Thumb Strum

juliaann

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I realize watching videos most people seem to strum with their first finger. I always use my thumb. Is there some dire consequence I am not foreseeing? Will I need the thumb to do something else as I progress? I've tried (half-heartedly) to switch but didn't really know a reason to but if you have one I'll work harder at it! Thanks!
 
No dire consequences at all. Ever. It works for you, that is all that matters. Over time as your facility with the instrument develops you may find yourself trying finger strum techniques ( personally I find my second finger is my dominant “strummer”), you may start to want to finger pick too. You may try using picks. All that matters is what feels comfortable and natural to you at the present time :D
 
Even Jake Shimabukuro strums with his thumb some of the time. Learning to strum with other fingers will give you more options for speed and tone. For example, most people will strum up and down with their index finger. Strumming upward with your thumb is at best awkward and downstrums only will be slower than up and down with your index finger.
 
The worst effect is that thumb-strumming is, in general, softer sounding than using your hard nail on your index finger.

If you get to the point of playing triplets: D-index, D-thumb, U-index, or variations of that, it will be good to be comfortable using both.
 
The worst effect is that thumb-strumming is, in general, softer sounding than using your hard nail on your index finger.

If you get to the point of playing triplets: D-index, D-thumb, U-index, or variations of that, it will be good to be comfortable using both.

I agree that a little nail adds attack and sounds nice. I think I get that with nail on my thumb as well. Slight wrist twist to present corner of thumb nail. Adjust angle to get desired result. It's more fun if you can use both thumb and index, on rhythm and melody
 
I am a thumb strum player. As has been stated, it does produce a softer sound.
OTOH, I can easily play in the same room as my wife, who is watching tv and not disturb her. I can play VERY softly.
 
Rarely do I finger strum, have been a thumb strummer all along, pick with my thumb too, & occasionally finger pick (PIMA) a tune - whatever works best for you is the right way. :music:
 
I thumb strum down and fleshy index finger up. Also pick with the thumb. Tried to pick PIMA, but I guess the thumb works well for me and the PIMA takes more effort than I want to take. There is a thread a Thumbers, a lot of good feedback there as well about playing style.
 
Yay! Thanks for the responses. I'm glad that there's no real reason to quit. Mastering the B's and E's are enough trouble without retraining my strummer!
 
During my short time playing the uke, I've realised that there isn't a right or wrong way to play. If a certain style suits you and the kind of music you play then there's no reason to try something else just for the sake of it. I mainly play with my index finger but I do also occasionally play with the thumb as it indeed produces a different, softer tone. Even the best players in the world incorporate thumb strumming in their playing.

However, I would say that thumb strumming does have it's limitations. I would think you can't really strum as fast with the thumb as with your index or other fingers. Also as mentioned, the sound with the thumb strum is generally softer so you would have to utilize your thumb nail somehow to get that snappier sound. But again, it's all down to preference. If you can play the music you like with just the thumb then that is perfectly fine.
 
Watch out for the Ukulele Police! Oh, wait... there aren't any ukulele police...

So, I use whatever I use when I play - I've even occasionally used a flat pick.

But most of my favorite professional uke players - Jake, Brittni, Taimane, ledward... ALL thumb strum as often, if not more often, than they use the index finger.

So do whatever you want to do ; as long as you are enjoying yourself, that is what matters.

-Kurt​
 
I realize watching videos most people seem to strum with their first finger. I always use my thumb. Is there some dire consequence I am not foreseeing? Will I need the thumb to do something else as I progress? I've tried (half-heartedly) to switch but didn't really know a reason to but if you have one I'll work harder at it! Thanks!

Hi Julia, here's one of my favorite videos, featuring James Hill playing thumb-style. Also recall that the great jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery was a thumb-only guy, and he used that thumb not only to play chords, but also some pretty fast lead lines.

https://youtu.be/8UyRjYVDP3s
 
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