Chord & FretBallad · Ukulele
6/8 Ballad
Sound summary
Ballad is played with a chord strum — 6/8, straight (even subdivisions) — for the ukulele: the hand strums the chord (A) down and up. To the ear: A↓ A↑ A↓ A↑ A↓ A↑.
How to count it
In 6/8, each bar has 6 beats, counted in one strum per beat. Count out loud: 1 2 3 4 5 6. Keep the beat with your foot and follow the grid: each box is one beat.
The rhythm grid
A = chord · ↓ down-stroke · ↑ up-stroke
The ↓/↑ direction follows the bowed-string arcada convention (ᴨ down, V up; Ribeiro 2017).
How to play it
Right hand
The hand strums the whole chord (A). The arm swings down (↓) and up (↑) in constant motion — the up-stroke catches the treble strings and is naturally lighter.
Left hand
Keep the chord well pressed through the whole pattern — the left hand rules pitch, the right rules the bar. Only release the shape at the end of the bar, moving the hand ahead to the next one.
Example in G
Hold a G and apply the whole pattern to it — every hit lands on the same chord. That’s how you take the groove into any song: change only the left hand, the right hand’s rhythm stays the same. Hear the example below.
Common mistakes
- Up-strokes as hard as down-strokes. The up-stroke (↑) is lighter and catches only the treble strings — equal force thickens and drags it.
- Letting the tempo drift. Without a firm pulse the strum leaks — count along and hold the same time from the first bar to the last.
Guided practice
- Start all down. Strum the chord down (↓) on every stroke, one direction only.
- Add the up-stroke. Let the arm come back (↑) between hits — lighter, catching the treble strings.
- Take it up on the metronome. Start slow, keep the pattern clean, and add a few BPM at a time.
You’ve got the theory; now the time has to enter the body. Play along with the audio, follow the count and raise the metronome bit by bit until every stroke lands in its place without rushing — Chord & Fret runs that drill with an adjustable tempo.
Train with the metronome →Variations & related patterns
With the strum steady, take it to actual Ballad progressions: rhythm, chord changes and voice-leading in one exercise. That’s the Progressions by Rhythm feature in Chord & Fret.
Apply to progressions →The page explains; the real practice — repeating, timing on the metronome, listening, applying to progressions and reviewing — is in Chord & Fret. Save this pattern in your study to pick it up later, play offline and watch your progress.
Continue in Chord & Fret →