As I was working on the Level 1 Strumming section of the Power Up Ukulele site/syllabus, I got curious as to how many combinations of basic ‘down up’ strums are possible in a measure of 4/4. How useful some of these strums may or may not be is up to you to decide, but I’ve already seen a couple that might warrant a closer look.
To get my number of 256, I limited the possibilities by removing thumb strums and assuming that upstrums will happen only on the ‘and’ or second half of a beat. That leaves us with Π V, Π –, – V & – – as possible beats (dashes represent periods where there’s silence or we’re letting the ukulele ring). I entered these into a ‘permutation calculator’ and had it generate the results. Enjoy!
|| Π V Π V Π V Π V ||
|| Π V Π V Π V Π – ||
|| Π V Π V Π V – V ||
|| Π V Π V Π V – – ||
|| Π V Π V Π – Π V || Π V Π V Π – Π – || Π V Π V Π – – V || Π V Π V Π – – – ||
|| Π V Π V – V Π V || Π V Π V – V Π – || Π V Π V – V – V || Π V Π V – V – – ||
|| Π V Π V – – Π V || Π V Π V – – Π – || Π V Π V – – – V || Π V Π V – – – – ||
|| Π V Π – Π V Π V || Π V Π – Π V Π – || Π V Π – Π V – V || Π V Π – Π V – – ||
|| Π V Π – Π – Π V || Π V Π – Π – Π – || Π V Π – Π – – V || Π V Π – Π – – – ||
|| Π V Π – – V Π V || Π V Π – – V Π – || Π V Π – – V – V || Π V Π – – V – – ||
|| Π V Π – – – Π V || Π V Π – – – Π – || Π V Π – – – – V || Π V Π – – – – – ||
|| Π V – V Π V Π V || Π V – V Π V Π – || Π V – V Π V – V || Π V – V Π V – – ||
|| Π V – V Π – Π V || Π V – V Π – Π – || Π V – V Π – – V || Π V – V Π – – – ||
|| Π V – V – V Π V || Π V – V – V Π – || Π V – V – V – V || Π V – V – V – – ||
|| Π V – V – – Π V || Π V – V – – Π – || Π V – V – – – V || Π V – V – – – – ||
|| Π V – – Π V Π V || Π V – – Π V Π – || Π V – – Π V – V || Π V – – Π V – – ||
|| Π V – – Π – Π V || Π V – – Π – Π – || Π V – – Π – – V || Π V – – Π – – – ||
|| Π V – – – V Π V || Π V – – – V Π – || Π V – – – V – V || Π V – – – V – – ||
|| Π V – – – – Π V || Π V – – – – Π – || Π V – – – – – V || Π V – – – – – – ||
|| Π – Π V Π V Π V || Π – Π V Π V Π – || Π – Π V Π V – V || Π – Π V Π V – – ||
|| Π – Π V Π – Π V || Π – Π V Π – Π – || Π – Π V Π – – V || Π – Π V Π – – – ||
|| Π – Π V – V Π V || Π – Π V – V Π – || Π – Π V – V – V || Π – Π V – V – – ||
|| Π – Π V – – Π V || Π – Π V – – Π – || Π – Π V – – – V || Π – Π V – – – – ||
|| Π – Π – Π V Π V || Π – Π – Π V Π – || Π – Π – Π V – V || Π – Π – Π V – – ||
|| Π – Π – Π – Π V || Π – Π – Π – Π – || Π – Π – Π – – V || Π – Π – Π – – – ||
|| Π – Π – – V Π V || Π – Π – – V Π – || Π – Π – – V – V || Π – Π – – V – – ||
|| Π – Π – – – Π V || Π – Π – – – Π – || Π – Π – – – – V || Π – Π – – – – –||
|| Π – – V Π V Π V || Π – – V Π V Π – || Π – – V Π V – V || Π – – V Π V – – ||
|| Π – – V Π – Π V || Π – – V Π – Π – || Π – – V Π – – V || Π – – V Π – – – ||
|| Π – – V – V Π V || Π – – V – V Π – || Π – – V – V – V || Π – – V – V – – ||
|| Π – – V – – Π V || Π – – V – – Π – || Π – – V – – – V || Π – – V – – – – ||
|| Π – – – Π V Π V || Π – – – Π V Π – || Π – – – Π V – V || Π – – – Π V – – ||
|| Π – – – Π – Π V || Π – – – Π – Π – || Π – – – Π – – V || Π – – – Π – – – ||
|| Π – – – – V Π V || Π – – – – V Π – || Π – – – – V – V || Π – – – – V – – ||
|| Π – – – – – Π V || Π – – – – – Π – || Π – – – – – – V || Π – – – – – – – ||
|| – V Π V Π V Π V || – V Π V Π V Π – || – V Π V Π V – V || – V Π V Π V – – ||
|| – V Π V Π – Π V || – V Π V Π – Π – || – V Π V Π – – V || – V Π V Π – – – ||
|| – V Π V – V Π V || – V Π V – V Π – || – V Π V – V – V || – V Π V – V – – ||
|| – V Π V – – Π V || – V Π V – – Π – || – V Π V – – – V || – V Π V – – – – ||
|| – V Π – Π V Π V || – V Π – Π V Π – || – V Π – Π V – V || – V Π – Π V – – ||
|| – V Π – Π – Π V || – V Π – Π – Π – || – V Π – Π – – V || – V Π – Π – – – ||
|| – V Π – – V Π V || – V Π – – V Π – || – V Π – – V – V || – V Π – – V – – ||
|| – V Π – – – Π V || – V Π – – – Π – || – V Π – – – – V || – V Π – – – – – ||
|| – V – V Π V Π V || – V – V Π V Π – || – V – V Π V – V || – V – V Π V – – ||
|| – V – V Π – Π V || – V – V Π – Π – || – V – V Π – – V || – V – V Π – – – ||
|| – V – V – V Π V || – V – V – V Π – || – V – V – V – V || – V – V – V – – ||
|| – V – V – – Π V || – V – V – – Π – || – V – V – – – V || – V – V – – – – ||
|| – V – – Π V Π V || – V – – Π V Π – || – V – – Π V – V || – V – – Π V – – ||
|| – V – – Π – Π V || – V – – Π – Π – || – V – – Π – – V || – V – – Π – – – ||
|| – V – – – V Π V || – V – – – V Π – || – V – – – V – V || – V – – – V – – ||
|| – V – – – – Π V || – V – – – – Π – || – V – – – – – V || – V – – – – – – ||
|| – – Π V Π V Π V || – – Π V Π V Π – || – – Π V Π V – V || – – Π V Π V – – ||
|| – – Π V Π – Π V || – – Π V Π – Π – || – – Π V Π – – V || – – Π V Π – – – ||
|| – – Π V – V Π V || – – Π V – V Π – || – – Π V – V – V || – – Π V – V – – ||
|| – – Π V – – Π V || – – Π V – – Π – || – – Π V – – – V || – – Π V – – – – ||
|| – – Π – Π V Π V || – – Π – Π V Π – || – – Π – Π V – V || – – Π – Π V – – ||
|| – – Π – Π – Π V || – – Π – Π – Π – || – – Π – Π – – V || – – Π – Π – – – ||
|| – – Π – – V Π V || – – Π – – V Π – || – – Π – – V – V || – – Π – – V – – ||
|| – – Π – – – Π V || – – Π – – – Π – || – – Π – – – – V || – – Π – – – – – ||
|| – – – V Π V Π V || – – – V Π V Π – || – – – V Π V – V || – – – V Π V – – ||
|| – – – V Π – Π V || – – – V Π – Π – || – – – V Π – – V || – – – V Π – – – ||
|| – – – V – V Π V || – – – V – V Π – || – – – V – V – V || – – – V – V – – ||
|| – – – V – – Π V || – – – V – – Π – || – – – V – – – V || – – – V – – – – ||
|| – – – – Π V Π V || – – – – Π V Π – || – – – – Π V – V || – – – – Π V – – ||
|| – – – – Π – Π V || – – – – Π – Π – || – – – – Π – – V || – – – – Π – – – ||
|| – – – – – V Π V || – – – – – V Π – || – – – – – V – V || – – – – – V – – ||
|| – – – – – – Π V || – – – – – – Π – || – – – – – – – V || – – – – – – – – ||
Ryan's favorite starter ukulele: The Enya Nova U Concert Ukulele 23” on Amazon sounds great, is easy to play, in tune and nearly indestructable. "I left it in the car through the heat of summer to see what would happen, and it still plays beautifully."
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