How to Play Ukulele Strum Patterns: A Beginner's Guide
You can do it!
Strum Patterns on Ukulele
Ukulele strum patterns can simply be described by saying D for a down strum and U for an up strum or by arrows pointing down or up, but it is probably worth looking at some proper notation. Although there is no official notation for ukulele strumming patterns, this layout is the most common.
Ukulele strumming notation
The simple chord pattern above is showing a strumming pattern of:
Down - Down - Down Up - Down
(also written as D - D - DU - D)
Try strumming this pattern on an easy chord like C to start with and once you feel comfortable with this, you can progress to adding a basic chord change: C - F and back to C for example
Top Tip: The secret to playing a good strumming pattern is to strum from the wrist and try to keep a consistent and steady rhythm.
Have a go at strumming the pattern below ⬇️ This one goes:
Down - Down - Down Up - Down Up
( D - D - DU - DU)
Try out this easy strum pattern!
Take Your Chord Changes up a Level
Once you feel comfortable with your newly acquired strum pattern skills, you can take it one step further by practising your strumming while changing between more chords.
A good place to start new strumming patterns is by using the C-Am-F-G7 sequence of chords.
Once you feel comfortable with these simple strums, have a go at playing the Island Strum
Down – Down Up – Up Down Up
(also written as D – D U – U D U)
Here’s how it sounds:
6 Top Strumming Tips
1. Use a metronome to help you work on your strumming patterns and keep in time to start with.
2. Keep a steady strumming wrist swinging up and down in a steady motion, whether or not you are hitting the strings.
3. Count the beat as you play - you can play any strumming pattern as long as it fits with the timing of the song (the number of beats in a bar).
4. Tap your foot on the down strokes to help you to internalise the rhythm.
5. Don’t fall into a habit of getting used to a particular strumming pattern and then using it all the time.
6. Be adventurous! As you get more confident, try making up your own strumming patterns and test out different strums to go with different styles of songs.
Now that you’ve got into the swing of strumming, try out our Top 4 Most Popular Ukulele Strum Patterns and remember, you can use any strumming pattern with any song, as long as the timing is the same.
Enjoyed this? Try our Popular Themed Ukulele Chord Charts.
Happy Strumming 😊
