FYI: This book is listed at Amazon's absolute lowest printing price as a low-cost resource for sparking strumming creativity.
Note from the Author: Have you ever wondered how many strum patterns are possible? It's a big, big number. If you limit your options to just three basic movements, a downstrum, an upstrum and a dash/space/pause for leaping over the strings you get 65,536 possible combinations. If you were to add in a few right-hand techniques (mutes, chnks, rolls/rasguado, drags, thumb rolls, etc.) the numbers become astronomical. Add just one of these techniques and you multiply to 1,679,616 patterns (which would make an 8406 page book). That is the reason this book sticks just to 328 pages that exhaustively cover the basics:
- D = a downstrum (Kindle edition)
- U = an upstrum (Kindle edition)
- - = a space/pause
These symbols are arranged in groups of 16: D-D-DUDU--DU--D- (this one is from page 16). These can either represent the 16 sixteenth notes in a measure of 4/4 time, or 16 eighth notes in two measures of the same. There are 50 groups per column and 4 columns per page, making for 200 groups per page.
I know some people are thinking, "Why? Why? Why?" This book probably isn't for them. My personal reason for publishing the book is so that I could have a copy for myself as a resource for developing strum patterns to use in my songwriting. I can thumb through the book, find an interesting rhythm and then substitute in any of my favorite right-hand techniques (as mentioned above). I hope others will find it useful as well.
Believe it or not, I bought my own copy as soon as it was available, and I wanted people know exactly what this book is and what it is not. If you're looking for a guide to established styles, you probably want to look somewhere else (though they're all in here: just not labeled in that way). However, if you're a strum experimenter, I think you'll find this a great tool.
Note: The print edition uses traditional down and uptrum symbols that will not display in this description.
From the back cover . . .
Yikes! Over 65,000 Strums? Yes, assuming there are four possible pairs of downstrokes, upstrokes and pauses (du, d-, -u, --), and there are eight positions available for those pairs in a bar of 4/4 time (given 16 sixteenth notes), then there are 65,536 ways to strum a measure of common time. Are all of these strums useful? Absolutely not! Then why would you want this book?
- Feed your inner strum geek! Now you have all the possible ways to strum a measure of 4/4 time at your fingertips.
- Mine for strumming gold! Bo Diddley's strumming became so famous, the patterns he used have been named after his distinctive style. Now you can search for your signature pattern.
- Become the ultimate strumming sight-reader! Now you have enough strumming exercises to last you, or your students, a lifetime.
- Now your a strumming 'mad scientist'! Experiment by altering the patterns with your favorite right-hand special effects. Add rolls, rasguado, triple strums, thumb strums, chnks, staccato, etc. for unlimited combinations.
About the Author M. Ryan Taylor (Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Master of Music in Music Composition), is a ukulele teacher and author of a number of ukulele songbooks, including: The Two Chord Christmas Songbook, The Haunted Ukulele, Christmas on 34th Street, Two Chord Camp Songs for Ukulele and Christmas Carols for Ukulele Orchestra. In addition to teaching ukulele classes and workshops, Taylor leads UFO HUM, an all ukulele ensemble that performs regulary along the Wasatch Front. For more information and ukulele learning materials, please visit the author's website at UkulelePlay.com
