5 mistakes you should avoid when playing the ukulele
Hello dear ukulele friends! In this post, I'll show you 5 mistakes you should definitely avoid when playing the ukulele.
*** MISTAKE #1: flat fingers ***
Mistake number 1 is flat fingers, which means that you place the fingers of your fretting hand too flat on the strings. On the one hand, this means that you might touch other strings with your fingers, which then can no longer vibrate freely and sound muffled. On the other hand, if your fingers are too flat, you cannot exert proper pressure on the string, which means that it sounds muffled instead of clear. So always place your fingers VERTICALLY on the string. If you do it correctly, you will see the groove left by the string right on the fingertip. Your hand should be shaped like a Lego hand, nice and round, so that your fingers automatically lie vertically on the strings. So always think of the Lego hand! By the way, your fingernails on your fretting hand should be as short as possible, because if you have long nails, you will no longer be able to place your fingers vertically. And at some point you will also see the marks of your nails on the fretboard, and we don't want that.
*** MISTAKE #2: Curious Thumb ***
The second mistake is what's known as the curious thumb. It's called that because the thumb sometimes looks over the fretboard curiously, wanting to know what's going on. But if the thumb looks over the top, it can't build up any pressure from behind, and the other fingers have to do everything on their own, which is pretty tiring in the long run. So here, too, you should think of the Lego hand and always place your thumb behind the fretboard so that it can build up enough counterpressure for the fingers, and the strings then sound nice and clear. To help, you can put a sticky dot on the back of the fretboard, roughly in the area of the 2nd fret. This dot will remind you that this is where you should place your thumb.
*** Mistake #3: incorrect posture ***
The third mistake is poor posture. If, for example, you sit comfortably on the sofa, slouch a bit, and then want to play the ukulele, it often happens that the ukulele turns forward and the sound hole points upwards. This also often happens with beginners when they turn the ukulele upwards to get a better view of the fretboard. What then happens is that the fretting hand has to bend quite a bit to play the chords or notes. In the long run, you will eventually develop wrist pain if you always play like this. Your fretting hand should always be straight so that you can fret comfortably. You can achieve this by turning your ukulele so that the sound hole always faces forwards - never upwards! A strap can be a great help with this, by the way, because if you use a strap, you don't have to support the weight of the ukulele with your hands, and the ukulele automatically turns forwards when you sit up straight. That's why I always recommend playing with a strap.
*** Mistake #4: Straight Neck ***
The neck of the ukulele should be at a certain angle for comfortable playing. This also has to do with posture. You shouldn't position the ukulele too steeply or too flatly; ideally, it should be at a 45-degree angle. In this position, your left hand can grip comfortably without having to bend your wrist. A strap is also incredibly helpful here. If it's adjusted correctly, so that the ukulele hangs between your chest and belly button, the ukulele will automatically adjust itself to the correct angle.
*** Mistake #5: Stiff wrist ***
This mistake concerns the strumming hand. The wrist should be as loose as possible when strumming to be able to play fast rhythms. If the wrist is too stiff, you automatically pull the entire arm up to the elbow, which essentially makes fast strumming impossible. So always stay loose and make a nice, loose rotating movement of the wrist when strumming, and then you'll be able to play faster, more interesting rhythms.
