Ukulele · Chapter 13 of 24

Waltz Time: Three Beats to a Bar

One-two-three, one-two-three. Waltzes, hymns and many Hawaiian songs move in threes.

A time signature of 3/4 means three beats in each bar, with the first beat the strongest: ONE-two-three. A strum for 3/4 has to have that shape too.

The waltz strum

On beat 1, pluck just one string with the thumb, a low “bass” note; on beats 2 and 3, strum lightly down. On a ukulele the thumb note is usually the string that plays the chord’s root (C for a C chord, G for G).

When that’s steady, try a busier one: a down strum on 1, then down-up on 2 and on 3.

Pickup notes

Many tunes start before the first full bar, on a pickup (also called an upbeat). Amazing Grace starts on beat 3 with one note; the first chord comes on the next beat 1. Count “one, two,” and come in on “three.” Don’t strum under the pickup; start the pattern on the first full bar.

Hymns in Hawaiʻi. Christian missionaries brought hymn singing to Hawaiʻi in the 1820s, and Hawaiian choirs took to it. Hymn melodies and harmony left their mark on many Hawaiian songs of the 1800s, a style called himeni; you can hear it in the songs of Queen Liliʻuokalani, who composed hundreds of songs and chants.
Practice. Count “one-two-three” out loud while you play the waltz strum on C and G7. Then play Amazing Grace with the player on “Strum only,” coming in on the first full bar. When that’s easy, pick the tune while the player strums.

Remember

  • 3/4: three beats per bar, the first strongest.
  • Waltz strum: a thumb note on 1, light strums on 2 and 3.
  • A pickup comes before the first full bar; start strumming on the bar after it.

Songs that use this

@teddyrookbook GitHub