Best Finger Exercises for Ukulele

[Uke with Smitty]

Here are my favorite finger exercises for ukulele. 4 are for single notes and one is a chord exercise. There's a link to a free PDF TAB in the video description, too.

I say it in the video, but they're either from Lil Rev or Brad Bordessa and a couple are modified/adapted to how I like to play them. Enjoy!

 

[ploverwing]

Here are my favorite finger exercises for ukulele. 4 are for single notes and one is a chord exercise. There's a link to a free PDF TAB in the video description, too.

I say it in the video, but they're either from Lil Rev or Brad Bordessa and a couple are modified/adapted to how I like to play them. Enjoy!

If you say the notes as you move across and up and down the fretboard, I'd imagine that would be a good way to learn the fretboard too. Great exercises thank you!

 

[man0a]

No Aldrine's spider exercise (which was popularized by someone at Ukulele Underground)?

 

[Uke with Smitty]

No Aldrine's spider exercise (which was popularized by someone at Ukulele Underground)?

Is that the one where you have 2 fingers/fret and move them but don’t actually pick any notes? Brad teaches one like that and it completely confuses my brain

 

[man0a]

Is that the one where you have 2 fingers/fret and move them but don’t actually pick any notes? Brad teaches one like that and it completely confuses my brain

It's more about developing finger strength and flexibility than playing particular songs. There is a tutorial on the UU website. https://ukuleleunderground.com/2021/08/ukulele-warm-ups/

 

[Uke with Smitty]

It's more about developing finger strength and flexibility than playing particular songs. There is a tutorial on the UU website. https://ukuleleunderground.com/2021/08/ukulele-warm-ups/

Thanks I’ll have to check that out. There are so many different exercises for ukulele, guitar, and other instruments that call themselves the spider or spider walk that I’m not sure which one people mean

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

No Aldrine's spider exercise (which was popularized by someone at Ukulele Underground)?

I do a version of that, it helps my small aging hands reach the seventh fret easily.

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

Here are my favorite finger exercises for ukulele. 4 are for single notes and one is a chord exercise. There's a link to a free PDF TAB in the video description, too.

I say it in the video, but they're either from Lil Rev or Brad Bordessa and a couple are modified/adapted to how I like to play them. Enjoy!

Always nice to have new stuff to learn and practice. Thanks for providing free tuition and the pdf!

 

[Uke with Smitty]

If you say the notes as you move across and up and down the fretboard, I'd imagine that would be a good way to learn the fretboard too. Great exercises thank you!

Saying the notes with these exercises as you move up the neck is a great idea!

 

[Uke with Smitty]

Always nice to have new stuff to learn and practice. Thanks for providing free tuition and the pdf!

You’re so welcome! I hope people get something out of these exercises like I have.

 

[bbkobabe]

Don't forget to warm up first!

Ukulele warm up exercises I use with my students:

• First, we tap our fingers to our thumbs - hard enough to hear it if possible with both hands working independently... 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 and in other patterns (1-1-1-1-2-2-2-2 4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3, etc) for half a minute. They love to try "contrary motion": one hand doing 1-2-3-4 the other doing 4-3-2-1
• Hands as if in prayer, then spread apart> Tap thumbs, pointers, middles, rings pinkys 4X each in 4/4 time... then change up the order
• Wrist extensions, gentle but a bit farther than you can bend them naturally, 5Xeach side
• Wrist rotations, both directions, two sets of five
• Finger massages, with gentle rotation for each
• Shoulder rolls, forward back and side to side, 5X each
• "underwater swimming": Arms move like you are swimming the crawl stroke but leading with the elbows pointing out and hands folded up near you chest
• Touch hands behind you back, switch hands and try again
• Left hand out palm facing left, right hand over facing right, clasp hands, then rotate both downward and towards you. We call this motion "tie and untie" . Reverse hands and do it again
• Imaginary weight lifting: pretend you are curling with imaginary (but heavy) weights. 5X each side while flexing muscles the lower arm muscles to stimulate blood flow

And now we are ready to play!

 

[Uke with Smitty]

Don't forget to warm up first!

Ukulele warm up exercises I use with my students:

• First, we tap our fingers to our thumbs - hard enough to hear it if possible with both hands working independently... 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 and in other patterns (1-1-1-1-2-2-2-2 4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3, etc) for half a minute. They love to try "contrary motion": one hand doing 1-2-3-4 the other doing 4-3-2-1
• Hands as if in prayer, then spread apart> Tap thumbs, pointers, middles, rings pinkys 4X each in 4/4 time... then change up the order
• Wrist extensions, gentle but a bit farther than you can bend them naturally, 5Xeach side
• Wrist rotations, both directions, two sets of five
• Finger massages, with gentle rotation for each
• Shoulder rolls, forward back and side to side, 5X each
• "underwater swimming": Arms move like you are swimming the crawl stroke but leading with the elbows pointing out and hands folded up near you chest
• Touch hands behind you back, switch hands and try again
• Left hand out palm facing left, right hand over facing right, clasp hands, then rotate both downward and towards you. We call this motion "tie and untie" . Reverse hands and do it again
• Imaginary weight lifting: pretend you are curling with imaginary (but heavy) weights. 5X each side while flexing muscles the lower arm muscles to stimulate blood flow

And now we are ready to play!

Have you found that doing dedicated warm ups (rather than just playing warm up exercises) helps people who are older and may have arthritis or other issues? I’ve never done anything to warm up other than playing the uke and am wondering if this is something that becomes more beneficial as one ages? Is the idea to prevent injury or just make playing feel easier/more loosened in the fingers/joints?

 

[bbkobabe]

Have you found that doing dedicated warm ups (rather than just playing warm up exercises) helps people who are older and may have arthritis or other issues? I’ve never done anything to warm up other than playing the uke and am wondering if this is something that becomes more beneficial as one ages? Is the idea to prevent injury or just make playing feel easier/more loosened in the fingers/joints?

Absolutely!
I never used to warm up when I was younger or performing. I recall that I would run my hands in hot water before playing bass, if my hands felt stiff.

We can get away with anything in our 30's right?

It was my co-teacher, who teaches drumming and now ukulele also, at the school I work at who got me started. He convinced me that this would give us the best shot at doing this stuff into old age. Now, I do these exercises before I play every time, and I do it when we start in class playing time as well.

It accomplishes both of the things you mention: easier and looser play, prevents injury, and hopefully extends the time we can still play.

As it turns out, school age kids are not well incarnated into their hands, and there are lots of things that we do to bring these kids into their hands. It also helps improve handwriting and drawing skills. Just the act of massaging each finger is a profound body geography lesson for a young child which integrates awareness of their fingers into the working parts of the brain.

And if it might even accomplish just some of these goals it's worth it. And it takes, like, four minutes!

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

Don't forget to warm up first!

Ukulele warm up exercises I use with my students:

• First, we tap our fingers to our thumbs - hard enough to hear it if possible with both hands working independently... 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 and in other patterns (1-1-1-1-2-2-2-2 4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3, etc) for half a minute. They love to try "contrary motion": one hand doing 1-2-3-4 the other doing 4-3-2-1
• Hands as if in prayer, then spread apart> Tap thumbs, pointers, middles, rings pinkys 4X each in 4/4 time... then change up the order
• Wrist extensions, gentle but a bit farther than you can bend them naturally, 5Xeach side
• Wrist rotations, both directions, two sets of five
• Finger massages, with gentle rotation for each
• Shoulder rolls, forward back and side to side, 5X each
• "underwater swimming": Arms move like you are swimming the crawl stroke but leading with the elbows pointing out and hands folded up near you chest
• Touch hands behind you back, switch hands and try again
• Left hand out palm facing left, right hand over facing right, clasp hands, then rotate both downward and towards you. We call this motion "tie and untie" . Reverse hands and do it again
• Imaginary weight lifting: pretend you are curling with imaginary (but heavy) weights. 5X each side while flexing muscles the lower arm muscles to stimulate blood flow

And now we are ready to play!

Great idea!