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Learning Ukulele Strums - A Recipe for Success

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Learning to Strum, A Recipe for Success

After you can successfully switch between chords. The next step is to learn a few strums.

The beat is what we typically respond to in music. We tap our foot or clap our hands to the beat while listening to music. If you have ever danced, you are responding to the beat and the harmonic rhythm of the song.

Level I - Basic “Four” Strum

Chords and music are organized into bars or measures. For the Basic “Four” Beat Strum, the number of beats per bar or measure is four. This is the most common number of beats per bar used in songs.

Counting evenly, count the down beats using 1 2 3 4.

UL11_quarter_note_strum

All strums in Level I are played using ALL down strokes (▼).

Level II - Four Famous 8th Note Strum Styles

For level II eight notes strums every beat has two parts, a down part and an up part. If you are tapping our foot evenly, you hear the down part of the beat when your foot strikes the floor, the up part of the beat is when you’re resetting our foot for the next down beat.

Counting evenly, count the down beats using 1 2 3 4 and the up beats with “and”, Indicated with a plus sign below.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

You can strum down on the down beat (▼), the numbers and down or up on the up beat (▲), the “and” (+). For a lighter should strum up on the “and”. For a heavier sound strum down on the up. BUT – Always down on the down beat.

Remember to count evenly. This ensures you’ll be playing in tempo. It’s critical to be always be playing in time, at any tempo.

View or download the PDF file for the complete lesson.

Learning Ukulele Strums - A Recipe for Success

Printable Lesson PDF: FREE

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Quarter Note Strum

UL11_QuarterNote_Strum_count

Famous Eight Notes Strums

All Down Strokes

UL11_notation_level_II_1

Alternating Down, Up Strokes

UL11_notation_level_II_1

Related Lessons for: Strums

Here a few lesson suggestions that might be of interest to the topics and principles covered in this lesson.

4 Lesson(s)

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Learning Ukulele Strums - A Recipe for Success

A strum is the execution of a rhythmic pattern - in a specific style at tempo.

Learning Strums, A Receipe for Success covers how to go about learning the various rhythmic patterns that are .....

UL11: Published: November 4, 2011, 11:30 pm | Updated: March 12, 2012, 8:13 pm | Author: Curt Sheller

Modular Phonetic Rhythm, Level I Pairs Worksheet

Level I rhythmic syllable pairs for developing your ukulele strums vocabulary.

MPR21: Published: May 12, 2012, 9:46 pm | Updated: May 12, 2012, 7:48 pm | Author: Curt Sheller

Modular Phonetic Rhythm, Level I Pairs Worksheet

Level II rhythmic syllable pairs for developing your ukulele strums vocabulary.

MPR22: Published: May 12, 2012, 9:46 pm | Updated: May 12, 2012, 7:48 pm | Author: Curt Sheller

Ukulele Strums - Getting Started

A Strum is the execution of a specific rhythmic pattern, at tempo in a particular style.

Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are: 1) Memorization of chords 2) The ability to switch .....

UL126: Published: January 6, 2011, 11:00 am | Updated: March 12, 2012, 8:31 pm | Author: Curt Sheller

Ukulele Chords, Movable Form Chords

Lesson Info

I constantly read online and hear. "Is, where, what site, what software is there for this or that chord or all the chord voicings." Well camper! It's not here. Chord dictionaries, software, web sites are not the answer. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of chord voicings.

Learning basic open position chords and the basic movable form chords presented in the Chord of the Week Lessons I presented in 2007 will set you up for the more advanced chords, typically called “jazz” chords.

These Movable Form Chords lessons have been updated, enhanced and now reside in the Members Subscription area for all basic and Members.

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Related Books

All book sizes are 8.5" x 11" unless noted and music stand friendly, "lay flat" coil binding.

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A Guide to Ukulele Chords, 2nd Edition


A Guide to Ukulele Chords, Second Edition is designed as a guide to ukulele chords. Covering the basic ukulele chords that ALL ukulele players SHOULD know. A Guide to Ukulele Chords covers movable chord forms, rock chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and includes an introduction to 4-part, a.k.a jazz chords and more...

From a few core, basic chord shapes and a understanding of how chords are constructed. Your chord vocabulary can be dramatically increased without memorizing countless chord shapes. There are too many chord shapes to memorize.

This book will take the mystery out playing and understanding chords on the ukulele, whether it is a standard, concert, tenor or baritone ukulele in C tuning, low or high string four.

Tunings: C Tunings. Low or high string four variations.

Lefties of the world! Don't feel left out. There is a version for you: A Guide to Ukulele Chords for Lefties

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Ukulele Chords


This mini (1/2 size) chord books are the perfect size for every ukulele gig bag or case and a great addition to you music book library.

SPECIAL: $4.97 for Hard Copy This is the same price as the PDF download.

Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords. From these two chord categories a variety of songs and styles can be played.

Seventh chords, Major Sevenths, Minor Sevenths, Diminished, Augmented chords sus and add chords.

Tunings: C with low or high G - (GCEA or gCEA).

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A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z


The Blues are at the heart of all American music. It has influenced Country, Rock, Folk, Jazz, Bluegrass and just about every form of American music we listen to today.

Studying the blues chord progressions presented in this book will open a wealth of creative possibilities for exploring chord progressions in all styles of music, not just blues.

This volume covers the key of C major and C minor. Each example includes detailed accompanying text explaining the principles behind each progression and its chord substitutions.

A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z starts with a basic three chord, 12 bar blues and progresses up to a sophisticated jazz blues with multiple chord substitutions.

All examples are shown in C and G tuning. Suitable for Soprano, concert, tenor and baritone ukuleles. Get through this book and you'll have a solid jazz chord foundation to build on.

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A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I


Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called “jazz” chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music.

A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of Ukulele chord voicings.

If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele is your answer.

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Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele


Exploring Jazz Chords takes the core chords from A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele and shows their use over a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire.

Building a Solid Jazz Chord Foundation using Seventh, Major Seventh, Major 6, Minor Seventh, Minor Sixth, Diminished Seventh, Minor Seventh Flat Five and Augmented Seventh chords.

Tunings: C and G. Low or high string four variations.

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The Advanced Guide to Chord Progressions for Ukulele - Volume I


Volume I features the principles of voice leading applied to chord progressions. These principles are explained using chords from volume I of The Advanced Guide to Ukulele Chords. Chapters with common major and minor full diatonic, partial diatonic and chromatic chord progressions are also included to further explore voice leading principles presented in the book.

Tunings: C Tuning with a low or high G - (GCEA or gCEA).

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ISBN-13: 978-0-9714044-9-6 Published: January 2004 Pages 80

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Ukulele- Reading Music Series - Primer


Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position. It is a lot easier than you might think with this step-by-step easy to use approach.

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Printable eBook/PDF: $4.95

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NOW - With quick download after payment.

You'll need a copy of Adobe®: Acrobat® reader (version 3.0 or higher) to view or print the PDF file. If you don't already have a copy, or if you have an older version, you can get the latest reader for free from Adobe.

Lessons, TABS and Songs are intended FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Portions of copy regarding particular songs is from WidipediA, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

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Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt

UKEREAD1 - UL11_LEARNING_STRUMS.PHP | Updated: Friday, 30th March, 2012 @ 04:35pm

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