Uke buzz when lifting fingers - speed makes it worse what am i doing wrong?

rob_dixon

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Hello,
As you can see and hear in this video, (i tried my best to capture it) when I try to change chords, even if i get the chord 100% right, as i lift my fingers or place them down again on the new chord, I get buzzing. This is actually worse on my high end Uke, so its definitely "user error" as we like to say at work.

The faster i try to chord change, the worse it gets. The buzz is clearly from the strings against the frets as i move around. But i do not hear this when others play.
I am very new to this, but I seem to not be improving on this so need help. Note this is the same issue i first posted about in here a few weeks back as I immediately became worse with the new fancy pants uke i bought.

I want to nip this in the bud before i pick up worse habits and make it my 100% focus to resolve.

 
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Move your fingers closer to the frets. You're fretting in the middle right now, on those dots. Wrong place, slide the fretting finger down more. The dots are only a guide, not where you actually put your fingers. Also, try to hold your uke more vertically and not turn the fretboard to you. It's putting your wrist and fingers in a more twisted position than they need to be. I know when you start you think you need to see the fretboard, but it will actually hinder you in playing well.
 
Agree with Cadia.
I get a terrible buzz if my fingers are not in the right place. Get as close to the frets as you can and hopefully that solves it :)
 
Agree with Cadia.
I get a terrible buzz if my fingers are not in the right place. Get as close to the frets as you can and hopefully that solves it :)
I get a buzz if I drink while playing. Especially if it's mixed drinks instead of the usual beer. It was awhile since I have had an old fashioned and I had a second one after the first the other day because it was pretty tasty. Definitely had a minor buzz, but it had nothing to do with my playing or the uke. It was by no means terrible, actually pleasant.
 
I get a buzz if I drink while playing. Especially if it's mixed drinks instead of the usual beer. It was awhile since I have had an old fashioned and I had a second one after the first the other day because it was pretty tasty. Definitely had a minor buzz, but it had nothing to do with my playing or the uke. It was by no means terrible, actually pleasant.
I bet you sounded better to yourself!
 
...The faster i try to chord change, the worse it gets. The buzz is clearly from the strings against the frets as i move around. But i do not hear this when others play.
I am very new to this, but I seem to not be improving on this so need help...
Cadia had good advice. Hold the uke so that you see across the strings, not the front of them. This way you won't have to bend your wrist so far, which can become painful. Use the side dots for navigation. If you don't have side dots, try putting on a small piece of painter's tape at the 3rd and 5th frets to guide you.

Also to minimize wrist bend, adjust your strap so it holds the uke higher up on your chest. Try playing while standing up.
 

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Many good observations and suggestions already. I would like to add to maybe lose the strap and learn how to hold the uke at good playing position, like tuck it into the elbow bend of the right arm. Then add the strap back on when you perform for a few hours to hang it in that position.
 
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All great advice, I will get on these tips straight away! Especially on the mixed cocktail buzz. :) Thanks everyone!
 
For variety, you can try to play a chord, then mute, then form a new chord, then strum. No buzz. This might might help you appreciate what you are doing right, without the annoying hangover.
 
Is it as you're releasing the chord? Almost as if the strings have stuck to your fingers? I had that occasionally mainly because I was gripping too hard. Relaxing and getting used to pressing more gently and nearer the frets helps and it definitely gets better over time so don't obsess about it too much. In the worst case it might be worth checking the uke setup - not impossible strings are a little high.

Just a thought..... best wishes.
 
It's really good to be mindful of this kind of thing, but you're a minty fresh player and I don't think it's as big a deal as you think. It honestly sounds like I would expect any new player to play. It will clear up as you go.

If I was your teacher, I'd encourage you to fret higher up inside the fret, as has been suggested, and just keep practicing. If it's still bugging you in a month, you'll be far more equipped to assess the problem.

When you're just starting out, you need to choose your battles. This isn't one I would fight yet.
 
I’d add my voice to the don’t sweat it chorus. When I began playing, the same thing used to happen to me. When I stopped paying attention to it for a while, it went away without my noticing. There are lots of micro adjustments you learn as your ear and fingers learn to accommodate each other. Have faith in yourself.
 
So much good advice has already been given, especially in terms of getting your fingers as close as possible to the frets. Remember that the fret is the metal piece, not the space between, and the whole point is to hold that string against the metal piece…. So the closer the better.
Wasn’t originally gonna comment but I want to start the don’t don’t sweat it chorus. If this were making you absolutely miserable I’d tell you to chill, but it seems to me that you’ve identified a problem and you’re trying to fix it in order to improve - that’s how you learn! And it’s important to nip bad habits and reinforce good ones. Just don’t let it ruin the fun for you =)
 
It's really good to be mindful of this kind of thing, but you're a minty fresh player and I don't think it's as big a deal as you think. It honestly sounds like I would expect any new player to play. It will clear up as you go.

If I was your teacher, I'd encourage you to fret higher up inside the fret, as has been suggested, and just keep practicing. If it's still bugging you in a month, you'll be far more equipped to assess the problem.

When you're just starting out, you need to choose your battles. This isn't one I would fight yet.
I so agree with this.

Judging by the video this seems to be just an issue with the pace with which you're switching chords. When you practice further it will become more natural. You will be switching chords more cleanly meaning there will be no buzzing or any such extra noise and/or you will switch chords so fast that any extra noise will be completely negligible.

Essentially the issue is that if you let a chord ring out and then lift your finger the chord obviously won't sound the same because the same notes aren't ringing anymore. At the same time some buzzing may occur because the string is hitting against the finger you're lifting or you may "drag" the string with the finger you're lifting which causes the string to ring again, probably with a different note. When you learn to switch the position of your fingers to the new chord and strum immediately afterwards these extra noises will become so minor that you won't notice them yourself anymore, let alone the audience (if you're entertaining :) ). Good luck, and practice, practice, practice.
 
You will improve. This is the whole point of practicing, the more times you do it, you will incrementally get better. It takes a lot of work. Sometimes I get on my wife and kids nerves because I might do a rift over and over until I get it right (or at least better)... I also practice with some dark rum on the rocks. It relaxes me, and at least to me, makes it more fun. I play harmonica in a Christian rock band, rarely play the uke with them (with two guitars, they don't really need it) and do it for my own satisfaction and decompression...
 
Slow down, slide those fingers down closer to the fret. Don't speed up until you can do your changes cleanly slowly. Good luck.
 
An exercise that we just learned in my class this week: form your chord but DON'T press down, so you get that flat buzzy sound (except of course on any open strings). Strum that flat buzzy chord for a slow four strums, then bring enough pressure until the chord rings clearly and strum that for four. Repeat that cycle a few times, then strum 3 times, then twice, then once (between switching from flat buzz to clear and back again). Then lift your fingers just off the chord strum open for 4, then bring fingers down to that clear tone pressure and strum for 4. Repeat that cycle for a while. Now do the same process between two different chords (four strums buzz, four strums clear for one chord, then switch). Doesn't matter what two chords, but it can be useful to start with two 2-finger chords, or two 3-finger chords, then switch it up between different numbers of fingers. Even better, if you can, is find two chords with the same chord shapes to start, then work up to moving between different shapes. I was working on some of this last night, and I already felt a little bit improved. It's like the finger independence exercises, these are great tools to improve your dexterity and comfort with the instrument. They're exercises, and that's what practice is about. Play songs for fun, too, and just let them go - don't get too stressed about perfection all the time, but work hard on the exercises to improve your skills in between the fun. While I'm new to uke, I'm not new to learning to play an instrument, lol! Having said that, though, this is the first instrument where I've really wanted to focus on improvement so much that I can practice for an hour and not even notice that I've spent that long on it. Well... the mandolin I was like that, too, initially, but I wasn't able to practise much (thumb injury impedes my using a pick), so I gave up. The ukulele I've been able to keep practicing and I've noticed a lot of improvement since February, but each practice session feels like I'm not improving much each time.
 
... the whole point is to hold that string against the metal piece …
I just had a lightbulb moment. It's the action of pushing down the string so that it's flat against the fret that makes a particular note. Why didn't I make that connection before? I thought it was somehow just that you were pushing down on the fretboard itself to make the note -- didn't make the connection that what you're actually doing is trapping the string against the fret. Sigh.

(Apologies for responding to an ancient thread.)
 
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