Uke Minutes 35 – C String Bass Technique

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Hey UUers! Yay for Uke Minutes! In this week’s episode, Aldrine shows us a fingerpicking technique that allows you to ring out the bass note of each chord using your thumb! Perfect for slower songs or tunes that call for minimal strumming, the C String Bass Technique can make for great solo performing or lively accompaniment. Check it out, try it, and tell us what you think!

Here’s how to it: …

1. Let your thumb rest on the C string (second from the top).
2. Let your pointer finger rest on the E string (second from the bottom).
3. Let your middle finger rest on the A string (bottom string).
4. Pick downward with your thumb on the C string (Group A in the video).
5. Curl your pointer and middle fingers and pull to pluck upwards on the E and A strings (Group B in the video).
6. Alternate between steps 4 & 5 (A – B pattern) while holding down the chords of your song.

Note: The palm of your hand should stay stationary while your fingers move to do the picking. Using your pinky to anchor your hand in one place may help with this.

For example, a song that’s perfect for using this technique and A-B pattern is “Hey There Delilah“ by the Plain White Tees:

D............................F#m..................
Hey there Delilah, what’s it like in New York City
......D...............................F#m.....................
I’m a thousand miles away, but girl tonight you look so pretty
........Bm..G.................A..................Bm.
Yes you do, Time Square can’t shine as bright as you
.............A...
I swear it’s true


Here you would play the A – B pattern for four beats on each chord, except for the G and A chords on line 3, which get two beats each.

You don’t have to stick to the A – B pattern either. Other common patterns are A – B-B or A-A – B. Try these out or make up your own! And as always, let us know what you think in the Forum.

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2009 – this is only the beginning and we’ve already seen some awesome videos, as well as all the great questions and comments you Undergroundlings have shown us so far! We can’t wait to see what you UUers will be up to next!

Much Mahalo,
-UU Staff