Strumming issues...

tweekster

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Wondering which fingers I should use. I am guessing the index finger but I often get it caught in between strings.Ive been strumming with the two middle fingers down and the thumb up. Anyway any help with strumming,strumming patterns,and which fingers i should use would be helpful.

Its kinda sad to know 12 chords and yet still not be able to strum properly.:(
 
Wondering which fingers I should use. I am guessing the index finger but I often get it caught in between strings.Ive been strumming with the two middle fingers down and the thumb up. Anyway any help with strumming,strumming patterns,and which fingers i should use would be helpful.

Its kinda sad to know 12 chords and yet still not be able to strum properly.:(

Stop playing chords and mute the strings with your left hand...then just practice strumming. Try it out...
 
Will do but which finger should i use? Oh I meant Ive been strumming down with my two middle fingers and up with my index.I got that from a guitarist though I know its not right.
 
There are no "right" fingers to use my friend xD Niether is there a finger that you should use, or a rule as to which finger you use. Well ok...there's one rule. One, it has to be comfortable for YOU. If it feels comfortable and you're happy with how it sounds, then you're allll set :)
 
For starters, start with your index and strum up and down or just down concentrating on your
strum.....evenly on all strings and timing..
 
i tend to use first and middle, but there is no right and wrong. where on instrument you strumming? you are less likely to get tangled strumming at end of fingerboard rather than over the body
 
This might be helpful. (still working on it myself)
http://ukuleleunderground.com/2008/01/uke-minute-2-basic-strum/
There is a ton of info to be learned on the videos at UU.
I like the ukelele minutes because they cover one topic at a time, and it's easier for me to concentrate on learning one thing at a time that way.
Hope that made sense.
 
Beginner as well- not sure if it helps, but I have found that I am most comfortable (and most even) if I down strum with the nail of my index finger, and up with the meat of the same finger. I also, as suggested, strum over the end of the fretboard. Strangle enough, my wife has decided to strum way down by the bridge and seems to do just fine there.
I also got some rubber picks from Elderly and I am loving those as well- the thin ones being the ones I have settled on
 
I'm still a noob - playing less than a year. I tend to use my index and middle finger. Strumming near the fretboard made a big difference for me. As did focusing on playing just a couple of songs. Find the rhythm of the song and just keep it in your head, it will find its way to your fingers.

Find another player near you, or a local uke club. Playing with other people makes a big difference. I was having so much trouble going from a D7 to a G7, but someone in the group suggested a slight change in how I formed the D7 chord that resulted in a sudden ability to make the switch! That taught me there are any number of ways to "do it right." Watch the video clips of a lot of different people on UU and YouTube. Watch how they strum and make chords. You'll see a wide variety of methods. Try them out yourself, see what feels right for you.

Stay with it. You'll find you suddenly make leaps in your playing ability. One day you may be struggling to hit the strings with your down stroke, and the next day you find yourself nailing the song. The joy of nailing a song you've been working on is worth the practice and patience.
--G
 
There's a reason why it is suggested to strum the uke at the end of the fretboard. More acurately, that would be at the twelth fret (where the neck meets the body, usually), as some fretboards are longer than others.

The string doesn't so much vibrate as it does undulate. It moves in a shape like a sine wave (remember those high school math classes?). If you recall what a sine wave looks like, half of it falls above the baseline, and half of it falls below the baseline, with the two halves looking like mirror images of each other. There is one place along that baseline where the wave isn't really moving at all....and that's in the center, where it crosses the baseline. This would be, in the case of a uke string, the center point between the nut and the saddle. This is, by design, the location of the twelth fret, and (usually) where the neck meets the body of the uke.

Strumming at (or near) the twelth fret gives the cleanest, fullest sound....
 
There are no "right" fingers to use my friend xD Niether is there a finger that you should use, or a rule as to which finger you use. Well ok...there's one rule. One, it has to be comfortable for YOU. If it feels comfortable and you're happy with how it sounds, then you're allll set :)

MisoHappy is right on!!! It is what feels comfortable to you and produces a good sound! :agree::agree:
 
Well thanks guys I'll be sure ot take all your advice seriously. Got another problem now my mgm set up aqua stringed ukuleles got a buzzing c string,ahhhhh!
 
Well thanks guys I'll be sure ot take all your advice seriously. Got another problem now my mgm set up aqua stringed ukuleles got a buzzing c string,ahhhhh!

That's easy. Just buy another uke.

ok, no, THere is a whole thread on that in the Luthier section. THere is a checklist to go through. It seems like a new set of strings usually solves it.

I had a buzzing sound and found out I was leaving my right hand fingers right by the strings after my strum or pick. dur.
 
The best advice has already been given; strum around the
area of the twelfth fret,don't strum too hard,it will come with
practice.And no finger/thumb is right or wrong,it's what feels
right,and what works for YOU.Stay with it!
 
I've been playing for almost 3 years now, and I can't for the life of me strum with my fingers. I am a thumb strummer.

If you heard me play strumming with my thumb, and then trying my index finger, you'd think it was 2 different people playing!

I guess just use what works for you. I've given up on trying to strum with my index finger. My results with my thumb are MUCH better!
Cheers,
Skottoman
 
Top Bottom