A-strumming or a-picking

joeybug

joeybug

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
2,864
Reaction score
0
Location
Swindon, UK
Hey everyone :D

Firstly, just wanted to say that I haven't been round much due to pain issues and sleep levels being high, so this is my first proper post in a while that wasn't the Daily Ukulele.

Now, onto the post. I know that everyone plays the Ukulele differently, but I was wondering how many people do the following.

  1. Strum only
  2. Strum and sing only
  3. Strum, sing and a little fingerpicking
  4. Fingerpick only
  5. Fingerpick and sing only
  6. Fingerpick, sing and a little strumming
  7. 50% strum, 50% fingerpick

I think that's everything :D

Would be interesting to also know if you plan to do some of both, but have a default playing pattern?

Thanks
Joey
 
I tend to strum and sing,drop in little picked 'runs' if I
can play them and they fit in,or play picked AND strummed
instrumental tunes.Pretty much the same as most players
that I know,really!
 
All of the above, it depends on the tune.
 
I forgot to add, that although I've done some fingerpicking I do mostly the strumming and singing and a little fingerpicking if I can work it out :D
 
Keeping in mind that I never picked up a stringed instrument before last August I am still a newbie. I strum, sing badly and am learning to finger-pick. Eventually I want to play melodies by picking and strumming to compensate for the bad singing voice.
 
#3 for me.

Strumming. Singing. Most of my fingerpicking is accompaniment--picking patterns rather than full-on Shimabukuroian melody line playing.


JJ
 
Whatever the song calls for. I'm open to all of it.

I think its pretty even, well not so mucht the singing, I think I'm more privvy to instrumentals, though I do sing sometimes.
 
I do a mix of picking, and strumming. I think the mix adds a bit of flavor. I can sing, but I have NEVER been able to sing while I play. As soon as I start singing, I mess up on my playing. It's always been like that for over 30 years.
 
Ummmm... yes?

I strum, sing, fingerpick, drop-thumb frail, and whatever else it is that I do, but have never tried to quantify.

What I don't do is attempt to read musical notation or tab (I can't "read" either, although I can eventually puzzle them out - takes about 10 times longer than playing by ear, however.) when I play.

-Kurt

-Kurt
 
I do whatever i need to do for the song except sing because i am a horrible singer.
 
Strum / fingerpick only I guess.
I try to sing but I have a horrible technique I guess and I get annoyed at how bad I sound.
So yeah, just strumming and/or fingerpicking. :S
 
I finger pick only. Have you heard me sing? Thought not. It's not pretty.
 
ItsMrPitchy said:
I do whatever i need to do for the song except sing because i am a horrible singer.
Click to expand...

LOL, me too, whenever possible. Not so much that I'm a horrible singer, I just hate my voice because I sound like I'm about twelve years old.

I enjoy all of it - strumming, singing (with others!), chord soloing, and fingerpicking, but my main love is campanella. Or campanela. Or however they're spelling it these days :)
 
Strum and sing.

Strumming chords alone (which is about as advanced as I've gotten) doesn't always tell the room what song it is. So I have to add the words. My singing skills are not bad, though I prefer silly songs as to mask my voice. I sing in the key of Ringo.
 
Strum and TRY to sing. I pick the little intro to Maybeline and worked a little intro up to The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Maybe five or six notes each.
 
I strum, finger-pick, and sing a little. I'm getting better at singing (I HOPE), but it's still my weak point. I learned to finger-pick back when I played guitar some when I was in high school and college (I was a bass player first and foremost, but learned some guitar, and still have a decent acoustic that never gets played now). When I started playing uke, I had to modify the techniques some because of the reentrant tuning. But I've always liked finger-picking, and think I'm decent at it (or was on guitar, at least). On ukulele, I really like trying some of the more complex strums, such as fan and triple strokes. I haven't gotten the Formby Split-stroke down yet, so that's something to aspire to!
 
I strum and sing, I can't really finger pick, although I'm really interested in learning how to. Any tips?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Finger Picking--Strumming-Chord Melody, etc.
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
Jerryc41
Jerryc41
Jerryc41
Strumming vs Picking
Replies
16
Views
1K
Croaky Keith
Croaky Keith
J
Are the best places for strumming and picking different?
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
sunshiNee
S
B
Transition from strumming to picking
Replies
11
Views
2K
Rllink
Rllink
R
Strumming and Picking on Sopraninos and Sopranissimo
Replies
9
Views
2K
Bill Sheehan
Bill Sheehan
Top Bottom