What's The Strumming Pattern? Ukulele lesson

[@johnchisholm7350]

This is a new start to life for me at 82. My fingers are aching and my thumb is sore but with Phil on board I, m going to do it, John C

[@b.braude4571]

I was stuck before I accidentally came across your video. I am 77 and never had an instrument before as I studied ballet and art. During Covid I am struggling to learn to play on my own. It was getting really frustrating with the strumming but you have broken it down to its simplest terms. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@nildakhalessi1139]

Thank you for this very good explanation. I get confused when i have to do a strum pattern bec i can't get the correct rhythm that way.

[@palsofwilliams3981]

Phil, your vast experience is bountifully obvious in this tutorial. You bring out enormous value in helping us avoid bad habits by telling us what not to do. Then you focus us on what to do, and we understand why. Strumming, as you say, is the heart of playing uke.

[@pawe8169]

There are many films on KZbin... and many lessons... But I must admit that You are a very special teacher... Thank You :)

[@PhilDoleman]

Thank you!

[@JonHolton]

At 74 picked up my first instrument(concert ukulele) and tried numerous tutorials on You Tube before I found your lessons and I can honestly say they are the best in every aspect for an absolute beginner. Thank you.

[@PhilDoleman]

@@JonHolton Thank you, that's made my day!

[@quickuketips]

Yesss! It’s not so much about the strumming pattern, it’s more about keeping rhythm!

[@zerobyte6955]

I needed this! Keep the rhythm, don't fixate on the strum pattern, and have fun!

[@joephillips4082]

I've probably posted this comment on another of your instructional videos, but there's no substitute for solid, back-to-basics lessons, no matter how long you've played. Many of us have worked with this material, but your presentation is so very insightful that the tips and hints stay with me. I've played guitar a long time, but it was only when coming to the ukulele did I notice the emphasis on strum patterns. It wasn't so much a thing at least when I was learning guitar (I don't know about contemporary instruction) probably because so many of us learned songs by ear and we figured out strum patterns (poorly in my case) on the fly. I encountered them on day one on the ukulele. I assumed it was because they jumpstart playing for those new to the instrument, or new to music as many ukulele beginners are. They're welcoming, accessible ways into the instrument, and into music. You really show us how to use them, develop them, and when to leave them behind. These tutorials are invaluable.

[@df6516]

Your lessons are great and so useful! You explain extremely well! One of the best on youtube.

[@PhilDoleman]

Thank you!

[@pennyyoung2291]

Best lesson on strumming - ever!

[@PhilDoleman]

Thank you!

[@neilshillito7726]

A very long time ago I failed my maths ‘O’ level with the worst possible grade 9. I probably only got that because I spelt my own name correctly at the top of the paper. I went to a private tutor who in the first lesson presented me with a circular filter paper and a pair of scissors. I folded the paper as instructed, cut out segments with the scissors and in five minutes had learned all I needed to know about 4 or 5 basic geometry theorems. Later lessons covered algebra, arithmetic etc..but all of them were covered using very basic and simple teaching techniques. Eight weeks after my spectacular fail I did my resit and passed with a commendable grade 3. Thank you Phil, you’ve just woven the same magic with ukulele strumming patterns and rhythms.

[@PhilDoleman]

Wow, thank you!

[@davidiles4264]

Thanks so much, have learnt so much watching you for the first time.im a beginner and feel so much better, learning from your expertise there.👍👏🪕

[@uppiahserge8683]

Dear Mr Phil you are an excellent and motivated tutor, you teach step by step and so assimilation is very easy ! Thank you for your patience and your love for sharing your knowledge ! Best Regards, Serge !!!

[@57raytay]

Thanks Phil, as a relative beginner I hear my self say far too often,"I am stuck, whats the strum pattern?" this video helped me believe that I can work one out! thanks.

[@stevekritzer1030]

Great video! One of the biggest epiphanies for my uke classes (and for me when it was first pointed out to me) was realizing that, no matter how simple or complex your strum is, your hand is constantly just going down up down up forever. It's just a matter or when you decide to connect with the strings :)

[@ultimateukulele3586]

That’s a great observation!

[@johnchisholm7350]

AT LAST,! JohnC

[@margaretlynch6416]

I have only bought Ukulele never had opportunity thanks for lesson in my 70

[@patricemakovic8448]

Absolute beginner here. Third day of KZbin lessons. This lesson on strumming was an epiphany! I just wasn’t getting it with other ‘up and down’ instruction. Now I feel there is hope for me!! Excellent.. thank you!

[@ruthgibbs1163]

I have played(badly) several instruments- I was baffled by the annotation of music for ukulele- this has helped enormously THANK YOU!!

[@2011hib]

thank you I have been tempted to give my uke away but you have given me HOPE!

[@57raytay]

whats the saying, you can't succeed without failing

[@petebone5408]

Brilliant, if only I'd seen this when I first started to play. Thanks so much.

[@amandaskilton5713]

Driven myself demented trying to learn strum patterns - thought I was doomed to Down, Down, Down, Down for rest of my days!!!. You’ve just handed me the key to a more enjoyable journey. Thanks for great tutorial 👍

[@youngatheart6167]

Feeling the same way! 😂

[@rajeshparkar5683]

Thank YOU !!!

[@patfoley4888]

Thank you so much Phil. It's so much fun playing along with you or learning Rhythm at the same time. You make it effortless. Don't know what I would do without you. Picking it up slowly but surely

[@GerhardStach]

Danke Phil für diesen neuen Gedankenanstoß um instinktiv das Rythmusspiel zu lernen.

[@ultimateukulele3586]

Thank you for this video. I’ve always ad libbed/intuited strumming patterns without thinking about it too much, but since I’ve gotten more involved in the ukulele community I’ve become more self conscious about the patterns I’m using. It’s made my playing more stilted, as I’ve felt more pressure to be consistent with my patterns throughout entire songs and to be able to explain and notate them precisely. Thanks to this video, I feel like I can relax again!

[@WVgrl59]

Excellent ❤

[@jeanholt3531]

The BEST info I’ve seen & heard. You’ve answered sooo many questions! Thank you so much 👏👏

[@PhilDoleman]

@@jeanholt3531 Thank you!

[@loft215]

Phil, I'm finding your lessons to be absolutely excellent, I really feel like I'm learning so much, you're a star buddy and I'm genuinely grateful to you. Thank you so much

[@AnBerfelo]

oh my... where were you 4 years ago when I decided to learn to play this wonderful instrument. Thank you very much for this tip. I made the eight column chart and guess what? It works, thanks again.❤️🎶🌷

[@elainerose1334]

Thank you so much Phil. Best video and advice that I’ve seen or heard. 👍🏻

[@georgewoodruff8415]

Thanks for the "death of rote strumming patterns". Listen to the music! Separating the concepts of strumming and rhythm is essential to good playing. I tried desperately to follow the "IZ" strumming pattern from a number of on-line instructors. When I started to "listen" to the music, it was a much better result. Thanks for another great lesson.

[@shawy51]

This is probably the most helpful tutorial I have seen and helped me enormously. Thank you Phil!

[@AlCampo76]

This was an engaging and in-depth lesson. It reminds me of the proverb about teaching a person to fish as opposed to just giving them a fish. I came here wanting to learn a few strumming patterns but now I feel I've learnt a technique to find and explore various strumming patterns. Thank you Mr Doleman.

[@youngatheart6167]

Same I came here to learn new strumming patterns but found out how to make my own strumming pattern!

[@paulcammaerts5230]

Thank you, Phil. You've helped me to appreciate what I was doing wrong but also to realise what I have been doing right.

[@ukexkesha2062]

You're a legend Phil 🙂

[@davedenhaan]

Hi. Thank you very much for the clear and nice explanation. This way of natural teaching makes me very eager to learn more!! Keep up this good way of making contents and you are doing very well, thank you very much, greetz Dave from Holland

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks!

[@recremselrachnala]

Thanks for this Phil, very enlightening. I have taken the book route to try to master a whole load of strum patterns and I think I agree with you - they are pretty meaningless. If I'm honest, I never really mastered much more than the basics in strumming and switched to chord melody instead. That has limitations on even a good quality uke because, as you, say it is a percussive instrument. At Christmas I play the usual repertoire with a lady who has a beautiful voice and a good guitar style, and the strange thing is I never think about the strumming pattern; I just play what the rhytm in the music tells me and it seems to work. When I strum at home on my own I am not using the technique which you just showed us and now I can see why I am rubbish at strumming. I tried what you were doing and it's chalk and cheese. Nobody in our house will ever be able to peacefully watch TV again! Thanks, regards Charles.

[@PhilDoleman]

If you can play the rhythm that fits the music, and blends in with the other players, then you're winning! Most players I meet who perform and run workshops like me, will talk about how they have to figure out what they play in order to write it down for the students, it's such an 'automatic' thing. I'm glad it's helped (and sorry to everyone about the TV interruptions!)

[@montanacrosses]

You make learning fun! I was getting frustrated and it is supposed to be fun!

[@Delsha777]

This lesson really helped me. Thank you.

[@cherrierichardson1032]

You are awesome. I get it. 3 week beginner. Thank you, so much

[@skateness]

This was so enlightening and relieving.

[@tinakoernermashood6422]

This is such an amazing video. I play already 2 instruments and have a classic music education BUT i always experienced most lessons as ridged and boring. Which is contrary to music and the concept of music. Yet in order to spice up my kids’ life I started learning ukulele and again found lessons ridged and not well explained. Which I do believe is the reason that especially kids drop out off classes. Hearing your words though made me realize that a, music is something that humans “have” naturally and b, force may lead to something that may hurt (wrists) and will most definitely not sound like fun or great. Music and rhythm is all around us. What humans did is we have conceptionalized and visualized it’s patterns by writing it down. Yet nowadays people no longer learn from what they hear but what is written down. So everything ends up being too theoretical. That’s not learning/understanding but regurgitation. Thank you so so much for your video as it highlights much more than you may think

[@joannefournier7980]

Thank you for information definitely save lesson to listen to regularly

[@pmcgiv4321]

Very good lesson cheers

[@Robert-ck3xu]

Phil your the most amazing teacher ever,I'm glad to be part of this journey with you,just relaxing and having fun learning this beautiful instrument.Thank you Sir.

[@PhilDoleman]

@@Robert-ck3xu Thank you!

[@herminefostet-smith7571]

Thanks Phil. I've been observing and learning how to strum on the Ukulele.

[@TheOnlyRemyD]

As common sense as this may seem it truly unlocked strumming for me! Thank you!

[@tiniintergalactic5443]

Still brilliant, even as it is 3 years old, best explanation ever! THANKS A MILLION!

[@PhilDoleman]

@@tiniintergalactic5443 Thanks!

[@sobieskilinda]

A valuable lesson for me. Thank you!

[@Fred-zc8lt]

Poirot !! Made me smile, Thank you so much for this instructional clip. I found you articulate and very helpful.

[@Aichauer]

i realy can feel the passion to teach other people your knowledge. You are a great trainer!👍

[@youngatheart6167]

Thank you. What you said is so simple but made perfect sense! I kept thinking up down up down when I am strumming and then I mess up my rhythm. What you said is really helpful and something clicked in my mind! So thank you so much.

[@PhilDoleman]

Glad it's helped!

[@chrispy2394]

Great process towards creating strum patterns, Maybe introduce the concept of swing/shuffle 8th note strums in another video?

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks. I did make a little 'tip' video on the swing rhythm here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHLUZ4iBZbdggpI

[@chrispy2394]

@@PhilDoleman perfect!

[@yvonnedoherty7666]

You simplify the knowledge of ukulele playin and I Thankyou so much. It all makes better sense

[@ronnipaints6128]

You are lovely, thank you for this. I'll be using it untill I get it.

[@Cbresciani]

I’ve had my ukulele for about a week and trying to figure out strumming patterns was something I was struggling with. Your video definitely helped me to understand how a strumming pattern works! Thanks!

[@PhilDoleman]

I'm so glad!

[@cindybenjamin9607]

Phil, l’m sticking with you!!! 😉

[@stephensmall9969]

Brilliant ! I have a better understanding now of rhythm vs strum pattern

[@candysummer7646]

Awesomeness 💖 thankyou I finally got a way forward

[@mariontl6764]

Thank you Phil for this great instruction on strumming.

[@lisacompton593]

Thanks so much Phil. That was so useful. I've been learning to play during lockdown and I practise my 'down ups' every day but this had made it so clear what I should be doing and why! I'm trying to learn the swing rhythm and can hear it's not quite right but now I know that's fine. I'll get there. Your vids are great. Bless you.

[@kevinmalloy2180]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[@ledesalaura6793]

So helpful! I was so frustrated...Thank you

[@gaellemassaux6029]

So cool ! I love the TV trick. Actually that's what I have been doing naturally to force my hand to get the rythm without thinking about it anymore... and I'm so happy to hear that actually this is your advice too 🤗😁 you're a great teacher. I've been playing for almost a year now but I'm learning soooo much with your videos : you give deep information but in such a simple and clear way. Keep up with the good work ! I want to learn more and more from you. Thank you so much. 🤩

[@rhumba969]

Hi Phil, I had just stumbled across this lesson. It is very encouraging to have the breakdown to be as a beginner. Makes me want to practise on my uke all day long now to get the muscle memory. Thanks so much!

[@cathykirkin6958]

Yes, a brilliant vide, explained exactly what I needed to know. Thanks Phil

[@junniekhoo3925]

Wow your explanation is really so good. Totally agreed. Grp of new beginner frenz like my strumming for a song " the young ones" . I dunno how to teach cos i just follow d rhythm. Frenz keep asking d strumming pattern n the beat. I feel stress cos I dunno wat beat and strumming pattern. They seems stress to keep trying to count the beat n strumming pattern. When I start to count, I cant play d song out. 😅 Rhythm n know the song well is what I think is impt. Love your teaching. Tq Phil .

[@lindasmith6668]

This was amazing! Thank you

[@133taxi]

Very informative lesson & well explained thank you 😊

[@mariontl6764]

After watching your video here I decided to listen to John Prine playing Some Humans Ain't Human. I detected a 3/4 waltz rhythm, and tried that, and the next thing you know I could play my uke along with John playing guitar on youtube. :) Thanks again Phil.

[@PhilDoleman]

That's brilliant, great song too!

[@dianesilverstein6475]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@koniconga]

Such a great video thanks for sharing 🤙🤙🤙🤙

[@alexmackenzie1773]

Brilliant again. Superstar.

[@kathroot7252]

This is really helpful.

[@mimip154]

Great lesson!

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks!

[@joaquinperez391]

Sublime, thank you very much!

[@KayemGenmo]

Crazy useful. Just begining. 😊

[@PeckHoonTeo]

Awesome. Very helpful for me a beginner. ❤

[@ronnipaints6128]

It was nuts learning to drive a Simi Truck. It was over a year before I stopped thinking of every move.

[@doncatch1]

Enjoyed

[@alancr5137]

What a great lesson - thank you!

[@PhilDoleman]

Thank you!

[@salannegrant6967]

It is the Instrument of ALOHA! ❤🎉

[@patfoley4888]

I don't I don't know if you'll know what I mean but I'm having trouble getting my hand curved and trying to figure whether you're using all your fingers on the s t r u m or just your index finger . I love this learning to strum by using the Rhythm instead of written notations also doing it while you watch TV is Magic because it becomes second nature so quickly thanks again you're just the best teacher you're students will be able to fit in with other musicians and play along 😊

[@PhilDoleman]

I'm just using my index finger. All of my fingers are curved (but in a very relaxed way), but my index finger less so than the others. Hope this helps!

[@nildakhalessi1139]

What is the strum pattern for the 'island stroke' like over the rainbow by IZ? I get conscious about not letting the upstroke be heard while letting my right hand go up and down.

[@PhilDoleman]

What I hear him playing is something along the lines of d D u u D , the upper case D being emphasised. You would count it 1 2 + +4. The strum on the '1' sounds like he just aimed at the lower strings (he used a low G) Don't worry too much about accidentally catching the string on the way up, those will most likely be fairly quiet strums, and listening to Iz I can hear that he throws in some soft upstrokes here and there. It all adds to the feel!

[@LenaDee-cu6hv]

Wow. Thank you.

[@CleoRedHerring]

Changed my entire view

[@TrikesterHal]

Wow, I picked up the uke and quickly moved to the baritone uke because of the chords. I learned guitar in the 60s and even though I hadn't played music (much) over half a century I had all these chords etched into my brain. I put the soprano uke aside (case gathering dust). I'm now playing bass uke because I know the scales and I've always loved playing bass. I'm also playing the baritone because I know the chords. It's Saturday morning, nothing on my busy retirement schedule, it's going to be windy so I'm staying home, so what to do? Now, out of curiosity mostly, I'm watching this video. Doggone it Phil, you've done a number on my paradigms! So much practical information and a different way to look at the uke (Duh, it's a percussion instrument, don't worry about chord patterns, keep the the rhythm going, the variations will come naturally, keep that strum going, feel the rhythm...) You clever man! Music comes naturally to me. I feel the music and not so much by looking at chord frames or thinking key signatures. You've struck a chord in me (pun intended)! Out comes the soprano uke (and the Super Snark tuner) and I'm strumming along with you. You've shifted my paradigms, you've changed me even though I'm 73, even though [fill in the blank]..., even though the pandemic is still active... I've got to listen to more of your videos. 8-] Thank you, Phil from Hal out here in the deserts of Southern Arizona, USA. When it hits 49C (120F) I'll be in under the AC strumming away.

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks Hal! You're spot on about the 'percussion instrument' angle. Great to hear from another bass player, too, that was my first instrument.

[@TrikesterHal]

@@PhilDoleman Because of the Beatles every guy my age attempted to learn guitar, most failed, I succeeded though I was self taught. I taught myself basic music theory (chords, barre chords, transposing). The Ventures were my inspiration back then. Now it's the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. It so good to be back playing music again after fifty years... I played bass with my thumb (still do) as I had no mentor for two finger picking. We (Tucson Ukulele Meetup Group) get together to play every Sunday afternoon (vaccinated, socially distancing). Most of us are chronologically challenged.

[@PhilDoleman]

I think that the great sucess of the uke is bringing people back into playing music, and getting together to share it. Most of my students are retired, and many of them last played an instrument 40 years ago or more, and they love being bale to get back to it. The Ukulele Orchestra are a great bunch, and I'm lucky to be able to call them friends. In fact, here's me and George playing together at a festival a few years back kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqe9d318mNemrtE

[@tgvf5]

Phil, Thank you for more of your outstanding content! Sincerely - Tom gcspanishms 🤙

[@felicitasrover4580]

Danke!

[@PhilDoleman]

Thank you!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I saw this and threw away my drum sticks. I have been reborn. Merci.

[@paulrr9988]

superb. thamk you.

[@tinkerbellbetty]

Thank u 🎉

[@redpaul101]

I was asked once to give a workshop on 'Anything but calypso!' Apparently, it was the only strum the group knew, and the group leader was sick of hearing it in every song! So of course it was the first thing I started with. "Don't play it, just tell me how would you explain to someone how it goes?" I asked. "Down Down Up Up Down Up" I was told. "Ah, but how would you _count_ it?" I asked. Silence. But, because they all knew the rhythm, when I counted it out as "1 2& &4&", they all immediately understood what I was getting at, and why therefore they should keep their hands going down-up continuously. And then, when I asked them to tap their feet 1,2,3,4 while playing the island rhythm, they all could hear/feel their feet hitting the ground on beat 3, while their hands were missing the strings on the downstroke. So after that, it became very easy to cover the "anything but calypso" rhythms, I was actually being paid to show them!

[@PhilDoleman]

Yes! Once you start talking 'rhythms' rather than 'strumming patterns' it all begins to make sense. Foot tapping is something I always enourage, because not only does it help you feel the beet, but as you say, you can hear it too!

[@magicalleela666]

Often when I am singing, especially a new song I have to concentrate on the rhythm, I just doing the basic up down strum. When I get to the end of the line, I might throw in the island strum of something.

[@PhilDoleman]

A good idea. In fact that can sometimes be a great thing to do when performing- keep it simple whilst singing so as not to detract from the voice, then fill in the gaps with something a bit fancier!

[@elifleer3691]

​@@PhilDolemanApart from a fancier strum, I have slipped in some Travis picking but keeping the same rhythmic feel.

[@PhilDoleman]

@@elifleer3691 Nice one!

[@southerngirlsociety]

Do you guys have a playlist of ukulele lessons in the order they should be viewed and learned? I looked but I may have missed it.

[@PhilDoleman]

It's just little old me here :-) There's isn't a particular order (apart from my beginner lessons) as my videos are often a response to online questions or things my students ask me.

[@moodyonroody5313]

just listening to twist and shout - it's in D haha thanks Phil

[@mzreid6386]

Thats just what i need to get people to stop thinking in boxes and listen. I dont thinking there is any absolute set of rules for learning: we all digest at different speeds, the only constant is practice. Oh- and enjoy yourself, as the song says!

[@johnmckinstry8546]

Hi Phil. thanks for another great video. I have been given a songs lyrics with chords marked in at certain points above the lyrics. How do I know whether i'm supposed to play this cord once or twice and which strumming pattern is used for it. Are there certain strumming patterns which are used for certain styles of songs? Thanks

[@PhilDoleman]

Thanks John, Those song sheets are a bit of a problem, as they're only any good if you're already pretty familiar with how the song goes! Sometimes a strumming pattern is indicated but often not (which is why so many clubs end up playing the same pattern for every song). Really, the rhythm you play is the one that fits the song, which is often not as easy as it sounds! I have a couple of videos that might help, one on strumming patterns, here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpO2nolsfq-keLc and one on song sheets/ tabs/ lead sheets here kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJmym62Od9WLp6M All the best, Phil

[@johnmckinstry8546]

Thanks Phil for the help. Will try the links tomorrow.

[@camperstar6stringer]

What ukulele are you playing. Sounds very nice.

[@PhilDoleman]

That's a Pete Howlett Koa concert, a lovely uke!

[@robjohnson7806]

I find the down stroke easy enough but (maybe because of a smashed right shoulder, pinned and plated) the up stroke direction is something that my right arm refuses to do. It might be something mechanical with the arm and shoulder, but I fear it is more a case of me being a bit dim, because when my index finger starts to come up, I catch the bottom string far too heavily and it all jars in motion. If you have any advice, I would be grateful. I am at the point where I am losing it with the thing and all because I only have about 60% usage of my right arm (sometimes it cannot move in certain directions my brain tells it to).

[@PhilDoleman]

Hi Rob, 99% of the strum comes from the wrist, and can be a really small move, and really the biggest trick to it is being really loose and floppy, both wrist and fingers. On the upstroke let your fingers be pushed out of the way a bit by the strings and then they shouldn't catch.

[@robjohnson7806]

@@PhilDoleman The more I try, the more I cannot get that up stroke right even though my hand is doing the right movement. Can a hand and fingers be too big? That's what it feels like to me, as if I am like I am when fiddling with something tiny and having trouble holding the tiny screwdrivers. I hope that makes sense. I can get the down stroke with thumb or back of finger, but coming back up......chaos. Totally confused and ready to give in. PTSD = lack of patience I am afraid. Music therapy was the idea, but....

[@PhilDoleman]

@@robjohnson7806 Here's a thought, try strumming with your thumb (I often do).