Fingerpicking.

Down Up Dick

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When you're fingerpicking, do you play chords too, or do you just pluck out the melody? What about added enhancements, such as hammer ons or slides or pull offs? Do you bend notes?

I read a lot about fingerpickin' on the UU, and I just wondered what Ukers actually do. :eek:ld:
 
Yup. All of the above.
 
I first learned a rhythmic picking pattern to use with the right hand while fingering a chord with the left. Practice it until it is natural, then learn to vary the speed and tempo. Soon you find yourself putting the emphasis on certain notes, suddenly you'll hear the melody coming out of that picking pattern. I am now learning to add the embellishments usually while changing chords, the hammer-ons, little run ups and downs. Haven't started bending yet however.
 
Anything goes. Sometimes on faster music I might just play melody, but usually there's melody and harmony worked in. The uke doesn't have many strings, the harmony isn't always very full, but even a few supprting notes can create a harmonic context for the melody. But for me, melody is always the the main thing if you are playing solo uke.
 
Mark Nelson's instruction may be helpful... His book is Fingerstyle solos for ukulele

I just recently started using this to supplement other fingerstyle instruction/excerices I had been using. His YT videos are informative too. His videos progress into the questions you had about adding to your fingerstyle playing...


 
In addition to Mark Nelson's instruction you might take a look at James Hill's uke class (online)...called The Ukulele Way. Some of the videos are free if you sign in. Other than that there is a very small monthly payment for access to all instruction. He teaches you how to play melody, harmony and rhythm simultaneously. It's really exciting to pick/pluck a melody note as you play a chord. But still not intuitive for me...have to follow the charts he makes. Hoping I'll get it soon! Good luck to you!
 
I think my new years resolution is going to be to bend more.
Its something I just don't really do on my own for some reason.
In my head slides, harmonics, and vibrato come naturally cuz I hear it in my head, but not bending.

If its in someone else's arrangement and I know its there.., but when I'm just playing, for some reason it doesn't occur to me to bend stuff.
 
Coming from a "Blues" musical background, do all the above. A lot of bends, slides, hammer on/offs.
 
When you're fingerpicking, do you play chords too, or do you just pluck out the melody? What about added enhancements, such as hammer ons or slides or pull offs? Do you bend notes?

I read a lot about fingerpickin' on the UU, and I just wondered what Ukers actually do. :eek:ld:
I have been messing with all of that for a while, but just lately I've been seeing some real progress. For a long time I just couldn't get it all together. I think it is Christmas songs. I don't know what it is about them, but they seem to lend themselves to mixing things up.
 
Yeah, Rollie, Christmas songs are easy to play and lend themselves well to enhancement. So do Gospel songs and even hymns. I enjoy singing and playing all of them. When, I was in my high school glee club, we sang a lot of Spirituals. I guess that's where I learned to enjoy Gospel music. But God isn't allowed in our schools any more--Ahhh, well . . .

The times are surely different now, but anyway, Merry Christmas everyone! :eek:ld:
 
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I'm used to guitar bends with steel strings, so uke bends with nylon strings are almost different creatures for me. No sustain, and only a 1/2 step because the strings are so short. It's more like a vocal inflection. On slower tunes I do use a left hand vibrato that helps notes sing out and sustain more.
 
I'm used to guitar bends with steel strings, so uke bends with nylon strings are almost different creatures for me. No sustain, and only a 1/2 step because the strings are so short. It's more like a vocal inflection. On slower tunes I do use a left hand vibrato that helps notes sing out and sustain more.

I don't use them very much yet. I always imagine the string snapping--scary! :eek:ld:
 
Mark Nelson's instruction may be helpful... His book is Fingerstyle solos for ukulele

He's got two books:

Learn to Play Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele and now also,

Favorite Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele

I have the first and it was my primary resource in learning fingerstyle. I didn't realize he also had videos.
 
He's got two books:

Learn to Play Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele and now also,

Favorite Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele

I have the first and it was my primary resource in learning fingerstyle. I didn't realize he also had videos.

I didn't know about the videos until today and this was one of the first books I started using.

Personally, I am learning more about finger picking from my Pekelo book 1 than any other book.
Although I saw the post about The Ukulele Way and that seems very interesting to me.
Anyone else try The Ukulele Way by James Hill?
 
Sorry for Hijacking the thread,

but I have a picking question, and I guess it could go here:

When I fingerpick from tabs, sometimes 2 or 3 strings are supposed to be played at the same time.
When the strings are not next to each other I naturally need to pick them with different fingers at the same time, i suppose.

When the strings are adjacent, I can either pick them simultaniously with two or three fingers, or do a partial strum over just those strings.
In the examples I have encountered this far, the second option sounds the best to me. But which approach is more common?
 
If God want's to sign in and register in the office... I'm sure they'd be glad to show him/her around.
He keeps trying every December, but finds that for some reason schools are always closed this time of year.

As per fingerpicking, something that hasn't been mentioned here is the playing of single note runs in rapid succession. I've been exploring the wealth of music written for the renaissance guitar - a 16th century instrument very similar to the ukulele. That original music is very different than the arrangements made available to us from Tony Mizen, btw. I used to play the single note runs (omnipresent in this genre) by alternating index and middle fingers, however I believe the players of this instrument obtain much more speed alternating between thumb and index, so I've been trying that technique on the uke with more success.

Merry Christmas!
 
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