Appreciating Reentrant Tuning

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Fleacia

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For those who love reentrant tuning, why do you appreciate it? What do you play that you can't, won't, or don't like in low G/linear tuning?

I love linear tuning for my own style of playing. But I like listening to reentrant. I'm wondering how I can come to appreciate it more coming from my own uke, and how to get the most out of it.

I'm sure there's gold there - I just can't find it! :D

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
Fleacia,
Maybe I like it cause I don't know any better. I've never played guitar (well, not worth a darn anyway) and only some fiddle, so I don't get linear tuning anyway!
Re-entrant just sounds so cheerful, "My Dog Has Fleas" is easy to tune to. I can fingerpick it a little easier than linear tuning. Linear tuning sounds like crap when strummed IMHO. (god I hope I don't start a war)
Some people say it doesn't make any sense, maybe that's another reason I like it.
 
I think its popularity is clearly due to the bright tone, and inverted chord voicings that are the norm in gCEA tuning. Some also like the "campenellas" effect, although many seem to not understand what it even is.

I like it a lot for 1920's "Hawaiian" music, Tin Pan Alley, Cliff Edwards, showtunes, etc. But for blues and jazz, you absolutely need that low G string.
 
To me, the greatest advantage of reentrant tuning is the ability to create close voicings on a fretted instrument. As a pianist for over half a century, I feel one of the piano's greatest advantages is close, dense voicings, which are not available to a guitar in standard tuning or an uke in linear tuning. Because a reentrant tuned uke spans only six whole tunes, many beautiful, dense voicings are available.

Having said that, I'm a hard core linear player. I have recently experimented with linear tuning and enjoy discovering the possibilities, however, the vast majority of my playing time is in linear and muscle memory goes a long way toward freedom of expression. Maybe someday I'll come around, but for now, it's linear for me.
 
For me re-entrant tuning strives to be different. It does not conform to the linear world. It does not follow the rules. If you want to play re-entrant, you have to step away from convention, and be willing to accept the fact that you are not totally in control. I love that. To me, linear is tame, while re-entrant is crazy wild. That is why I love re-entrant tuning. I do not want to be a linear person. It is just too boring. Re-entrant tuning is why I decided to play the ukulele instead of the guitar in the first place.
 
Lol sorry but I am going to express that I much prefer linear.

I have tried keeping ukes in re-entrant for years, but I find myself rarely playing them, or eventually tuning them to low-G.

I get it they produce a unique tone.. but its not a big enough reason for me. I can do so much more with linear.

Different preferences I suppose
 
I like re-entrant tuning because it's ukulele-ish, fun to play, and good to sing with. In addition, I don't like the low, boomy tones on my Ukes when I'm strumming. I have a low G on a concert, and, when it breaks or wears out, I'll change it to high.

My Banjoleles both have low Gs and a low C, but I'm using them that way as stand-ins for a tenor banjo, and I don't strum them. My baritone has low tones, of course, but I fingerpick it too.

I will agree though, that if one is only going to fingerpick, the low Gs sound okay and have their advantages. :eek:ld:
 
Nickie said:
Linear tuning sounds like crap when strummed IMHO. (god I hope I don't start a war)
Some people say it doesn't make any sense, maybe that's another reason I like it.
Click to expand...

it takes different technique to make linear strumming not sound like crap and avoid the incessant low string drone.

if i'm going to sing, i'll take reentrant any day. it's up out of my range and provides good chord and percussive accompaniment.

linear starts making more sense with fingerpicking and also can be good for picking patterns which seem to mix things up well.
 
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I like the closed chord voicing. Playing a seventh chord on consecutive notes sounds great to me. Low G is nice for fingerpicking but I don't like the chords as much.
 
Not much in it in my personal opinion, the differences that is.

Low G gives a normal sound & allows for an extra 5 semi tones for finger picking, which sometimes makes it sound better.

However, this is a ukulele, & they are traditionally tuned re entrant, which gives it a unique sound, very well suited to vocal accompaniment when strummed.

I definately have my feet in both camps. :)
 
I guess I"m backwards from some here. I rarely strum my ukes, I mostly fingerpick and mostly baritones. And they are re-entrant because of the bell like chimes of campanella.
 
How easy is it to swap out the g on my concert to a G? Or can I i just tune it down an octave?
 
LarryS said:
How easy is it to swap out the g on my concert to a G? Or can I i just tune it down an octave?
Click to expand...

You can get single low G strings from Worth.
 
I play re-entrant tuning exclusively because Jake plays re-entrant tuning exclusively.
 
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[ EDIT: Inappropriate post removed. Sorry if I ruffled any feathers. I am only human]
 
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Booli said:
Maybe it's just me, but since there was a recent thread about Low-G on a soprano, this thread, despite being the other side of the coin, has MANY of the SAME or SIMILAR comments, from the same folks in that thread.

I do not enjoy repeating myself, maybe other folks do. YMMV.

Duplicate/very-similar threads make me feel weary.

I guess the forum search has completely stopped working.

if you dont know the other thread, then try this:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?119518-LowG-Soprano-Poll
Click to expand...

No offense intended booli but rehashing stuff is what keeps forums like this alive. The constant string preference threads and tuning threads keep pages refreshing and advertising being paid and so on.
 
Reentrant is the recognizable sound of the "Ukulele". Strumming and singing it works great. But most of my ukes are strung low G because I prefer that sound.

But when I wanna go strum crazy I grab a super soprano and do some tin pan alley stuff. Now....... where did I leave my fedora.
 
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