How to Pick When Playing The Ukulele

A musician playing a soprano ukulele

The ukulele is a four-stringed instrument that originated in Hawaii. It was based off of small stringed instruments, the Portuguese cavaquinho in particular, during the late 1880s when many people sought trade with Hawaii. As one would imagine, due to its much smaller size and fewer strings, playing a ukulele is a bit different than playing a guitar or other similar stringed instrument. For that reason here is a guide on how to pick or play the strings of a ukulele.

Things You'll Need

• Ukulele
• Felt guitar pick

Instructions

1. Place your thumb on the top of the pick; your thumbnail should be about a centimeter from the very point. Cradle the pick’s underside with the knuckle closest to the fingernail of your forefinger.

2. Hold the ukulele by the neck in your left hand.

3. Bring the pick into contact with the string you intend to sound over the sounding hole of the ukulele.

4. Stroke the string with the tip of the pick in a downward motion. Make sure to use the flat of the pick rather than the edge. Move the pick straight downward rather than curving it to ensure the sound produced by the ukulele is constant.

5. Lift your arm back up to pick the string again on the upstroke in the same fashion as the down stroke or to pick a string above the initial one you chose to sound.

6. Practice picking up and down until you are proficient in both to such a degree you can pick a string at will without looking at the ukulele.

Tips & Warnings

• This guide is for a right-handed musician. If you are left-handed then you will have to reverse the indicated placement of the hands. Clip the fingernails of your left hand short so they won't catch on the strings or accidentally pluck them.

• The ukulele would probably not have been so widely made and gained popularity over time had not King David Kalakaua, who was a patron of fine arts and wished for his native to Hawaii to contribute to the world’s body of works, supported and promoted the instruments use in the development of Hawaiian music. The ukulele was brought to America in 1915 and became very common as both Hawaiian styles of music and jazz grew popular. They were small, easily transportable, and relatively cheap to make. America made a further contribution to the ukulele by producing four versions, each a different size. There was the original Soprano, as well as the Concert, Tenor and the Baritone.

Resources

• Video instructions on using a pick on a ukulele