Jake Shimabukuro’s 4 Tips for Holding a Ukulele

Traditionally, most ukulele players use their right hand to strum, while their left hand serves as their fretting hand. Even left-handed players tend to play the ukulele right-handed, as finding a lefty ukulele can be a challenge. To properly hold your ukulele, follow these steps:

1. 1. Keep it close to your chest. Hold the body of the ukulele to your chest with the neck running parallel to the floor. Cradle the weight of the ukulele in your right arm.
2. 2. Hold the neck in your left hand. Hold it near the top of the neck, but not on the very top, or headstock. Press your thumb against the back of the neck and let your fingers gently curl around the front and over the fretboard. You'll need to generate enough pressure to hold various ukulele chord shapes, so feel free to adjust your left hand position to make fingering as efficient as possible. The order of the strings on your ukulele—from top to bottom—is G string, C string, E string, A string.
3. 3. Bend your right arm at the elbow. Your right arm is your strumming arm, so extend the lower part of your arm in a straight line over the ukulele. Allow your right hand fingers to rest gently on the ukulele strings a little bit up the neck from the sound hole. You'll be strumming the ukulele and picking individual notes with your index finger, so it's important to keep your right hand loose and agile.

Jake Shimabukuro is arguably the most widely acclaimed ukulele player in history: a trailblazing technical guru, a format-breaking artist, and a globetrotting ambassador for the instrument. As Béla Fleck is to the banjo or Yo-Yo Ma is to the cello, Jake is to the ukulele. Jake has several tips for holding your ukulele:

1. 1. There is no single right way. In Jake’s own words: “There's really no proper way to hold the ukulele. The main thing is I want you to be comfortable. If you're sitting down, just put the ukulele in your lap and lean it against your body. And the thing to just be aware of is just let the corners of the instrument touch your body. You don't want to hover over it and you don't want to smother it because you want the instrument to be able to resonate.”
2. 2. Let your body relax. When playing your instrument, Jake advises keeping your grip loose. “Make sure that your thumb can easily touch the strings. You take your left hand and just basically scoop the neck. You're just going to drape your right forearm over the corner of the ukulele. It should feel very relaxed.”
3. 3. Move with your instrument. “It's almost like you're dancing with your instrument,” Jake says. “It's like you're holding your instrument's hand, and you're just kind of swaying back and forth. And you want to be loose—not just in your hands and arms, but your shoulders, your neck, your lower back.”
4. 4. Try wrapping your thumb around the neck of your ukulele. When Jake began his ukulele journey, he would put his thumb against the back of the ukulele neck, but eventually this began to cause him discomfort. So then, he started to play with his thumb above the neck. “I found that when I put my thumb over the neck and I hold a chord, it allows my wrist to stay in a neutral straight position. It took a while to get used to, but I feel like I have more endurance. I feel like my hand doesn't get tired as quickly. And I don't have any pain anymore.”

Grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, stretch out those fingers, and get your strum on with a little help from the Jimi Hendrix of ‘ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro. With some pointers from this Billboard chart topper, you’ll be an expert on chords, tremolo, vibrato, and more in no time.