Lesson #15 Strumming What You Hear

jimdville

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26 Basic Ukulele Lessons #15: Strumming What You Hear is now posted on my site. Every Wednesday I’ll roll out a new three-minute lesson designed for the person who is just getting started on the ukulele. The series is sponsored by Kala Brand Ukuleles.
 
I really hate to keep posting on Jim's threads, but I can't help it. Somehow this gentlemen really and truly understands the issues faced by beginners. This one - like his earlier lesson on chording - once again got to the core of things for me. In the earlier chording example he likened moving your clumsy beginner fingers to a chord like three people trying to go through a doorway at the same time.

His tip: to practice by "walking" your fingers to the chord, goes to the essence and could not possibly be more effective in learning, at least for me.

With this lesson - strumming - he does it again pointing out the great confusion of the nearly endless variations in patterns as confusing and offputting. For a beginner like me, this is exactly right. His tip: to focus on the basic strum, the 1& 2& 3& 4& (emphasis on the "1") and drill until that becomes completely locked in. As far as the other 1000 variations, forget it. As far as his invaluable tip here, I won't spoil it but he is so right.

I should say that I am a percussionist, with minor talents on keyboards and harmonica and could not agree more with Jim that its about hearing and feeling the music, not practicing endless variations. There is a huge difference between being a good technical player and hearing the music.

Unlike 90% of the "instruction" out there, he's got it and knows how to communicate it. Great stuff...
 
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I'll third that. And I bummed to miss his class at McCabe's this coming Saturday.
 
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