Learn To Play the Ukulele: How to Hold a Ukulele

When I started learning to play the ukulele, I started out with a sweet little Kala soprano uke. The soprano is the smallest of all the ukes (unless you're getting a sopranino or a pocket uke, and I'm not gonna go there right now), and learning how to hold a ukulele was, for me, a combination of trial and error and instinct. (But what else is new?)

Holding the ukulele is a little different than holding a guitar. For starters, there are a lot of ukuleles that don't have a strap button, so you can't just use any old guitar strap. There are lots of great uke straps out there (and I'll write more about those in another blog), but for now, let's just assume you're going to hold your uke without a strap. 

How you hold your ukulele also depends on whether or not you're right or left handed. For now, I'm going to show a right-handed hold (because that's how I hold it). If you're a left, you can also find ukes that are tuned for left-handed people or just reverse what I'm showing you here.

To start, cradle the ukulele in the crook of your right elbow. Yes, if you hold it long enough this way, you'll probably end up with a few little lines or divots on the inside of that right arm/elbow. Don't worry, it won't kill you. If it starts to hurt, you might want to loosen your grip a little bit. If you're not strumming or picking the strings, your fingers can rest curled around the shoulder of your uke closest to the floor.

The ukulele should be about chest high, right in front of your heart. Obviously, for some women, this might be a problem. So let's just be honest: if it's uncomfortable to squeeze your uke into your boobs, adjust the position. For women with bigger boobs, a strap is also an insanely helpful accessory to have. (Trust me.)

Once you have your ukulele in position in front of your heart, take the neck of the ukulele and rest it against the bottom of your index finger. Gently close your hand around the back of the neck with your thumb straight or very slightly bent. In general, the thumb will always be poking up from that side of the neck of the uke, and not pressed against the back of the neck. The only exception to this rule is when you're playing barre chords, which are the bane of my existence some days and which I will address once we get deeper into learning how to play the ukulele. 

That's all there is! 

One of the reasons I love this instrument so is the way you hold it - against the heart. When I hold my uke against my heart, I can feel the vibrations of the music entering into my body and everything relaxes. 

The pictures show me holding Babette, but little soprano Kala uke. If you've got a bigger uke size like a tenor or a baritone, the basic technique for holding is the same, but you'll just create some more space in your upper body by drawing your shoulders back and down as you press the uke against your heart. (Or use a strap.)

Learning how to hold a ukulele might take a little bit of trial and error, and definitely lots of practice. But keep at it. Next time, I'll talk about playing your first chords and how holding the ukulele properly will reduce things like muscle tension and hand cramping as you move around the fretboard!