UCL2 - WEEK 2
"COMMON PEOPLE"

This week you will explore a finger picking pattern known as an "Arpegio" which simply means to pick out the notes of a chord individually instead of strumming them all together. You will also explore how to change strumming patterns within a song and to simulate a drum beat for the middle 8 section of COMMON PEOPLE by Pulp.
Have a listen to your part with just vocals and ukulele. 

FINGER GYM EXERCISE @ 70BPM

FINGER GYM EXERCISE - D MAJOR SCALE @ 60BPM

HOW TO PLAY AN ARPEGGIO

First of all, an Arpeggio is literally a broken chord, meaning you play the individual notes of the chord in an ascending or descending order, often combining the two.

​The best way to start is by just playing the strings open without any chords. Once you get used to the picking pattern, then you can add the chord shapes in and let the magic happen. 

PLUCKING FINGERS:
  • Alternate plucking the C & G strings with your thumb
  • Pluck the E string with your index
  • Pluck the A string with your middle finger

Below are some 4/4 arpeggio exercises to practice. Press play on the audio to hear what they each sound like. 
Exercise 1. QUARTER NOTE ARPEGGIO
Exercise 2. 8th NOTE ARPEGGIO
Exercise 3. 8th NOTE TRIPLET ARPEGGIO

STRUMMING PATTERNS

This song alternates strumming patterns throughout the arrangement. It begins with an arpeggiated intro and first verse then continues with an 8th note strumming pattern for all other verses and the calypso strum for all Chorus sections. The middle 8 section ends with down beats emulating the drum hits to bring you back into the chorus. The outro is played with a C chord only and starts with the 8th note strum but ends with calypso. 

8th Note STRUm

The trick here is to alternate dynamically between soft half strums on beats 1+ and 3+ and full, hard strums on beats 2 + and 4 +.
​EXERCISE: Watch the video below to see how to play the 8th note strum effectively. 

MP3 DOWNLOAD

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