Ukulele strumming patterns for beginners: down-up, island strum and chunking

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Chords give a song its notes, but strumming gives it its feel. Most beginners can find the chords long before the strumming sounds right, so it is worth practising the strumming hand on its own.

How to strum

Use the side or pad of your index finger, or the nail for a brighter sound. Some players use the thumb for soft downstrums. A felt pick is an option, but most ukulele players use their fingers.
Strum over the place where the neck meets the body, not over the sound hole. It sounds sweeter there and is easier on the fingers.
Move from the wrist, keeping it loose, as if shaking water off your hand. A stiff arm makes the strum harsh and tiring.

The one rule that fixes most strumming

Your hand keeps moving down and up all the time, in time with the beat. Downstrokes fall on the beats (1, 2, 3, 4) and upstrokes fall between them (the "and"s). A pattern is made by sometimes missing the strings on the way past, not by stopping the hand. Counted out loud, a bar of eighth notes is: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Down on the numbers, up on the "and"s.

Patterns to learn in order

All downs: D D D D, one per beat. Steady and simple; get chord changes working with this first.
Down-up eighths: D U D U D U D U. Keep it even and light.
Down, down-up: D D U D D U. A good bridge to more interesting patterns.
The island strum: D D U U D U. Counted 1, 2 and, and 4 and. The hand still moves on beat 3, it just misses the strings on the way down. This is the pattern people mean when they talk about the classic ukulele strum, and it fits a huge number of songs.

The island strum feels awkward because of that missed downstroke. Say the count out loud and let the hand swing through the gap.

Muting and chunking

A chunk (or chop) is a percussive strum where the strings are muted so they make a short, snare-like click instead of ringing. It adds rhythm and drive, especially on beats 2 and 4. Two common ways:

Strumming-hand chunk: strum down and let the side or heel of your hand land on the strings straight away, stopping them.
Fretting-hand mute: relax your fretting fingers so they still touch the strings but no longer press them down. Strum, and you get a dead click.

Try a down-chunk pattern: D X D X, where X is the chunk, on beats 2 and 4. Then try D X U D X U. Chunks are often written as X in strumming patterns.

Use a metronome

A metronome (or a metronome app) keeps you honest. Most people speed up on the easy parts and slow down on chord changes without noticing.

Start slowly, slower than feels necessary.
Strum one pattern on one chord until it sits on the click without thinking.
Add a chord change every two bars, then every bar.
Raise the speed only a little at a time, and only when the current speed feels easy.

Playing along with recordings is the next step, and it is more fun, but the metronome is where steadiness is built.

Listen more than you count

Patterns on chord sheets are suggestions. Many players simplify, vary or invent patterns to suit a song. If your strumming fits the feel of the recording and stays steady, it is right.

Common problems

Strum sounds harsh: strum lighter and further up the neck, and loosen the wrist.
Losing the beat at a chord change: keep the hand moving and land the new chord late rather than stopping.
Upstrokes too loud: upstrokes often catch only the top two or three strings, and that is fine.

What pattern are you working on, and which songs do you use it for? Share them in the comments.