may be a stupid question but I am relatively new to the business. When selecting chord positions with the left hand on the fretboard, is (or should) the thumb be used at all for the g string? I normally use the 4 other fingers but not the thumb. I only use the right hand thumb (for plucking). Is this right or wrong?

Thanks

Jordi
On the subject of right and wrong. As earlier posted earlier I occasionally fret with my left thumb. Much more frequently I pluck with my right thumb, for specific reasons. Since I use my right thumb this way I generally don't strum with my right thumb. This is all "right".

I am new to Ukulele and addicted to playing with other people. At my stage of uke playing I have limited knowledge or skill with various chords, Keys and have difficulty keeping up.
When playing and I run into trouble because of my current limitations I use the first second and third strings only. This is and open tuning, but I'm playing closed chords. (That's why I don't strum with my right thumb. It keeps the reentrant 4th string from sounding - which isn't an open tuning). This is "right" too, given what I'm trying to accomplish, ie play along.

However it is the "wrong" way to learn the play ukulele. I need to use all four strings for that, in order learn he chords, chord phrasings, how to use the reentrant 4th string to advantage, etc etc etc. The biggest drawback to my way of "playing" the ukulele is it can lead to bad habits, always hard to break; and it will slow down my progress in "learning to play the ukulele.

Dependent on your motivation there is a wrong and right way. If your just playing for fun the only "wrong" way is one that doesn't work.
 
Using the thumb to fret will ultimately hold you back. Ultimately you will have much more reach if you learn to hold the uke properly. That said, once in a while I use my thumb but prefer not to whenever possible.

That may be true but when I saw Glen Rose using his thumb I quit worrying about it.
 
Top Bottom