Learn How to Play the Ukulele: Strumming

Ho boy, now that we're really into it, let's talk about strumming, shall we? Strumming is how most ukulele players learn how to play the ukulele - by moving one finger on your right hand across all four strings while pressing down on the strings on the fretboard with your left hand. Sounds easy, right?

But there's so much more to strumming than just that!

So let's start with some simple strumming. These very basic techniques for playing the ukulele give you a strong foundation on which you can build other skills in rhythm and some cool sound effects, but just like anything else, if you don't have the basics down, you can't really do much else.

How to Strum A Ukulele

Because most ukuleles don't have steel strings like a guitar, you don't need a pick to strum a ukulele. Using your fingers is the best way I've found so far to strum a uke, and you've got options. Try each and see which one feels right to you!

Strumming a Ukulele With Your Index Finger

To strum a ukulele with your index finger, relax your hand and let your fingers curl in gently towards the center of your palm. Keeping your index finger relaxed, place your thumb on the inside of your middle finger near the top so that your index finger sticks out a bit. For a down strum (moving from the fourth or top string to the first or bottom string), use the outside of the fingernail. On the up strum (moving from the first or bottom string to the fourth or top string), use the flesh at the very tip of the finger.

Strumming a Ukulele With Your Thumb

A lot of uke players like to strum their ukes with their thumb. Relax your hand and let your four fingers curl in toward the center of your palm. Extend your thumb gently and make the same movements using the same parts of the finger as you did for the index finger.

Strumming a Ukulele With Your Middle Finger

So, I haven't seen a lot of ukulele players doing this, but I developed my skill at strumming a ukulele with my middle finger when I wrecked the fingernails on my index finger and thumb in an unrelated incident and had bandages on those fingertips. To use my middle finger while those fingernails healed, I made the same shape with my hand that I did to strum with the index finger, but instead I gently kept the index finger out of the way and used my middle finger to strum. Try it! It definitely took a little bit of getting used to, but it worked!

A Word To the Wise About the Wrist When Strumming the Ukulele

So now that we have the hand position, let's talk about the wrist. When you're learning how to play the ukulele by strumming it, the movement should come from the wrist as much as possible. Strumming with wrist movement conserves energy in the shoulder and arm, and prevents you from getting fatigued quickly. Strumming with the wrist also allows you to play faster strums and get inventive with your strumming temp and rhythm. 

Just like with the fingers, keep the wrist loose and relaxed. When you're strumming your ukulele, try to make the wrist motion that you would make when opening a door. Picture the doorknob in your hand, and make the same wrist movement you would if you were twisting that doorknob open. You can also place your left hand on your right elbow while you're moving the wrist to make sure that the movement does indeed come from the wrist, and not from the elbow or the upper arm.

Where Do You Strum A Ukulele?

The smart ass answer to that question would be, anywhere you want to. But when it comes to getting the most projection and best tone out of your uke, the best place on the uke to strum is near the top of the sound hole close to the base of the fret board. Some uke players prefer to strum the uke directly over the sound hole, the same as you would a guitar. But since every uke is different, experiment with yours to see where it sounds best to you.

Down strum and Up strum

One of the most important parts of creating rhythm with your strums when you learn how to play the ukulele is learning how to do both a down strum and an up strum. A down strum is when you move your finger from the top fourth string to the bottom first string. The up strum is just what you'd think it is - the reverse of that, moving from the bottom first string to the top fourth string.

Depending on the rhythm of the song you're playing, you can do all down strums or a combination of down and up. I'll be totally honest with you, here - I've never heard of a song that uses all up strums, but I'm sure there's a piece out there that does.

Strumming Notation on Sheet Music

When you're looking at a new piece of music, very often it will indicate whether to do a down strum or an up strum. 

The down strum notation looks like this:

The up strum looks like this:

These are both similar to the notation used in other string music like violin, viola, or cello to indicate when you begin at the base or tip of the bow.

Some music also just uses the letters D and U. (I'll let you figure out which one is which.)

Combining down strums and up strums takes a little time, but once you get the hang of it, it allows you to produce some wonderful music on your uke!