Don't forget to join me at patreon.com/uke for exclusive sheet music, extras, early access and more!

256 Strum PatternsAs 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 || – – – – – – – – ||

Ukulele Bootcamp Now Completely FREE

The online version of Ukulele Bootcamp is where you will learn all about ukuleles, how to learn a song, stretches and warmups, tuning, holding the ukulele, how to read chords, strumming, tablature, the C scale, your first chords and a dozen songs. Over a decade of ukulele teaching went into creating this course and now you can enjoy it for free.


Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts, Ukulele Technique.


This site contains some affiliate links which help support the site, but cost you nothing extra if you use them. Thank you!