The Ukulele ... Some Notes About Technique

Like the guitar, there are a multitude of ways of playing the mighty ukulele.  If you already play the guitar, and many who take up the ukulele do, you’ll be well aware of how much of a difference your technique can make to the sound you get from the instrument.

Most guitar players start off by learning a few chords and strumming.  It’s amazing how many popular songs can be accompanied by a handful of chords.  The ukulele is generally considered to be a rhythm instrument but if you’ve ever spent any time with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, you’ll have realized that there’s SO much more to it.

Even simple strumming offers a host of variable techniques.  Some use a pick or plectrum which may be plastic or made from a more pliable felt covered substance.  Naturally, this proffers a softer, less abrasive sound.  The thickness of the pick can also make a difference.  When strumming, the pick needs to bend as it makes contact with the strings.  You don’t want it to sound like a bag of nails.  Of course, if you’re playing a melody, you’ll want a harder pick.

Many choose to strum with their fingers.  Again, you have many choices.  I prefer to strum making contact with the left side of my thumb.  With a loose wrist, this is good for both up and down movement.  Some like to strum with the thumb and the index finger together.  Imagine you are holding a pick between those two digits.  I find this method a bit fiddly.  It doesn’t offer a smooth contact with the strings when strumming and you’re always catching either one of your digits on a string.  I know some players who strum with a pointed index finger which offers a contrasting up and down sound, the former with the flesh and the latter with the nail.

Of course, you don’t have to strum all the time.  As a melody instrument, the ukulele has a lot to offer.  Again, you can use a pick or your fingers to play tunes. You can also pick out arpeggios.  This simply means picking out the individual notes of a chord, usually to a repeated pattern.  Considering that the lower string is the 1st string, you may try a whole range of picking patterns, such as: 3241, 4321, 3121 and so on.  Try playing the two outer strings together on the first beat:

1232              or       1212
4                               4  4  

There’s really no end to the patterns you can try.

You can also use the ukulele as a rhythmic accompaniment.  If you watch the UOGB, they tap the body of the instrument, strum with their fretting hand dampening the strings and even mess with the bits of string between the head nut and the tuning pegs.

It’s not a novelty or a toy.  It’s a versatile and capable musical instrument.  Experiment with it. Try different styles.  Make it your own.  Learning to play the ukulele is lots of fun and you will get much more from the experience if you work to improve your playing technique.    

The Guitar Ukulele Connection – What Is It?

Although the modern guitar and the mighty ukulele have totally different origins, there is a relationship between the two instruments which means that if you are fairly familiar with the former, you are well on the way to playing the latter.

While the tuning of the ukulele is strangeness itself, being out of sequence pitch wise, there is a correlation with standard guitar tuning which facilitates crossover. 

Ignoring the fact that the tuning of the ukulele’s 4^th string is pitched between the 2^nd and 1^st string, the instrument’s open tuning is:

1^st string    A

2^nd sting    E

3^rd string   C

4^th string   G

Interval wise, (take it up a 5^th), this correlates with the tuning of the same four strings on the guitar:

1^st string    E

2^nd string   B

3^rd string   G

4^th string   D   

  

So, if you play a G chord on the guitar, ignoring the 5^th and 6^th strings as the ukulele only has 4, you’ll be fretting the 1^st string at the 3^rd fret.  Transferring this chord shape to the ukulele, you will have a C chord.

Extending the correlation, an E minor guitar shape, (3^rd finger, 4^th string, 2^nd fret), will be an A minor chord when transferred to the ukulele.  As you will have realized, the ukulele chord is always simpler as you only have to transfer the part of the chord which corresponds to the 1^st four strings. 

In short, the chord shapes for the ukulele are the same as the guitar, save for the facts that:

1). The parts of the chord corresponding to the 5^th and 6^th strings can be omitted.

2). The name of the chord will be a perfect 4^th higher.  That is, a D chord on the guitar will be a G chord on the ukulele.  A C chord on the guitar will be an F chord on the ukulele and so on.

So, you’ve got two less strings to contend with on the ukulele, it’ll cost you far less to buy and repair and you can carry it in a plastic bag.  I’ll bet you just can’t wait to annoy your friends.      

The Mighty Ukulele : Where It All Began

So, what’s so great about the ukulele?  What, exactly is it that sets the ‘bonsai guitar’ apart from other musical instruments?  What is the source of the madness that currently grips the nation?

Rumour has it that the mighty ‘dancing flea’ is sweeping the country and that, in years to come, you won’t be able to open your ears without luxuriating in its mellow tones.  Is the diminutive off-cut the next big thing?

I’ve been messing about with ukuleles, and even spelling the word properly, for about forty-odd years.  The first one I came across was a birthday present.  At first, I tuned the strings to an open chord and, for a long time, this served my purposes.  Then, one day, it just wasn’t enough.  I wanted minor chords, suspensions and, God forgive me, major sevenths.  Where would the madness end?

So, I got a chord dictionary and started from scratch.  Before I knew it I was annoying people with a far wider selection of musical adaptations.  They responded accordingly.
 
“How do you do that?” 
“Why do you do that?”
“Why don’t you get a guitar?”
 “What is that thing?”

Before I knew it, people were actually asking me to play the ukulele with them, sometimes for money. As dirty as that sounds, it was fun. Then, one day, you look up and find it’s all got out of hand.  Now you have a selection of ukuleles, and a guitar or two, an electric and, I’m afraid so… a banjolele.  It’s all out of control.

The mighty ukulele, though, has a lot to recommend it.  It’s small, smaller than most instruments.  You don’t need a van, a car or even a roadie, just a plastic bag and a song in your heart.  It’s got only four strings, so you have fingers to spare.  The tuning is similar to the guitar, so if you play one, switching to a uke is simplicity itself.  Also, it’s cheap.

So, who are the role models we look to today?  Contrary to popular/wrong opinion, George Formby didn’t play the ukulele.  He played a banjolele or ukulele banjo; a cross between a ukulele and a banjo but all is not lost.  If your ears are attached to your head, you no doubt will have come across the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.  They’re eight funny, talented musicians who have to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.

It’s not just their musical ability that’s impressive, the playing singing and arranging, it’s their humour and their ability to deliver a song in a fresh, original way that can have you impressed while falling out of your seat.  Their ‘Wuthering Heights’ will have you on the floor.  I can’t imagine anyone with a sense of humour and half an ear, not coming away from an evening in their company fully satisfied, impressed and contented.  You don’t even have to be that interested in the ukulele.  You just need to have taste and a touch of class.

Whether you play one, listen to one or simply have one in the attic, the ukulele is a force to be reckoned with.  It may look like a toy, but it’s a real musical instrument, capable of great things.  It may be only small, but it can give you a lot of pleasure.  Stand well back.  The mighty ukulele is coming to a town near you.


Photo by Gabriel Negreiros