Like patting your head and rubbing your tummy, strumming a ukulele and singing might feel tricky at first. Rather than simply to say ‘practice’ which some people take as ‘keep doing the same thing over and over and being frustrated’, this is aimed at giving you some practical tips so that you are strumming your ukulele and singing like a pro, in no time!
- Try to get the first strum of a measure.
Whether you’re counting in 2’s, 3’s or 4’s, you can get the first strum, or number 1, on a single strum on the chord and then try to fill in more of the rhythm you are trying to achieve over time. - Go (really) slowly.
In my experience, until you can change speed and slow it down, you’re not fully ‘fluent’ with that strum. Better still, continuing at the same speed throughout the song with the help of a metronome will help you to practice both the rhythm and the tempo. The old saying goes ‘if you can’t do it slowly, you can’t do it fast’ which isn’t technically true, but it might mean there are some things that aren’t consciously embedded, yet. - Use the ‘z-chord‘.
A bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy, singing and strumming your ukulele can take time. Rather than worrying about chord changes, which you can practise separately, focus on the rhythm and singing by muting the strings. This can also mean you can practise quietly, away from other people. - When you’ve got it slowly, speed up incrementally
Now that you’ve got a thorough understanding of this strum, slowly, using the single strums and z chord techniques, try to speed up. - Play along with others without losing your way
This might take a while until you’re there, but it’s more fun to play with others and make mistakes you can learn from than it is to stay holed up on your own waiting for perfection.
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