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Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums

Don't know what to play or tired of playing the same old down-up-down-up strums?

Published: 04 Jan 2022 Updated: 14 Feb 2022 • Visits: 43 • Code: UW-UKESTRUM1

Category: Strums Instrument: Ukulele Subjects(s):

LearningUkulele.com—Learning Ukulele with Curt is the product of Curt Sheller and Curt Sheller Publications, Funky Frets Music Store, and a few trusted advisers. Curt Sheller, your Ukulele Kumu, has been playing ukulele over 20 (since 2003) years and has over 30+ years of teaching experience, written over 50 books, almost 40 for ukulele.

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Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums
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Don't know what to play or tired of playing the same old down-up-down-up strums? One of the first skills a ukulele player learns is the art and craft of strumming, playing rhythm. This refers to an accompaniment technique suitable for the singer-songwriter or someone who plays a support role for another instrument.

Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are: 1) Memorization of chords. 2). The ability to switch chords smoothly and 3) The ability to choose and execute a suitable rhythmic strum. It is this 3rd skill that is our focus in A Guide to Ukulele Strums.

Though strumming looks natural to the casual observer, it is anything but natural to the beginning ukulele player. Even experienced players have difficulty in identifying and executing certain strums. Though this is one of those topics that is typically taken for granted, there is much to learn about rhythmic feels, accents, dynamics, strum direction, feel, percussive accents, idiomatic styles and tempo variation.

Learn These Essential Strums and a lot more:

  • Quarter Note Strum
  • Sustain Strum
  • Rock Strum
  • Light Rock Strum 1
  • 12/8 Strum
  • Shuffle Strum
  • Power Shuffle Strum
  • Double Time Strum
  • Gallop Strum
  • Flowing 3/4 Strum
  • Ska Strum
  • Bass Note Strum Patterns
  • 3/4 Strum
  • Reggae Strum
  • Broken Patterns

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The videos for the Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums workshop held Tuesday, March 11, 18, 25 @ 8PM DST (2000 -4UTC) are now available.

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Related Lessons, Videos, Lesson Series, Songs, Books & Reference Charts, Resources & Assets, Workshops are below.

Related Lesson Series
Related Lessons Series for Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums.
A Guide to Ukulele Strums

Learn a variety of strums and rhythmic patterns in wide range of musical styles. A strum refers to an accompaniment technique suitable for the singer, singer - songwriter or someone who plays a support role for another instrument.

Building Your Core Strums for Ukulele

Rhythm are in-separately linked to strums. Using the Modular Phonetic Rhythm System developed by Chuck Anderson this series of lessons start with the core four strums all ukulele players use and throughly digs in to the many variations possible.

Ukulele Strums - Getting Started

Strums are in-separately linked to rhythm. Using the Modular Phonetic Rhythm System developed by Chuck Anderson this series of lessons starts with the core four strums all ukulele players use, need to know and throughly digs into the many variations possible.

Related Songs
Related Songs for Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums.
ANYSONG
Any Song Will Do

This is not really a song, but simply saying that for the purposes of a lot of the lessons and lesson series on this site ANY song will do for exploring the lesson's material and concepts presented in the lesson.

Related Books & Charts
Related Books for Essential Strums for Ukulele - A Guide to Ukulele Strums.
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UKESTRUM1
A Guide to Ukulele Strums

Learn a variety of strums and rhythmic patterns in wide range of musical styles. One of the first skills a ukulele player learns is the art and craft of strumming, playing rhythm. This refers to an accompaniment technique suitable for the singer, singer - songwriter or someone who plays a support role for another instrument.

<
MPRS-FW1
Modular Phonetic Rhythm, The Foundation and Workbook 1

Modular Phonetic Rhythm represents a significant advance in the teaching and application of rhythm. Eliminating many inefficient aspects of rhythm education, Modular Phonetic Rhythm streamlines the traditional educational approach, resulting in a reflexive reaction to rhythm.

A Selection of Books & Reference Charts that are recommended for creating a solid foundation with your chosen instrument and music in general.
These are Books & Reference Charts that apply to a majority of all lessons on LearningUkulele.com—Learning Ukulele with Curt.
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard – C Tuning

Finally, learn the names of the notes of the ukulele fingerboard in C tuning .

Six Secrets of the Ukulele Fingering

Learn the six fingering principles to navigating the ukulele fingerboard. Fingering is one of the most universal topics. Book: Six Secrets of the Ukulele Fingering

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. Book: Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think. Book: Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing. Book: Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

Checkout the Books & Reference Charts for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

Reference Charts
Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Circle of Fourths and Fifths – ANSI A & A4 sizes

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A), A4

Checkout the Books & Reference Charts for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

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On the web since 1992 and a Mac since 1987 (Mac II) • Serving up Ukulele content since 2003 ( 22 years ago ) • Lets Kanikapila!!! v12.13.0 (8.2.23) • And, since Sept 2020, happily on Pop!_OS Linux & COSMIC-DE and a System76 Thelio . Half the cost of the iMac and a real treat to use. I use it for ALL development work. Only wish the Affinity Suite of apps by serif where available on Linux (and I do know you can run them in Wine with a few hacks).
This sit has ben profesionaly red. awl tpyos aree free and no aditonal chrge • I'm blaming it on “jazz” fingers. “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”
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