I’m on a journey learning the wonders of the ukulele. It’s only four strings, but it’s capable of a wide breadth of rhythmic, melodic, and percussive sounds. I like to think of the ukulele as the simplest instrument capable of complex music. Imagine anything less? Three strings! Well, that limits the ability to do more complex chords. What about five or six strings? That makes playing and fretting much more complex. Sure, it adds some range, but there is a point of diminishing returns. The ukulele is at the golden apex for strummed stringed instruments—not being more complex than necessary, but also not being so simply that it can’t make complex music.
As I’m investigating percussive sounds, a great starting point is to just figure out what the ukulele can do without all those taps, bumps, scrapes, and other drum-like sounds. What can the right hand do to vary sound without becoming a drummer?
Index Finger Flick
The Index finger flick is a common way to strum an ukulele. And, it’s effective! It gives a nice, crisp sound and is great for strumming at a quick pace. It’s my preferred way to strum.
Thumb Strum
The thumb strum sounds a little more mellow—at least to my ears. This has to do with getting more meat on the strings. When I index finger flick, I’m getting more nail into the string. When I thumb strum, there’s more flesh. I’m developing the blister pad to prove it!
The technique is often used in chord-melody style. It’s fairly easy to strum down and come to rest on a string rather than play it. In terms of chords, this means chords can be played on the G, C, and E strings without bringing in the A string. Or, one can start at the C string and strum down (C, E, and A strings). On a low G ukulele this is a huge advantage. I can pick a higher pitched strum and the instrument sounds like a high G instrument. Or, I can pick a lower pitched strum. Strumming three strings also can reduce the work the fretting hand needs to do, which at times can significantly simplify a difficult chord.
Flicking and Strumming with Fingers
Another useful technique is to use multiple fingers for strumming. If the hand is fanned, this gives the effect of rapid back-to-back strums. Or, without fanning one is simply getting more finger into the strings which gives a louder sound. This is great for emphasizing a beat or adding some variety to a strum.
I’ve seen some videos of people using these types of strums to play ukulele Flamenco style. Honestly, I’m not there yet, but I’m learning.
The Pluck Strum
I generally do this using my thumb, index, and middle finger. I pluck three strings while giving a clockwise twist with my wrist. This can be done on four strings by adding in the ring finger, but I generally like to do it with three. This gives the same advantages of playing on three strings mentioned for the thumb strum—simplified fretting and the ability to make a low G ukulele sound like a high G instrument.
The pluck strum has a little different sound quality. To my ears, it sounds pure and bell-like. This gives one more tool to provide some variety.
The Tap
This technique is a fun one. One rings out a chord by tapping the hand on the strings between the sound hole and the bridge. It does take a little finesse. The hand has to bounce off the strings. Without the right bounce, the chord doesn’t ring out brightly because the fingers mute the sound. While I would categorize this as a strumming and plucking technique, it does have a percussive sound. If done correctly it has a hi hat or cymbal like quality to it.
Summary
So, there you have it—five techniques to add some variety to the strum without even looking into all the percussive sounds the ukulele is capable of. The ukulele may be a small instrument, but it’s a mighty one!
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