Are the best places for strumming and picking different?

Jo3x

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Recently I found that lots of masters are strumming and picking different places of uke, like in this Matt's video: https://youtu.be/ZLP3HYa3lc4
When he is strumming his right hand is around the area where neck meets body, when he is picking his hand is around the sound hole. Should this something a beginner should pay attention to? I found my self doing both picking and strumming around the same area where neck meets body. And i just switched to use Tenor recently from a short-neck Concert. I hope to break it in earlier time if mine is not a good habit.

Thanks for your help!
 
I strum near the 12th fret and pick over the sound hole. I've always understood that to be suggested way to do it.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
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IMHO, it is based on the tone and timbre you are wanting to get. I don't think there is a best position, but rather different tones. I am mostly a picker, but I pick in different areas. If I want a warmer tone, I pick closer to where the neck meets the body. If I want am almost banjo type tone, I'll pick quite close to the saddle. Of course, over the sound hole will produce a tone that is "in-between" the others. I don't find one to be better than the others, I just use the position I feel is best for the tune I am playing, or what I am trying to say through the instrument. I find strumming can be very similar.
 
Thank you! I didn't find why it's easier to pick near sound hole. Could it be it's easier to hold uke stable?
 
Fret 12 is half the scale length. On 12 fret instruments it is also close to where the neck meets the body. It is a useful reference point for picking and strumming. You have fret 12 at one end and the bridge at the other end and you have an area where you can strike the strings.
There is no right position to strum or pick, you choose a location for sound and convenience.
In a period of learning it is best to follow your teacher, or stick to following a single "hero" on video until you get to the end of the teaching period. You get confused if you try to follow more than one teacher at a time, no matter what level you are playing at.
After the learning period, you should experiment and find where the best sound is for a given tune.

Thank you! These are useful suggestions for a beginner. I haven't had a teacher yet, just watch videos. It does confuse me how different teachers are holding ukes differently. I'll try to stick to one teacher.
 
I strum near the 12th fret and pick over the sound hole. I've always understood that to be suggested way to do it.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos

Any theory behind it? I want to understand why that's suggested way.
 
IMHO, it is based on the tone and timbre you are wanting to get. I don't think there is a best position, but rather different tones. I am mostly a picker, but I pick in different areas. If I want a warmer tone, I pick closer to where the neck meets the body. If I want am almost banjo type tone, I'll pick quite close to the saddle. Of course, over the sound hole will produce a tone that is "in-between" the others. I don't find one to be better than the others, I just use the position I feel is best for the tune I am playing, or what I am trying to say through the instrument. I find strumming can be very similar.

Thank you for your reply!

For me, I'm like choosing positions based on which way can me hold the uke stable, instead of tones. I feel I may need more experiences to be able to choose tones.
 
Picking or strumming, I seem always to play between the soundhole and the neck/body joint. As my luck would have it, this is also the area where, apparently, it's most difficult to dress the frets properly at the factory....the results being lacerations, at worst, and frustration, at best. I've actually pulled the frets and "scooped" the fretboard above the 12th fret on my concert. I never fret up there, and it didn't sound good up there in those higher frets anyway - but I always pick and strum there and it's a lot nicer doing either when there's no frets under my fingers.

I'm thinking of doing the same with my Islander tenor, but scooping it past the 15th fret as that one plays up to that point pretty nicely.

On banjos, there's a sweet spot for "clucking" clawhammer style at around the 17th fret - something to do with harmonics or something... and that's why many clawhammer banjos have scooped fretboards there - but it seems I can make a tenor uke cluck a little bit when strumming over the fretboard at around the 13th or 14th fret.
 
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IMHO, it is based on the tone and timbre you are wanting to get. I don't think there is a best position, but rather different tones. I am mostly a picker, but I pick in different areas. If I want a warmer tone, I pick closer to where the neck meets the body. If I want am almost banjo type tone, I'll pick quite close to the saddle. Of course, over the sound hole will produce a tone that is "in-between" the others. I don't find one to be better than the others, I just use the position I feel is best for the tune I am playing, or what I am trying to say through the instrument. I find strumming can be very similar.

You beat me to it. They are "different", none is "better". Similar to the different sounds you get on an electric guitar by using the fingerboard pick-up and the bridge pick-up.
 
Any theory behind it? I want to understand why that's suggested way.

I don't know of any specific theory, but an interesting aside, I have a custom made uke that doesn't have a top sound hole at all, but has small sound holes all the way around the bout, and it projects and resonates very well no matter where I strum or pick.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
This is a fascinating thread because I had never given it any thought. And I should have. I have more freedom than many other ukulele players; I can actually play wherever I want, whereas many ukulele players have to (and do) play their instrument sul tasto because they are squeezing the ukulele with their elbow and the fretboard is a cubit's length away from their elbow. However, I use a strap and my forearm rests atop the ukulele (around where the waist and lower bout meet) and my hand dangles down and plays. Obviously I could move my forearm to the upper bout and conveniently play sul tasto or slide it down the lower bout and play ponticello, but I have always strummed and fingerpicked around the upper area of the sound hole. As I said, I had never given this any thought, but once I started watching what i do naturally, I noticed that I do play the ukulele dulce and that I have two anchors. When playing individual notes, I play picado-esque with my first two fingers. When that happens, my thumb rests on the side of the fretboard at about the 19th fret. When I am doing something that requires the thumb, then I anchor my playing hand with the pinky instead.

That was just a little about me, but now to address the issue: I don't think it matters pedagogically where you put your fingers. I have yet to run into an experience where I had to unlearn and relearn where to put my fingers because I had been doing something that was counter-productive. As it has already been duly noted on the thread, hand placement impacts the tone and it should be considered in that context. By the way, if you want to see someone making use of the warmer sul tasto tones and the tinny ponticello tones, check out Peter Forrest demonstrating some exhibition strums:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58temYGU38A
 
This is a fascinating thread because I had never given it any thought. And I should have. I have more freedom than many other ukulele players; I can actually play wherever I want, whereas many ukulele players have to (and do) play their instrument sul tasto because they are squeezing the ukulele with their elbow and the fretboard is a cubit's length away from their elbow. However, I use a strap and my forearm rests atop the ukulele (around where the waist and lower bout meet) and my hand dangles down and plays. Obviously I could move my forearm to the upper bout and conveniently play sul tasto or slide it down the lower bout and play ponticello, but I have always strummed and fingerpicked around the upper area of the sound hole. As I said, I had never given this any thought, but once I started watching what i do naturally, I noticed that I do play the ukulele dulce and that I have two anchors. When playing individual notes, I play picado-esque with my first two fingers. When that happens, my thumb rests on the side of the fretboard at about the 19th fret. When I am doing something that requires the thumb, then I anchor my playing hand with the pinky instead.

That was just a little about me, but now to address the issue: I don't think it matters pedagogically where you put your fingers. I have yet to run into an experience where I had to unlearn and relearn where to put my fingers because I had been doing something that was counter-productive. As it has already been duly noted on the thread, hand placement impacts the tone and it should be considered in that context. By the way, if you want to see someone making use of the warmer sul tasto tones and the tinny ponticello tones, check out Peter Forrest demonstrating some exhibition strums:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58temYGU38A

Thanks for your information! You made me think I am actually more ignorant than I thought I was. Lots of big words for me...

I am actually considering more playability instead of tones when choosing hand position. I'm a beginner and far from being able to choose tones. I just started to play Tenor and still trying hard to hold the uke stable. I also try hard to not rely on a strap or rest fingers on top of uke. I was told those were not suggested way. Anyway, I can image that in future, I'll need to learn to be able to hold uke stable when my right hand jumping around. Just like in the video you shared. I'm not sure if I need to practice at current stage.
 
Thanks for your information! You made me think I am actually more ignorant than I thought I was. Lots of big words for me...

I am actually considering more playability instead of tones when choosing hand position. I'm a beginner and far from being able to choose tones. I just started to play Tenor and still trying hard to hold the uke stable. I also try hard to not rely on a strap or rest fingers on top of uke. I was told those were not suggested way. Anyway, I can image that in future, I'll need to learn to be able to hold uke stable when my right hand jumping around. Just like in the video you shared. I'm not sure if I need to practice at current stage.

Good luck on finding your own style. I play tenors exclusively and if I don't use a strap, I rest the bottom of the ukulele on my right thigh for stabilization. For playability, I prefer picking and strumming at the top of the sound hole, where the frets stop and the hole starts. But that's me. If you want to cradle the tenor like a soprano, you'll find a way. Many people do.
 
If you want to cradle the tenor like a soprano, you'll find a way. Many people do.

It's a lot easier with some tenors than others :D

My Cordoba 24T tenor, for example, weighs a scant 3 ounces more than my Mainland Classic Mahogany soprano.

OTOH, my Pono ATD tenor weighs 12 ounces more than the Cordoba...and the Pono is only a little more than a pound less in weight than my Waterloo WL-S guitar.

Thankfully the Pono came to me already fitted with strap buttons - cuz it needs 'em.
 
I prefer playing above the fretboard extension, but I had my concert uke setup for lower action which is great for the left hand, but now I find the strings are too low for comfort of the right hand. Some light strumming still is fine, but for picking I have to move to the soundhole.
 
When strumming, my index finger will lightly brush the fretboard around where the body and neck meet. This seems to prevent the finger from digging down too deep, conversely, when picking I'll move away from the fretboard to avoid hitting it, much more comfortable.
 
I am actually considering more playability instead of tones when choosing hand position. I'm a beginner and far from being able to choose tones. I just started to play Tenor and still trying hard to hold the uke stable. I also try hard to not rely on a strap or rest fingers on top of uke. I was told those were not suggested way. Anyway, I can image that in future, I'll need to learn to be able to hold uke stable when my right hand jumping around. Just like in the video you shared. I'm not sure if I need to practice at current stage.

I have tried playing ukuleles without a strap and have given up. I can hold a uke to strum 1st position chords, but trying anything that moves up the neck of requires any dexterity is impossible if I have to also worry about holding onto the uke. I have a soprano Harmony Roy Smeck that I keep next to my chair to fool with at home, but any of my concert or tenors seem to require straps. They sure free up your hands - both of them.

When I got my first uke, a Kala concert, I decided to use it for a few tunes on stage in our jug band. I found that I had to bring a stool because, without a strap, I had to sit for the uke tunes. It didn't take me long to install a button and put a strap on it.
 
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I have tried playing ukuleles without a strap and have given up. I can hold a uke to strum 1st position chords, but trying anything that moves up the neck of requires any dexterity is impossible if I have to also worry about holding onto the uke. I have a soprano Harmony Roy Smeck that I keep next to my chair to fool with at home, but any of my concert or tenors seem to require straps. They sure free up your hands - both of them.

When I got my first uke, a Kala concert, I decided to use it for a few tunes on stage in our jug band. I found that I had to bring a stool because, without a strap, I had to sit for the uke tunes. It didn't take me long to install a button and put a strap on it.

Yes, I'm having hard time to move up and down the neck. I'm not using a strap, but now I'm thinking to give it a try. Luckily, I asked Mim to install a strap button to my Tenor.
 
Now I have some new findings on the reason of it after some time of experimentation, especially for Tenor: the distances between strings are short up neck, which is good for strumming because strumming is intended to make all strings sound simultaneously. While the distances between strings are bigger tarwards sound hold or bridge, the bigger distance is also helpful to prevent fingers from accidentally hitting neighbor string when the intention is just to pick one string. The shorter the distance is, the more accuracy right hand fingers need to avoid mistakes.
 
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