Strumming Pattern Help

Bissrok

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So, I just got my uke two days ago, and I've only been playing songs that show the tabs and ask you to pick one note at a time. With anything else, I can't seem to figure out the strumming patterns.

If the sheet music says "Bm" for an entire line of lyrics, I'm assuming you're going to be strumming multiple times, but how would you ever know how to play it? Or which direction? Those seem like vital elements to me. How else would you be able to tell? Just trial and error?
 
So, I just got my uke two days ago, and I've only been playing songs that show the tabs and ask you to pick one note at a time. With anything else, I can't seem to figure out the strumming patterns.

If the sheet music says "Bm" for an entire line of lyrics, I'm assuming you're going to be strumming multiple times, but how would you ever know how to play it? Or which direction? Those seem like vital elements to me. How else would you be able to tell? Just trial and error?

Yup, just trial and error. Whatever sounds good to you.
 
If the sheet music says "Bm" for an entire line of lyrics, I'm assuming you're going to be strumming multiple times, but how would you ever know how to play it? Or which direction? Those seem like vital elements to me. How else would you be able to tell? Just trial and error?


When all you have are the chord names (like "Bm"), then you're going to have to do some interpretation. Really, you can strum any way you like. There is no one "right" pattern.

Start with a simple, quarter-note "1, 2, 3, 4" strum (aka "Down, Down, Down, Down"). If you want to get fancier than that, go right ahead. But you don't have to.

If I gave you a piece of paper and a pencil, and asked you to draw a house, what would you do?

You'd probably just draw a house. You've seen them before. You know what they look like. You wouldn't need me to give you detailed blueprints. You'd just draw whatever image of a house seemed good to you at the time (and that you were capable of drawing).

Strumming's the same way. Play whatever pattern seems good to you at the time (and that you're capable of playing).

:shaka:

JJ
 
Look at some of aldrines lessons. He uses many different types of strum patterns in his lesssons. FInd a pattern you think sounds good then do it until you can do it without thinking. It becomes muscle memory. Then do it with another pattern. Most of the people here have done that either on purpose or by practice and just say just strum the pattern. They forget how hard it was to just do that strum in the beggining.
 
hi,
Why don't you find the songs on Youtube and then listen to them to pick up the strumming patterns and the tempo of the song ??
hope this help :)
cheers
 
It helps if you know how many beats to the bar. Mostly, it will be four or three. It does get more involved than that, but that's all you need to consider to start with.

Ukantor.
 
I've been trying to go over some of this with my wife who's still in a beginner mode and it can be quite difficult to explain. At a certain point in the learning process you just stop thinking about strumming in terms of patterns of down & up. You just play.

I can be hard for her to follow because I'm not thinking and she's trying to decipher it in terms of the physical movements. (well that and I seldom play anything exactly the same way.) I think the key thing and the greatest challenge at the beginning is to separate your brain and be less conscious of your playing in terms of what you're doing with your hands and concentrate more on listening to what you're playing.

It's a matter of thinking of your strum less in terms of strumming a pattern "down down up down up down" and more as a rhythm. "Ba ba ba-doo da-doo" with that Bm chord and working on making that sound. If that makes any sense. Lead with your ears.

Most of that is practice.

It gets easier. A lot of playing along with records and a lot of hours sitting in front of the TV with an instrument in hand plunking away on a single chord mucking about with different rhythms. There's muscle memory that comes with practice that helps free your mind.
 
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