Some Basics Before you start strumming, go through these steps: Step 1: Clap along with the song:

If the singer was to shout, Hey everybody, clap along, what would you do? (Assuming you re less surly than me and would just fold your arms and look moody.) Step 2: Pretend you re in The Ramones: If you were going to start the song by shou ting one, two, three, four what would you do? Try counting through the song repe ating that all the way (if counting to four doesn t fit, try counting to three). Step 3: Try a few strumming patterns: Try fitting a strumming pattern to the son g. Fit them so the down strums in the pattern match with the numbers you count. So a dead simple pattern would be all down strums: strum down when you count one , when you count two, when you count three and when you count four. 4/4 Strumming Patterns By far the most common time signature around is 4/4 ( four four ). If you can count along to a song, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, and it fits, try ou t these strumming patterns. Strumming Pattern 1: d d u u d -

This one crops up in so many ukulele songs. It s simple to play. But because it mi sses the third down strum it has a slightly syncopated feel to it which makes it more interesting. Sounds like: d-du-udUse it in: Charlieissocoollike A Song About Acne She and Him Gonna Get Along Without You Now WIUO/Outkast Hey Ya! Kate Micucci & William H Macy It s Time to Get Laid Noah and the Whale Jealous Kind of Love Zee Avi Kantoi Zee Avi Just You and Me In double time: Cosmo Jarvis She s Got You Nevershoutnever Cheatercheaterbestfriendeater Andrews Sisters/Sophie Madeleine Bei Mir Bist du Schon Strumming Pattern 2: d d u u d u

Very similar to strumming pattern 1, but with another up strum at the end. Sounds like: d-du-udu Use it in: Ingrid Michaelson You and I Paolo Nutini High Hopes I Wanna Be Like You Misty Miller Remember

Paramore Interlude: Moving On Brendan Maclean Stupid Keston Cobblers Club Pett Level Amanda Palmer Ukulele Anthem Beirut A Candle s Fire Strumming Pattern 3: d Sounds like: d-d-dudu Use it in: WIUO I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man OK Go This Too Shall Pass Keston Cobblers Club You Go The Pogues Fiesta Neutral Uke Hotel King of Carrot Flowers Ewan Wardrop/50 Cent In Da Club Daniel Johnston Living Life Strumming Pattern 4: d d u d u d u d d u d u

A really straight-forward strum useful for punky stuff. Sounds like: d-dududu Use it in: UOGB Teenage Kicks Ryan Gosling You Always Hurt the Ones You Love The Beach Boys Wouldn t It Be Nice Sufjan Stevens Christmases Past The Smiths The Queen is Dead Train Sing Together The Vaccines Wrecking Bar Half-Bar Patterns If you re looking for a strumming pattern for a song where the chords change regul arly (twice a bar) try out these. Strumming Pattern 5: d Sounds like: d-du Use it in: Death Cab for Cutie I Will Follow You Into the Dark WIUO Short People Sesame Street McFly Love is Easy Zooey Deschanel You Forgot about Valentine s Day d u

Zooey Deschanel What are You Doing New Year s Eve GOTYE Somebody That I Used to Know Strumming Pattern 6: d u x u Sounds like: duxu Use it in: Hellogoodbye Allo Darlin Betrayed by Bones Tallulah

Two Bar Pattern If the chords change much more slowly, you could just double up on the 4/4 patte rn. Or you could make it more interesting by using a two bar pattern. Strumming Pattern 7: d d u u d u - u d u u d Henceforth to be known as the Sophie Madeleine strum . Sounds like: d-du-udu-udu-udUse it in: Sophie Madeleine The Knitting Song Sophie Madeleine You Are My Favourite Sophie Madeleine I Just Can t Stop Myself Rocky and Balls Love Cake Bella Hemming Play Guitar Peggy Sue February Snow Antarctica Takes It C&F Emphasis Strumming Pattern 8: d u D U d u D U Sounds like: duDUduDU Use it in: Florence and the Machine Kiss With a Fist Rocky Horror Picture Show Time Warp Sophie Madeleine Take Your Love With Me Sufjan Stevens Lumberjack Christmas Chuck Berry Run Run Rudolph Strumming Pattern 9: d u x u d u x u Sounds like:

duxudu Use it in: Nevershoutnever Biggest Fan Noah and the Whale Five Years Time Reggae Strums With a reggae strum you re always going to be accenting the off beats. In the othe r strums here you re always playing a strong beat on the one of the count. Here you re accenting other beats. It s not always obvious what s going on so I ve included a cli ck track with these. Strumming Pattern 10: d d d d

Here you re accenting the beats between the count. Sounds like: -d-d-d-d Use it in: April Smith Colors Weezer/Sarah Blackwood Strumming Pattern 11: Say It Ain t So - d u - d and four beats.

Here the accent is on the two Sounds like: du dUse it in: WIUO The Israelites

3/4 Time If counting, one, two, three, four, doesn t fit with the song you re playing, try coun ting in threes instead. If that works, try these patterns. Strumming Pattern 12: d Sounds like: d-dudUse it in: Amanda Palmer In My Mind John Denver/Ballard C Boyd Weezer Christmas Song OK Go Needing/Getting Strumming Pattern 13: d Christmas for Cowboys d u d -

d u d u

Sounds like: d-dudu Use it in: WIUO Blue Smoke Kelli Rae Powell Some Bridges are Good to Burn Walk off the Earth Little Boxes Bon Iver/Kina Grannis Michicant Changing the Patterns There are tweaks you can make to all these strumming patterns. Swing Them When you swing a strumming pattern you make the down strum last slightly longer than the up strum. That gives the strum an off-kilter feel to it. You can do this with any of the strums. For example, strum pattern 4 would sound like this when swung. Swing Strum Change the Tempo You make any of these strums faster or slower than I ve played them. In general, t he more complicated the strum, the better it ll sound slowed down. The more straig ht forward it is, the better it works at high speed.