Ukulele · Chapter 10 of 24
The Island Strum
Down, down-up, up-down-up. It’s the easygoing, rolling strum most people picture when they think of a ukulele.
The island strum (some teachers call it the calypso strum) fits a great many songs in 4/4. It uses the steady down-up swing from the last chapter, with one strum left out.
Count it
| Count | 1 | and | 2 | and | 3 | and | 4 | and |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | down | (up, miss) | down | up | (down, miss) | up | down | up |
| Strings | D | D | U | U | D | U |
Say it as “down, down-up, up-down-up.” The miss on beat 3 is what gives it its lilt: the hand swings down past the strings without touching them, then catches them on the way up.
Build it in two halves
If the whole pattern feels tangled, learn the halves first. The first half is down, down-up (beats 1 and 2). The second half is (miss), up-down-up (beats 3 and 4). Loop each half until it’s easy, then join them.
With chord changes
Change chord on beat 1. The up strum on the last “and” can be played as you leave the old chord, with fingers already lifting: it hardly matters what it sounds like, and it gives you time.
Remember
- Down, down-up, (miss), up-down-up: D DU UDU.
- The hand keeps its steady down-up swing; the miss is on beat 3.
- Learn it in halves, then join them.