Welcome to this mini-lesson!
Playing the ukulele is all about finding new ways to creatively express and experience the joy of this amazing instrument.
One must-know strumming technique on the ukulele is the chnk strum.
It's called a "chnk" strum because this technique is all about making a percussive, rhythmic snappy sound!
In this lesson:
- Learn the "chnk" strum percussive muting technique
- Learn how to strum a "chnk" strumming pattern
Learn the "Chnk" Strum Technique
The "chnk" strum is an exciting technique where you create a percussive muting sound with you strumming hand.
With the "chnk" technique, use your strumming hand to mute the strings as you strum. This creates a cool percussive rhythm to your ukulele playing, as heard in the video.
Watch the video to learn how to perform the "chnk" strum.
Once you learn the technique, practice the following simple "chnk" strum pattern rhythm.
For the most part, the "chnk" strum sounds best when performed on either the second and fourth beats of the measure. By performing the "chnk" strum on the second or fourth beats of the measure, you mimic the snare drum hits typical in most modern pop music. This makes your playing sound more rhythmic!
Strum a "Chnk" Strumming Pattern
Watch the video and learn how to strum the following "chnk" strumming pattern:
For this pattern, on the down strums, I recommend using the nail-side of the index finger. For the up strums, use the flesh-side of the index finger to strum up across the strings.
Your Practice Objectives
That's all for this lesson. Good job!
As you practice, seek to complete the following objectives:
- Learn the strumming hand position for the "chnk" strum.
- Learn the "chnk" strumming pattern.
- Try your hand at coming up with your own chord progression and changing chords using the "chnk" strum.
Want More "Chnk" Strumming Patterns?
This lesson is a short preview from the Percussive Muting Techniques course found in the all new Club Ukulele–a step-by-step, easy-to-follow method of improving your skills as a ukulele player.
If you liked this lesson, there is more to love inside Club Ukulele. With over 100 videos, you get access to fresh ukulele lessons each month all for you to learn at your own pace and experience the joy of making music on the ukulele.
Upon joining Club Ukulele, you can find this "chnk" strum lesson at Lesson 1 in the Percussive Muting Techniques course. In the full lesson, you learn two additional "chnk" strum patterns, and in the following lessons, you learn a song using the "chnk" strum as well as additional percussiving muting techniques.
If you loved this lesson, you'll love Club Ukulele!