How do I read this uke tab?

It helps if you're familiar with the song (melody and beat) and the chord changes are placed above the lyrics. The strumming pattern is not indicated or shown on most Chord/Lyric sheets.
 
Thank you! How do I get the strum pattern for a specific song?
 
To clarify something, that's not tab, that's a chord chart. The strumming pattern is not indicated, but a lot of pop songs are in 4/4. So, maybe 1 strum per beat, 4 per bar?

But that gets boring, so try different strumming patterns, with some slaps/mutes thrown in. Down-down(D)-up(U)-D-U-D-U, or D-U-SLAP-D-U-D-SLAP.
 
I just started playing uke and I can't read this strumming pattern. Do I strum once for every note that I see or is it a random strum pattern? Thank You!

http://www.ukulele-tabs.com/uke-songs/maroon-5/payphone-uke-tab-22441.html
Try and resist strumming once for each note. If you are a beginner, it is best to establish a steady beat, keeping the variations consistent with the rhythm. For 4/4 time, four down strums per measure (one, two, three, four), or up and down strokes for 8 beats per measure (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and). There are many variations of these patterns, mixing one strum per beat and two per beat (like 1, 2 and, 3, 4). Just make sure to keep on the beat.

–Lori
 
What everyone else said ^^

If you have a smartphone or a tablet, find a free metronome app, and play in time with that.
 
I don't like those sites with partial lyrics. Okay, they';re trying to avoid copyright infringement and I respect that, but they're a pain because I end up having to go elsewhere to find the whole lyrics.
 
Thank you! How do I get the strum pattern for a specific song?

I try to find a recording to listen to - You Tube, is usually a good place - and listen to the rhythm of the song and then work out a strum that gives the same rhythmic feel. If there are ukulele covers of the song, you will often find different players use slightly different strums. It's a matter of how you interpret the song.
 
Julia, a lot of people refer to chord sheets as "tab" but actually tab is when you see those four lines of numbers and dashes that indicate picking, usually for the licks/intro, etc. for songs. Chord sheets give the the lyrics w/ chord names written over where the chord changes occur. They don't include strumming patterns usually. Folks will always tell you to just listen to the song and work out the strum for yourself, and while this is true, and it's good to try to hear the pattern and fiddle to see what works, it can be hard for a beginner to do this. If you check out a tutorial for a particular song that you have found a chord sheet for, they will sometimes give you a suggested strum. If they don't mention it in the video, you will sometimes see it asked and answered in the comments below the vid. Or sometimes I will just search on "strum pattern for such and such song" and will get my answer. If all else fails, D D U U D , "swiss army" strum
 
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