my worst enemy so far: strumming

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coldnhot

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so i've been playing the uke for a couple weeks now and i just cant seem to get strum patterns to sound good and rhythmic. how do i improve my strumming!?
 
Strumming is just getting good at rhythm. Listen to music alot, try counting tempos especially. 1..2..3..4..1, etc. I went from playing piano to playing uke and picked up strumming instantly.

P.S. Play Guitar Hero? lol, no lie though, that could improve rhythm AND strumming ^_^
 
I don't understand...I thought Strumming was simply following a strum pattern and thats it. for example down down up up chuck or something....don't you just gotta follow that constantly and your golden?
 
If you're playing by notes yes. But, possibly, if you can get passed that and just strum your own patterns by yourself, that's a much better goal.
 
well right now i'm just talking about strictly playing with given chords and a given strum pattern...and it still doesn't seem to sound good! idk maybe my strumming isnt like uh steady? i'll try to make an audo file so you guys can see.
 
quite often the biggest barrier to good strumming is tension. If you're desparately trying to follow someone else's strum pattern and 'get it right', then there's every chance that you're tensing up and not feeling the music and relaxing. Focus on only tensing the muscles you need to use for the strum and relaxing the others. Also think about how you're sitting and what tension there is from that. Alternatively try to pick up the uke and play the chords C and F alternately and try to get a groove on. Making up your own strums will loosen you up and may even give you the oppertunity to 'make the song your own'.
 
Emulate the steam train
 
Aldrine did a recent Uke Minutes on figuring out strumming patterns.
 
Get a DVD

Buy a copy of Roy Sakuma's DVD "Strumming Techniques". For about twenty bucks, you'll receive instruction aimed at beginners from the guy who taught Jake. You will also get some very solid uke basics, and a chance to strum along to some songs with some of Roy's students. If you're just learning how to strum, nothing beats getting tips from a master.
 
People have different styles of learning. I wouldn't worry too much about following any particular strum patterns in the beginning especially if it starts to suck the fun out of the uke.
Making up your own strums will loosen you up and may even give you the opportunity to 'make the song your own'.
Click to expand...
In my opinion, this is good advice. It takes a while for the muscles and brain to put all this stuff together. Just try to strum along in time to the music. Once your fingers start to do what you would like them to do, then you can figure out different patterns.
 
Keep at it. If it was automatic, there'd be no point.

One way you'll know you are making progress is when you notice that you're no longer looking at your left hand as much while playing.
 
Pick a song with 3 chords that you know the tune by heart already,,,, and dont THINK about any pattern. Try to just let yourself groove into the feel of the music. That may sound strange, but if you dont learn how to "feel it" you will never experience the freedom of playing.
I had a friend that could play some complex fingerpicking blues,,,, but when it came to strumming he was a beginner,, he couldnt "feel it" and insisted on counting 1&2& etc. He would not give himself the opportunity to try & fail ,, until he achieved his goal.
I never had a strumming problem from the start,, but when I learned to alt thumb pick blues,, I couldnt keep that thumb going and play the higher notes,, I kept at it ,, and believe it or not ,,,,,, the things that seem totally impossible at the start CAN become easy and automatic.
Give yourself some time, any the permission to fail,, and you will suceed. sorry if this sounds like Tony Robbins LOL

Steve
 
I am new as well and struggle with feeling that I need to strum a set pattern. I appreciate all the great advice so far. I look forward to any additional insights.
 
I think, unfortunately, that there isn't an easy answer to getting strumming "right."

If you're basing strumming being "right" on comparing yourself to a recorded song, then just stop and restart a song/part of a song, until you can follow the pattern pretty well.

If you just think the strumming sounds too forced, then like others said - relax. This isn't about perfection, it's about the experience of making music, and enjoying yourself. Your tension or lack of it WILL get communicated by your instrument. When you play a song that someone else performed, you don't have to sound exactly like them. Let yourself relax, get into the tunes you are making, and just keep at it.

Strumming for me on guitar was just something that "clicked" one day while playing. Practice, have fun, and don't be too overcritical of yourself or your abilities!
 
Aloha ColdnHot,
I would start off with a simple up and down stroke until you get it down to a smooth rhythym...and comfortable with it..
Remember, Practice, perserverence, patience, and Passion....is the key to success..
Enjoy the journey, "Keep strumming them strings" MM Stan..
 
Last edited:
mm stan said:
I would start off with a simple up and down stroke until you get it down to a smooth rhythym...
Click to expand...

Yup. Or heck, I'd even start with just a down-down-down-down strum. Nice, even downstrums. Like this:

D D D D

Once you get the hang of downstrums, you'll notice that your hand has to return to the top of the uke each time in order to do the next down strum. Well you might as well put it to work and have it hit the strings while it's on its way up, eh? Bingo! Now you've got a simple down-up strum.

DUDUDUDU

Again, focus on making everything nice and steady and even. Your arm/hand should move up and down and up and down, strumming every time it passes over the strings.

Here's the dirty little secret about the fancy strums: You move your arm exactly like the down-up strum! The only difference is that you sometimes don't strum during that movement. That's it. The steady, rhythmic moving of your arm/hand is no different.

So a strum pattern like DDUUD is really just like a DUDUDUDU strum, but with "holes" in it: D_DU_U_D_ The "_" is where you move your arm but don't strum.

Hope that helps!

JJ
 
This is a great little thread for a beginner like myself. A couple of days of practice and I thought I was a natural. THen I tried to strum somebody else's style and I was humbled back to nothing.

"permission to fail", "relax and make it your own", "this is supposed to be fun" all great suggestions.

I tried to emulate the Clash' Train in Vain which I thought was easy to listen to; but, aaahahhhhhh!!! THen, I practice a song I know by heart and it is easy to spend an hour just experimenting with different methods of changing the chords. And none of it is bad, its just unique.

Just like we have a natural breathing pattern, we have natural strums. If you want a nother strum pattern, there will be a time to practice to get that muscle memory tied into the brain.

Breathng patterns - YOu will know how hard it is to change a natural breathing pattern when you want to learn harmonica.
 
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