Strumming

wooster

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Hi all, new to the Uke here. I haven't even taken delivery of it yet (it's due to arrive today between 11.10am and 12.10pm according to my courier) but I've been researching online.

I've been strumming and picking guitars and banjos for an awful long time and so I assumed would have no trouble with this part but then I saw this lady's video and man that looks like a degree of force I've never used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKtPE3HfL5c

Looks painful to me.

Seems I'm going to have to adapt a fair bit to my new instrument.
 
Cynthia Lin is a decent instructor, but she is definitely exaggerating the amount of pressure or force needed to strum. I don't think you'll have much trouble picking up strumming on the uke. Her videos are geared toward brand new players with little to no stringed instrument experience, and for that they are very helpful and confidence-building.
 
I guess she probably is emphasising for the "new to strumming" person. She seems like a really lovely, bubbly person. She's exactly the type of person I've associated with the ukulele.

EDIT. I'm considering this again and I reckon she might be making the point about making sure all the notes are clearly heard.
 
I can assure all new players you do not need force to strum. Good technique with a relaxed hand moving mainly from the wrist.
 
The Ukulele Underground YouTube channel has a good tutorial on beginning strumming. Obviously, you can get different musical effects by strumming more aggressively or with different rhythms, but you should start with this:
 
The important thing is to make music. Strum with your thumb, index finger, or use a pick. Basically, do it however you want. Only rule is, it has to sound good to you. There are many good players out there using all sorts of techniques. I suppose you could strum with your knuckles, and with enough practice get it sounding nice. I don't like teachers who try to tell me that I have to do it their way. I listen to their suggestions, try them out, and make my own decisions about what works and what doesn't work for me. I recently left a teacher who insisted that I use four fingers for fingerpicking. I use, and love, my two finger technique, and have no intention of changing that. He could have chosen to help me become a better two finger picker, but he wouldn't do it. So, we parted company. Just don't get hung up on thinking that you have to emulate any particular player or teacher. The Ukulele allows for many successful approaches, just be comfortable and happy, and keep on strumming!
 
Just don't get hung up on thinking that you have to emulate any particular player or teacher. The Ukulele allows for many successful approaches, just be comfortable and happy, and keep on strumming!

Thanks for writing this. Like Wooster, I am a new player (but without the background in other strings instruments), and have been watching videos and using books since before I started playing in December. I just can't get comfortable with all four fingers of my picking hand being in that limited space with their "individual assignments" to each string. I was starting to feel like my playing will always be limited because of that and watching the videos of what people can play and how they play, was starting to get intimidating. Now, I am still going to try to build up strength and dexterity in the other fingers (I am using the Pop & Rock Ukulele Fingerstyle Etuden book by Elisabeth Pfeiffer for that), but I chose this instrument because of the happiness I feel when playing, and the joy I sense in the playing community. So when people say to "just be comfortable and happy," it is a reminder and a license to just have fun.

Wooster, hopefully by now, you have your uke and are strumming away the way you feel most comfortable and are just having fun.
 
Hey Jake... i was caught up on the same quandary.

I started trying to use all fingers... then as I was watching more Uke players I see most of them just picked with their thumb. So I gave up all my fingers and just started using my thumb. Then one day my wife tells me you should do some more up picking to give variety to your sound because mainly thumb is all down strokes........ so now I just settled on mainly thumb and index........ But to be honest once you start putting your hours in on the Uke you'll just pick with whatever is comfortable at the time. Example when I said thumb was mainly all down stroke........ well when I was working on a lick on one of James Hill's arrangement because the timing was quick 1/16note... I just flick my thump up for the last note. I didnt think you can do it but it sounded fine and kept up with timing! Anyway Just playhowever the eff you want to play and have fun.
 
You can pick up any strum or pick pattern by playing it slow enough to start and figure which one feels the best. For some reason 4 fingers feels really good to me when picking. Trying to use thumb for G and C just throws off my timing to the point of making me crazy.
Some strums I figure out by just listening to the music. Ask me to do an island strum and I get lost. Something about having to follow a particular strum pattern completely loses me. I try to follow the pattern and lose track of the music.
 
I actually looked at that youtube link the other day. Sure, overemphasizing but I think that's helpful to make a point. I thought it was a good video. Guessing Cynthia Linn has some good instruction videos. I'm just starting out and trying to figure out what strum feels right to me starting out. Video was understandable and paced well for a rank beginner like me. I will probably check out more of her videos. Lot's of stuff out there on the web. I thought that one was helpful.
 
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