Strums - Getting Started

• Basic Strums
• Your Rhythm Engine
• Basic Variations
• Six Rhythmic Syllables
• 36 Rhythmic Syllable Pairs

Coming Soon: MP3 examples, video examples

With the most commom Time Signature [ definition ] being four beats per measure, tap your foot evenly counting, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. With the numbers being the down beats or down foot taps and the "and" the up beat or up part of the foot tap.

For three beats per measure you would only count to three, for six beats per measure, count six, etc...

Standard Music Notation [ definition ] indicating a particular rhythmic pattern.

Click on the above notation to hear an example
using alternate down-up strums (opens in a seperate window).

The strum can be with the fingers or a pick. It can even be fingerpicked with a broken chord pattern where you pick out the individual notes of the chord matching the rhythmic pattern.

Each rhythmic or strumming pattern makes a unique sound. Equate this sound to its rhythmic notation.

One thing that you might notice with the all DOWN strokes (D D D D D D D D) or strum is that you are still doing up strokes but missing the strings. With the alternating D U D U D U D U strum you are not missing the strings with an up stroke.

Simple, Instant Variations

By simply missing the string(s) on any one down or up stroke you have instant variations. To hear what these sound like, any of the example MP3 files on my A Guide To Blues Chord Progressions For Ukulele A To Z page used this technique as well as muting the strings.

STRUMMING RULE: ALWAYS DOWN ON THE DOWN BEAT

For all but the most advanced player this rule is a good one to follow. If not broken and playing in time you will have great strums and immediate success. So DOWN on the down beat and down or up on the UP beat.

Alternating Down and Up Strums

With your Rhythmic Engine fired up. Here are two basic and very common variations.

Common Variation One

Click on the above notation to hear an example
using alternate down-up strums (opens in a seperate window).

This is a very common variation created by tying the and of two to the three. Keeping our down-up-down-up rhythmic engine going we can create this pattern by not strumming the strings on the down of three. Simply miss the strings with the down motion, getting ready for the up on the and of three.

Here is the down-up pattern is shown with the down stroke shown (gray) but you do not strike the strings while doing the down motion.

Common Variation Two

Click on the above notation to hear an example
using alternate down-up strums (opens in a seperate window).

Here is the down-up pattern