# Learn Ukulele — Folk drills > Interactive page: [`drills-folk.html`](drills-folk.html) · Fundamentals: [`drills.md`](drills.md) Campfire, ballad, and **lok** hands. The whole style is one split: the thumb keeps a steady **boom** pulse, the fingers or pick answer on the off-beats. Get that split honest and most folk songs are already playable. > **“Bass” on this page** means the thumb boom / root pulse (folk boom-chick language) — **not** a > bass guitar string. On **high-G** uke the **C string is lowest**; open G in a G chord is the > *root*, often higher than C. Prefer C when you want a true low boom. **Technique path:** [Drills](drills.md) · [Exercises](exercises.md) · [Folk exercises](exercises-folk.md) · this page. Why it matters even if folk is not your style: this is where you learn to change chords *without stopping the right hand*, and where the capo turns a handful of shapes into every key. Where a drill is a shape or a picking pattern, **TAB** sits next to the explanation (A string on top). How to read it: [Foundations · TAB](foundations.md). **Sources (two-check):** Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1 (bass-strum, open-chord changes, capo) · Berklee-style practice of locking the picking hand to a click while the chords change. First-piece titles are public-domain folk and famous-title progressions — chords only. On the HTML page, Play becomes Stop on the same button. ## Suggested order 1. Boom-chick 2. Alternating bass 3. G–C–D 4. Am–F–C–G 5. Capo drill 6. Thumb bass + brush 7. 3/4 waltz 8. Lok pulse in 6/8 9. Boom-chicka and the Travis seed 10. G–Em–C–D, D–G–A, Am–C–D–F 11. Walk-down to Em, lok with a change 12. First pieces — titles and play-along, no printed tunes ## Three tracks - **Beginner** — boom-chick on G only. Then G–C–D, one bar each, downs. - **Intermediate** — alternating bass. Am–F–C–G. Capo 2 or 3. Waltz bass-chick-chick. - **Advanced** — Travis seed. Walk-down to Em. Lok 6/8 with a change. Then a first piece — G–C–D or *Resham Firiri* shapes. ## Bass and strum Bass lives on the **C** string (lowest pitch) or the chord root on **C / G**; the chick answers on **E** and/or **A**. Bass notes per chord — root / fifth: **G** open G / C fret 2 · **C** open C / open G · **D** C fret 2 / open A · **Am** G fret 2 / open E · **F** open C / open G · **Em** C fret 4 / A fret 2. **1 · Boom-chick** — beat 1 chord **root** as a thumb boom (open G for the G chord — root role, not the low string on high-G), 2 downstrum, 3 the same boom, 4 downstrum. ``` 1 2 3 4 A|-------2-----------2-- E|-------3-----------3-- C|-------2-----------2-- G|-0-----------0-------- G ``` **2 · Alternating bass** — beat 3 takes the fifth instead of the root. The bass walks instead of thudding. ``` 1 2 3 4 A|-------2-----------2-- E|-------3-----------3-- C|-------2-----2-----2-- G|-0-------------------- ``` **3 · Bass only, then strum only** — split the drill, then recombine. If the combined version rushes, one half is not steady. ``` bass only A|----------------- E|----------------- C|----------------- G|-0-----0--------- strum only A|-------2-----2-- E|-------3-----3-- C|-------2-----2-- G|-------0-----0-- ``` ## Changes Change on beat 1. If you are late, arrive with only the bass note fretted and let the strum catch up. **4 · G → C → D → G** — one bar each, boom-chick underneath. Say the next chord name on beat 4. ``` G C D A|-2---------------3-----------------0-- E|-3---------------0-----------------2-- C|-2---------------0-----------------2-- G|-0---------------0-----------------2-- ``` **5 · Am → F → C → G** — F is the squeeze shape; play Am–C–G until both fretted notes ring (see [`chords.md`](chords.md)). Bass notes sit on C / G in open position. ``` Am F C G A|-0---------------0-----------------3-----------------2-- E|-0---------------1-----------------0-----------------3-- C|-0---------------0-----------------0-----------------2-- G|-2---------------2-----------------0-----------------0-- ``` **6 · Two-beat changes** — half a bar each: G, C, G, D. Twice the changes in the same time. ## Capo — same shapes, new key The **capo** is a moveable nut. Fret 2 turns G–C–D into A–D–E; fret 4 turns it into B–E–F♯. Nothing about the left hand changes. **7 · Capo drill** — the same G–C–D loop at capo 0, 2, and 4. Useful when a singer needs another key — same idea as moving **Sa** in [Singing](/singing/practice.html). ## Thumb and lok **8 · Thumb bass + brush** — thumb on a bass string on the beat, fingers brushing **E** and **A** on the *ands*. The folk seed, not full Travis picking and not classical *pima*. ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & A|----2-----2-----2-----2-- E|----3-----3-----3-----3-- C|------------------------- G|-0-----0-----0-----0----- ``` **9 · Waltz (3/4)** — bass, chick, chick. Bass only on 1. ``` 1 2 3 A|-------2-----2-- E|-------3-----3-- C|-------2-----2-- G|-0-------------- ``` **10 · Lok pulse (6/8)** — counted **1 2 3 · 4 5 6**, weight on 1 and 4: bass on 1, brush down on 3, bass on 4, brush up on 6. The same 3+3 grouping a madal player uses. A shuffle, not a stomp. ``` 1 2 3 · 4 5 6 A|--------2----------2-- E|--------3----------3-- C|---------------------- G|-0-----------0-------- ``` ## Past the seed **11 · Boom-chicka** — bass on 1 and 3; on 2 and 4 a down–up instead of a single down. ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & A|----------2--0--------2--0-- E|----------3--0--------3--0-- C|----------2-----------2----- G|-0--------------0----------- ``` **12 · Travis seed** — thumb on the bass; index and middle pick one string each on the offs (E and A). The folk door into [pima](drills-classical.md), not the full method. ``` A|--------2-----2-- E|-----3-----3----- C|----------------- G|-0-------0------- ``` **13 · G → Em → C → D** — I–vi–IV–V. Play-along: [50s / ballad](songs.md). ``` G Em C D A|-2---------------2-----------------3-----------------0-- E|-3---------------3-----------------0-----------------2-- C|-2---------------4-----------------0-----------------2-- G|-0---------------0-----------------0-----------------2-- ``` **14 · D → G → A** — I–IV–V in D. Nearby map: [A–D–E](songs.md). ``` D G A A|-0---------------2-----------------0-- E|-2---------------3-----------------0-- C|-2---------------2-----------------1-- G|-2---------------0-----------------2-- ``` **15 · Am → C → D → F** — the House of the Rising Sun map (melody not printed). F is the squeeze test. ``` Am C D F A|-0---------------3-----------------0-----------------0-- E|-0---------------0-----------------2-----------------1-- C|-0---------------0-----------------2-----------------0-- G|-2---------------0-----------------2-----------------2-- ``` **16 · Walk-down G to Em** — bass G → F♯ → E on the C string (frets 7 → 6 → 4), then boom-chick on Em. ``` A|----------------- E|----------------- C|-7--6--4-------- G|----------------- ``` **17 · Dead-string chick** — bass rings; the chick is a left-hand mute on E / A. ``` 1 2 3 4 A|-------x-----------x-- E|-------x-----------x-- C|---------------------- G|-0-----------0-------- ``` **18 · Lok 6/8 with a change** — G → D each bar. Play-along: [Lok pulse](songs.md). ``` bar 1 G bar 2 D A|-2-----------------0-- E|-3-----------------2-- C|-2-----------------2-- G|-0-----------------2-- ``` ## First pieces Folk pieces here are **progressions**, not printed tunes. Public-domain songs you may sing; famous titles are recognition only. **How to start:** right hand on one chord, then the progression at one bar each, then hum the tune if you know it. - **Beginner** — G–C–D boom-chick. *Amazing Grace*, *Oh Susanna*, *Resham Firiri* (shapes only). [Three-chord](songs.md) · [Ghar loop](songs.md). - **Intermediate** — G–Em–C–D or Am–C–D–F. [50s / ballad](songs.md) · [Waltz](songs.md). - **Advanced** — Travis seed under G–C–D. Capo 2 or 3. Lok with a change. **Public-domain doors:** Amazing Grace · Oh Susanna · This Land Is Your Land (G–C–D) · Greensleeves colour ([Am folk](songs.md)) · Simple Gifts ([Waltz](songs.md)). Melody stays in the songbook. **Famous titles (chords only):** Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (G–D–Am–C) · House of the Rising Sun (Am–C–D–F, drill 15) · four-chord campfire ([Four-chord](songs.md)) · Stand By Me colour ([50s / ballad](songs.md)). **Nepali / lok:** Resham Firiri and many lok tunes on G–C–D — [Ghar](songs.md) · [Lok pulse](songs.md). Nepali pop once F is honest: [Am–F–C–G](songs.md). ## Practice note **How long:** 10–12 minutes — two on boom-chick, four on a change loop, two on Travis or walk-down, then one first-piece progression. **Listen for:** the bass note landing exactly on the click, every strum the same weight, and the bass a little louder than the strum. **Common mistake:** stopping the right hand to make the chord change. The silence is more noticeable than a fuzzy chord. Continue: [Classical drills](drills-classical.md) · [Play along](songs.md) ## Hawaiian first pieces - Island vamp C–G–Am–F — [Play along](songs.html#island) · island D–DU–UDU - Aloha ʻOe harmony F–C–G7–C — [Aloha turn](songs.html#aloha) (sing from memory; no melody here)