[Enjoy the Ukulele Even More!] Tips for Playing Your Own Accompaniment

The most common reason people start playing the ukulele is because they want to try to play and sing! It's fun just to play the chords along while singing a song, but the idea of creating music with just your own playing and singing is something many people aspire to. While those who can play chords and sing might think it’s easy to do both at the same time, it’s actually quite challenging. There are several ways to practice this and tips that I want to share with all of you, so let me introduce them to you.

Practice Method

Practice is divided into several steps. I understand the desire to do everything at once, and there are indeed some people who can manage to do it right away with their own methods. However, the majority of people are not like that. Let’s take it step by step and gradually increase what you can do without rushing into it.

① Check the Chords

Without singing, and without moving your right hand, focus solely on your left hand to check the chords. It’s fine to check all the way from the intro to the end, but at first, it's better to start with just the chorus. One of the most popular genres for sing-alongs is J-POP. One thing you’ll notice in J-POP is that the chorus often has simpler chords. Even if there are complex chords in the intro, verse (A melody), or bridge (B melody), in vocal-driven songs, the voice is the star. In the most prominent part, the chorus, the vocals come to the forefront, and the instruments step back to support the vocal. That’s why the chords in the chorus tend to be simpler. Of course, there are many songs that don’t follow this rule, but generally, aim to press the chords smoothly with your left hand without having to look at it.

② Check the Strumming

Without singing, and without moving your left hand, focus solely on your right hand’s strumming. This time, you’ll be checking the opposite hand. Pay close attention to your right hand. You may usually strum without thinking, but you also need to check how the rhythm is, the volume, and how deep your fingers are hitting the strings. When you’re doing a sing-along, it’s rare to see someone looking at their right hand while playing. You need to focus on the chords, lyrics, and if it's a live performance, your audience or surroundings as well. Even if you only do down-strokes with your thumb from beginning to end, does the volume change depending on the chord? Take the time to check everything carefully and thoroughly.

③ Playing Chords and Strumming

Without singing, play both your left and right hands simultaneously. In regular practice, you probably use both your left and right hands from the start. However, in this article, I practiced them separately. The ultimate goal of singing and playing is for your voice and instrument to blend together into one piece of music. If either your right or left hand is incomplete, everything will fall apart as soon as you add in the vocals. Aim to be able to play even with your eyes closed or right after waking up.

At this point, after going through all the previous steps, you’re finally ready to start singing. It’s important to note that this column focuses on the ukulele, so I won’t get into detailed vocal techniques. We’ll proceed under the assumption that you can sing perfectly. Once you start singing, the right and left hands may suddenly feel more difficult. You might forget or play the wrong fingers on the chords, the strumming might not be in rhythm, and a lot of things might go wrong. When that happens, pinpoint the cause. Break it down and think about the song, your left hand, and your right hand separately. Sometimes only one of the elements is the issue, but other times all three might be contributing to the problem. For example, if your right hand slips when the song starts on an offbeat, or if you're so focused on a difficult chord that you forget to sing—these are some common challenges. While there are tips and shortcuts, each case is different. Reflect on your own and if you're unsure, ask a teacher or someone around you for help.
If you’ve gone through these steps but still can’t do it at all, don’t worry! If doing all three things at once is too hard, try focusing on just two. For example, practice singing and playing chords while resting the strumming hand, or sing and strum while taking a break from the chords. This practice will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in different combinations.

To Summarize

Strumming while singing at the same time is not something that can be done right away. The key is to practice each hand (left and right) and singing individually, then finally combine all three together. Also, there’s one more important thing for beginners: song selection. While it's tempting to sing your favorite songs, can you determine if that song is suitable for strumming and singing? For beginners, it's better to start with songs that might seem a bit too simple. Songs like “Stand By Me” or “Country Roads” are great examples. You don’t need to worry about perfect singing; you can hum through it, and both hands can play very simple chords. The goal is to grasp the feel of strumming and singing together. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to strum and sing any song easily.
Strumming and singing is an essential practice for any ukulele player, no matter your style. Once you can do it, your playing level will improve significantly, so be sure to give it a try! Thank you for reading until the end!

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