uke falls down in some chord changes

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Mixy

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Hi guys,

I am a uke beginner and I am pretty happy to have found this forum.

I have learned the chords individually and now I am trying to learn to switch between chords
If i have understood well, the neck of the uke should be resting on the web of your left hand (the side of the index finger). This works very well to play chords that need the same wrist twist (D, G...)

The problem I have is when i try to switch to other chords that need a different wrist twist, which don't allow having the uke resting on the left hand web... For example Em...

In summary, if I try to switch between G and Em, the uke falls down because I lose the support of the left hand against the neck

Thanks!!!
 
Mixy said:
Hi guys,

I am a uke beginner and I am pretty happy to have found this forum.

I have learned the chords individually and now I am trying to learn to switch between chords
If i have understood well, the neck of the uke should be resting on the web of your left hand (the side of the index finger). This works very well to play chords that need the same wrist twist (D, G...)

The problem I have is when i try to switch to other chords that need a different wrist twist, which don't allow having the uke resting on the left hand web... For example Em...

In summary, if I try to switch between G and Em, the uke falls down because I lose the support of the left hand against the neck

Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

What size Ukelele are you learning on ?
 
Don't support with the web, try to have thumb behind fretboard. Consider a strap, they're a big help.
 
Lots of people use straps for their ukuleles. If your ukulele doesn't have a strap button and you don't want to install one, consider trying the Uke Leash. I had a lot of problems holding my concert ukulele when I first started playing and a Uke Leash made a huge difference for me. Lori, who sells the Uke Leash, is a member of this forum and very easy to do business with.
 
bunnyf said:
Don't support with the web, try to have thumb behind fretboard. Consider a strap, they're a big help.
Click to expand...

I started with the Uke in the web of my hand as a book taught me, but I'm making the change to thumb behind the neck for most chords. Some, like G and D work better in the web so far.

When one is self taught he often learns mistakes, and then he has to go back and correct them. Changing stuff is difficult; it's much better to learn it correctly in the first place. But that's one of the drawbacks to being self taught I guess.

Using a strap is a good idea too. :eek:ld:
 
What CeeJay is saying is correct but I have range of motion problems and can't get the twist you are referring to either. I rest the neck on the third joint/knuckle of my index finger. My thumb has rotated so that it rests on the side of the neck rather than the back of the neck. Be advised: if you have to do a quick change to a barre chord the solution I have suggested will not work very well.
 
I, too was having difficulty moving between G and Em quickly. A strap certainly has helped me out, but more helpful was a discovery I made last night while messing around. I was working on Uke of Carl's "Doctor Who theme" tab, and was having a helluva time changing from Em to G for one beat and then back to Em. What I realized is that for Em I could bar the CEA strings at the second fret instead of just putting my index finger on the A string. This way, all I had to do was lift my ring finger to move from Em to G. No wrist pivoting needed.
 
RobTomes said:
I, too was having difficulty moving between G and Em quickly. A strap certainly has helped me out, but more helpful was a discovery I made last night while messing around. I was working on Uke of Carl's "Doctor Who theme" tab, and was having a helluva time changing from Em to G for one beat and then back to Em. What I realized is that for Em I could bar the CEA strings at the second fret instead of just putting my index finger on the A string. This way, all I had to do was lift my ring finger to move from Em to G. No wrist pivoting needed.
Click to expand...

The above is excellent advice .....Having the uke resting between first and thumb and on the web is probably okay IF you know how to fret the chords ...by which I mean how to do so with minimum movement of the left hand and just the fingers.....better idea is to hold the uke with your thumb not planted squarely in the back of the middle of the neck..but coming slighty towards the upperside of the fret boardjust past the "apex" of the curve of the neck ....but not so that the thumb is sticking up in the air .....(that will come later , when you start to learn how to thumb fret :cool:)...
 
Your left hand should never be used to support the ukulele. If you need to support your uke with the left hand, then you need a strap. I have straps on all of my ukes except one soprano and I never play anything very complicated on it standing up or it would have a strap too.
 
Mixy , Hi


Further to my last post which I re - read and realise is not entirely clear I have just put this little vid together which may hopefully make what I am saying a little clearer.......

Excuse the shirt ...I only just decided to do this off the cuff just an hour ago...so it is fairly fresh ...although it may still stink.....:drool: The video...not the shirt ...which just looks manky ...it at least is clean...
 
You shouldn't have to struggle so much when playing the uke. It is supposed to be fun, after all. I found that the more demanding the left hand fingering, the more I needed the support of a strap. You might note that professional ukulele performers usually use a strap of some kind. Having some kind of support frees you up to concentrate on finger position for the best sound and most comfortable hand positions. You don't want to cause undo wrist strain or finger/ thumb strain. If you must go strapless, you need to perfect the technique of clamping down with your strumming arm on the sound box, so that your left hand can have total freedom. That might limit some of your right hand techniques, and it will muffle the sound box a bit.

–Lori
 
Mixy said:
In summary, if I try to switch between G and Em, the uke falls down because I lose the support of the left hand against the neck
Click to expand...

This young lady http://youtu.be/AuFD4IKz6bk has an economic and serviceable solution to this problem ... you may care for the "shabby chique" look, or possibly want to invest in something a little more stylish if this solution works for you ... no cost to try it, though ;)
 
Hi all,

Huge thanks to all of you for your very helpful replies. Special thanks to @CeeJay who even shot a video to help me out... Very useful indeed!!!
I am very fortunate to have found this great community.

So, the summary is:
- Consider getting a strap
- Thumb should be behind the fretboard. This will help changing chords with minimal hand/wrist movement
- Resting uke on the web is OK if you know how to fret chords or can change chords very quickly, which is quite unlikely for a beginner in the first place
- One day i wont even believe I was having these problems

Thanks again to everybody. Have a great weekend!
 
I bought a ukeleash and my playing has improved lots

thanks again for your help!
 
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