Strumming and Singing

What's up!

I finally bought my ukulele the other day I really wanted to go for a concert-sized uke but there is only one shop in my area and all their concerts were way too dear for my student budget haha

I ended up settling on a little Lanikai Kohala. It isn't the greatest uke in the world (not that I'm an expert - its my first one! ) and it goes out of tune very easily, but its fine for a novice like me

Anyways, I was just wondering how long it took you all to strum chords and sing with ease? a few days of playing? a few weeks of playing? a couple of months of playing? What range are we talking here? I suppose many of you had previous guitar playing experience (which I haven't), so I'm sure that helped tremendously!

I'm starting to put the singing and strumming together. I've only begun with 3-chord songs and I found that when I began to recognise the strum pattern, I made greater progress with attempting to strum and sing along.

Trying to play and sing most definitely enhances my appreciation for many of you who do it with ease! It's tougher than I thought haha. Anyways, I'd be curious to see how long it took you all to do both at once!

Cheers,

Phil

Well, I'm not very coordinated. It was hard for me. I think it took me about two months of practicing every day before I could fluidly change chords. That was a long time ago so I can't say for sure. My cousin took about 5 minutes so it's an individual thing. I remember struggling with it. Once you get it though it comes naturally although learning new chords can take a while.

The singing and strumming together is easy. It's when you try to hula at the same time it gets hard.

Actually, there are a some songs that have a definitely differently strum and verse patterns teh seem to be at odds. I can never sing and play Sweet Jane at the same time, but after all these years I still try.

Pick some simple songs and let the Ukulele part be just a simple beat, a rhythm instrument. Let your voice carry the tune and the uke carry the beat. After a while try the tougher songs.

Good luck!

I find that it's a lot harder to do both simultaneously when I'm consciously thinking about either one. Try not to think about the actual playing and make sure you have the lyrics memorized. Then you can focus all your energy on the soul/heart of the song and it just comes out naturally. Try it.

Strums like anything else, you need to practice them until you can do them smoothly. Hard for some to learn and execute the strums while also learning the melody, chords, lyrics, etc. etc. all at the same time. Check out Uncle Rod's Ukulele Boot Camp. Use playing and singing songs as a reward for a period of "correct" practice. It will come. The "feeling natural" part comes from practice.

PS: In addition to waiting until the strings stretch out and settle in, don't forget to make sure the screws on the tuner buttons are tight.

Play and sing songs you know really, really, well to begin with. If you know the song really well you will be able to sing the words in your head and "feel" whether the chord changes are coming at the right times and whether the strum matches the feel of the song.

And, as has probably been mentioned above, practice, practice, practice. Don't try to go too fast at first - work on being able to strum smoothly through chord changes without breaking your rhythm. If you have to play "crazy slow" to achieve smoothness that's fine - speed will come. If you rush the fluidity never really catches up.

John

alphophil said:

Anyways, I was just wondering how long it took you all to strum chords and sing with ease? a few days of playing? a few weeks of playing? a couple of months of playing? What range are we talking here? I suppose many of you had previous guitar playing experience (which I haven't), so I'm sure that helped tremendously!

Click to expand...

Lots of good advice above.

I can't remember exactly how long it took for me to get all 3 things (chord changes, strumming, and singing) working together smoothly with a simple song, but it was weeks, not days.

Sounds like you are doing great. Everybody learns at a different pace, so try not to compare your progress to others. And remember to have fun!

Took me about a month of regular practice! Ughh! It was frustrating as heck. Don't worry, each time you'll find it getting progressively easier to do and then it'll be second nature.

it was to lessen the time of frustration that I'm sharing Ukulele Boot Camp.

it is so difficult when first learning a new instrument, even one seemingly as simple as the ukulele,
to do so many things all at once - chords, chord changes, keeping the beat, learning an unfamiliar
strumming rhythm, lyrics, melody, etc.

it's like using a new woodworking tool to immediately do fine cabinetry while learning how to even
start and use the thing safely.

I believe, learning chords and practicing chord changes, within the framework of specific keys, will
truly assist in being able to (eventually) play and sing songs using the ukulele.

Because the tempo of a song does not allow for the stop-and-go process of ukulele playing, it behooves
one to become familiar with the chords and skillful with chord changes BEFORE venturing into the
song singing, or even song playing 'part of the program'

It may seem like drudgery to simply practice chords and chord changes (Boot Camp) instead of immediately
learning songs, but once the work has been put in, the resultant skill development (which is foundational
to everything else that follows) will repay wonderful dividends in satisfaction and eventual time saved
as one progresses in their enjoyment of our beloved little 4-stringed (or 5, or 6, or 8, or 10-stringed) friend

keep uke'in',

I suppose it depends on the song. I was able to strum and sing 3-chord songs pretty soon. My problem was I got into a strumming rut and tried to fit the song to the strumming patter. After joining UU and doing some of the courses I am much better at practicing.

Years for me. I focus on the vocals because the listener will as well. The strumming should be automatic after enough practice, like another person is doing it and then you just sing along to that!

When I'm learning a song, I just whistle the melody. That way I know where the words go later, but I'm not trying to do both things at once to start.