Can't work out strumming patterns

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Baldrick

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I cannot seem to work out the strumming pattern for songs. I don't seem to have much rhythm either and end up either playing a song too quick or too slow. I listen to the song being played and I try and play along, but I can't seem to get the strumming pattern right and so the song sounds rubbish. :(

Is this normal for a beginner? Will I develop these skills with practice?

Does anyone have any tips that will help?
 
Hi Baldrick
It takes time to learn how to keep a rhythm, and even longer to understand how to vary it, and then longer still to keep the pattern and sing along.

Just keep going, start with simple strums like D, D, D, D, then try DUDUDUDU, then DDUUD and so on. It took me around 4 months before the strumming mini-miracle occurred, and I woke up one morning, picked up the uke, and suddenly I could strum.
My main advice is to listen for the melody (rhythm) of the song, and not try to play the tune (that might not make sense at first, but usually you would sing the tune, and accompany the song with the melody).

Don't give up, you will get there.
 
I've found it helpful to find youtube videos of people playing the songs. Sometimes you will luck out and it will be a uke version...
...but even seeing people strum a guitar can help.

As for practice, try not doing chord changes & strum patterns at the same time. Muffle the strings with your left hand and work out the rhythm first with your right hand.
 
You will get better with time, although I do think some people have a better knack for it than others. The best thing to do is to learn songs with a variety of strum patterns so you have a variety of strums at your disposal, so when you're trying to figure out a song you can't hear you can try a few different things until they start to sound 'right'. And also remember there are so many different ways to work a song, just because it's not the same as the youtube video doesn't mean it's not 'right' - I mean, that's why covers were invented in the first place, right?

For me, this link was a good resource for different strum patterns.


http://www.ukemaker.com/ukeclub/media/StrumPatterns.pdf
 
Thanks for the advice everyone.

I was worried that maybe i just wasn't suited for music, but I will persevere. I do get the strum pattern right sometimes, but just cannot sustain it for a whole song, but as you say, it will come with practice.


Thanks for the links, I will have a good look at them all
 
Just to make you feel better, I suck at strumming too. The weird thing is, I am a pretty good finger-picker and was great with classical guitar, but when it camed to rhythum I was lost. Which I would have thought it would be the opposite. The more I play a song the better I get though. So just keep strumming! It will come... or at least that is what I am telling myself :)!
 
I'm now thinking the same trhing Mim!

Practice, practice, practice.

Actually i have noticed a difference in my playingtoday since yesterday... not much, but a bit!
 
I literally picked up my ukulele today and my strumming was a million times better and I was seriously hopeless :) Practice!
 
blonderocks said:
I literally picked up my ukulele today and my strumming was a million times better and I was seriously hopeless :) Practice!
Click to expand...

I know that feeling! I did the same thing yesterday and managed to play my first song all the way through without it sounding rubbish!
 
Mim said:
Just to make you feel better, I suck at strumming too. The weird thing is, I am a pretty good finger-picker and was great with classical guitar, but when it camed to rhythum I was lost. Which I would have thought it would be the opposite. The more I play a song the better I get though. So just keep strumming! It will come... or at least that is what I am telling myself :)!
Click to expand...

It's good that you say that. Rhythm, and I will say this forever, is THE most difficult aspect of playing. There are "better" uke players featured on You Tube who are virtuosos "doing the notes" except when it comes to phrasing and rhythm.
 
i started playig 3 months ago. That first night Istarted out strumming and thought, OK, maybe this wasn't a great idea but I was enjoying the process so much I just kept trying. 4-5 hours later, I was happy that I kept going. Practise practise practise and if you are having fun then keep practising. you'll be happy you kept trying.
 
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