Can't get how to strum 'Amazing Grace' from an instuctional booklet

Vladim

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The song became one of my favorite as soon as I heard it. I've already learnt a fingerpicking cover of it.

I was happy to find this well-known tune in the Lanikai booklet purchased together with my ukulele .

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The chords was familiar to me but I couldn't play the strumming pattern. It seems rather random. I get used to see 'regular' patterns, for instance, Down-Up-Down-Up or Down-Down-Up-Up-Down-Up etc.

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Well, the song is supposed to be played by newbies but I'm totally at sea looking at a song sheet.

Does this song have a strumming pattern at all?

I know I ask too much but it would be really really great to watch or listen to a teeny-tiny tutorial.
 
It seems rather random. I get used to see 'regular' patterns, for instance, Down-Up-Down-Up or Down-Down-Up-Up-Down-Up etc.

Well, it's just using a / to mean "down" and a V to mean "up". No biggie.

(Although it is a bit random... and the fact that it starts on the pick-up beat is a little tricky. Oh well.)

Does this song have a strumming pattern at all?

Nope. Few songs do, in fact.

By which I mean, there's not really "one true, correct, official" strum pattern that you must play with this song. You can play all sorts of different patterns. It's really up to you. You're not "wrong" if you choose a pattern different from what I might choose.

That said, the song is traditionally counted in three: one-two-three, one-two-three, etc. So you'll probably have the best results with a pattern that is also counted in three.

For example, you could just do all downstrums:

Code:
A - ma -  zing Grace how   sweet the   sound
    D  D  D    D  D  D     D  D  D     D  D  D
    1  2  3    1  2  3     1  2  3     1  2  3

Or all down-ups:

Code:
A - ma -    zing  Grace   how   sweet   the   sound
    D U D U D U   D U D U D U   D U D U D U   D U D U D U
    1   2   3     1   2   3     1   2   3     1   2   3

Or a down-down-down-up pattern:

Code:
A - ma -  zing  Grace how   sweet the   sound
    D  D  D U   D  D  D U   D  D  D U   D  D  D U
    1  2  3     1  2  3     1  2  3     1  2  3

Or what's written in the Lanikai book... or whatever else you want. Try different things and see what sounds good. Totally up to you!

JJ
 
You are probably used to playing songs that are 4/4 or 4 beats per measure. Amazing Grace is usually in 3/4 time or 3 beats per measure. Think of a waltz time.
 
First of all, thank you JJ for the detailed answer.

Secondly, after reading this:
Or what's written in the Lanikai book... or whatever else you want. Try different things and see what sounds good. Totally up to you!

I decided to give up those random pattern and try D-D-U-D-U which was used in Ukulele Mike's cover of the song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj-xa9sLNyY

And you know what? It works!

I know it's not a big deal for experienced players but for me, who just started to play real songs (not just easy fingerpicking melodies or chords progressions), it's a huge step forward. I mean now I can take a song sheet of any familiar song and try it out with whatever strumming pattern I like. Cool!

Happy strumming to all!
 
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