New to Baritone- books/ strings/ tuning questions

Hello All.

I have been playing ukulele for about 6 years, but mostly strumming chords in 1st position. Like, I can rock the snot out of the Daily Ukulele, but that's about it.

I recently became interested in the baritone, and thanks in large part to the reviews and discussions here I am now the proud owner of the Kala Cedar top (my husband- with his dreadnought Martin- calls it a small guitar with a handicap, but I think it's wonderful). My goal is to stretch my hands and brain to be a better player. My original thought was to get the Guadalupe octave down GCEA strings so that I could easily apply what I learn to my smaller uke. But I LOVE how it sounds as is, so now I'm second guessing that. Plus, since those are all wound strings, I'm assuming I'd have to have someone file the nut to make them fit, and then if I don't like them, I'm stuck.

First question: If anyone has both the octave down GCEA strings and a DGBE tuned baritone, could you do a side by side video/ recording so I can hear the difference? Random thoughts on the subject also welcome!

Second question: My neighborhood uses the Daily Ukulele for our jams. The reviews for the baritone edition are not very positive. I've occasionally heard the guitar players in our group grumbling about the key, and I'm guessing it's going to be equally bad for baritone... which makes me wonder about my tuning choice again... Any thoughts on the book? (And did you see that the Leap Year edition is coming out next week?!?)

Third question: Any thoughts on the Baritone Ukulele Aerobics book?

Fourth question: To strap, or not to strap? I'm having a little trouble figuring out where to hold it.

Fifth question: Strings? I know this is a giant can of worms. But if you have experimented and found something that you think is hands down the best choice, I'd love to hear about it.

I would be most grateful for any other thoughts that will help me on this journey.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Mine has Living Water strings on it, they suit me.

Check out this site - http://humblebaritonics.blogspot.co.uk/p/bari-tabs.html

I don't use a strap, but I usually sit down when playing mine, though I can hold it whilst picking melodies, which is what I do.

Regarding books, I have both Daily Uke books & Ukulele Aerobics, I'd say they're just as useful for the bari, just need to learn different names for the chord shapes, it will come.

I recently switched my tenor ukulele to dGBE tuning and, maybe it is obvious, but I find it helpful to think about translating whole chord progressions. Then I really only have to look up the shape of the 1st chord in the key and I can do the rest by memory. So for a song in the key of C, I just have to think of it as being in the key of F instead to get the right shapes. (Of course, this starts to break down for me when there lots of jazzy chords)

I have a few baritones and I have a set of the Guadalupe strings.......they have remained in their package for over two years now. You are correct about them being FAT and wound weird. I took a look at them, measured them and tossed them back it the string box. As you say the beauty of the baritone IS the deep relaxing tone.

I have experimented a lot with strings and everyone has a personal taste in tone but my favorites are Martin M630. I am always looking to brighten up the treble tone of baritones and these strings do that, nice and clear and articulate. I don't care for the wound third, different material than the wound forth. I replace it with D'Addario classical guitar string NYL030.

I have tuned one of my baritones up to GCEA with South Coast HML-WB and it sounded fine. Kinda like a tenor with more bass and sustain. Redundant really but I have 4 baritones so it is fun to experiment. If you click on my user name and and hit profile then hit "find latest started threads" you will see I recently did a posting with recording of a baritone tuned GCEA, sorry I'm on a phone so can't link it.

Straps......yes yes and yes, but I have straps on sopranos so that is just me:music:

Thank you all for taking the time to answer and share your experiences.

Keith- I love the name 'Living water'. Someone else recommended 'Lavas' to me. Now I just need to find Earth and Air strings and I can make myself an elemental set. I look forward to poking around the Humble Baritonics site.

3j0hn- You are clearly a more accomplished musician than I. I can play what is in front of me, and that's about it.

DownUpDave- Thank you for your take on the Guadalupe strings. My understanding is that they are tuned down from DGBE, though, so it should sound even deeper, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing, which is why I wanted to hear them side by side (your playing on that link is beautiful, btw). I hear you on the straps! I have a Uke Leash on my sopranino. Can't let the little bugger wander away! You should have seen my daughter (an accomplished classical guitarist at 12 yrs old) cracking up watching me try to figure out how to hold the baritone this evening so she could teach me Twinkle Twinkle. Maybe I'll start with moving the leash on to this one so I don't have to add a button.

Bill1- Thank you for that link! I was looking at the Daily Ukulele baritone edition, but my amazon kept bringing up a version that didn't have Prime, and very few reviews. This one is now on the way!

Thanks again!
-Jennifer

Jennifer I'm glad things are sorting themselves out for you in the baritone department. Having the help of your 12 year daughter is great........but as a parent we know it is a blessing and a curse Enjoy your new baritone they really are lovely sounding instruments

Thanks. I got to have the laugh this morning when she wanted to try my sopranino and kept setting it in her lap.

It's fun to learn to where the chords have moved. Although I keep ending up with this soundtrack in my head that goes, "G is at C, C is at F, F is at... wait, where is F now? F-G-A-B. Oh. Poor F."

domestikitty said:

3j0hn- You are clearly a more accomplished musician than I. I can play what is in front of me, and that's about it.

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I wouldn't go that far. It's mostly about muscle memory. Playing a song in the key of C, I get used to the C->G->F->C progression, while in F, it's F->C->Bb->F. When I switch to Baritone tuning, I just mentally adjust by keys, to play the F shapes instead of the C shapes. It has helped me to think of it that way. There's some music theory in there, but I don't think you really need to get into that.

Can't comment on all the questions, but strap? definitely!!

Tie a length of string around it's "middle" and the other end to the headstock. Adjust for length and see how you get on. Like someone else further up the thread, I even have straps on my sopranos!

Keys and chord shapes : being a multi-instrumentalist I think in "instrument keys". In my mind "banjo C", "guitar C", "mandolin C" etc. etc. are all different keys. That way I seem able to remember "sets" of chord shapes and apply them as necessary.

The fact that the fingering may or may not be the same as another "instrument key" becomes irrelevant ... changing from the key of D on the ukulele to the key of G on the mandolin may just as well be to the key of G on the ukulele or the banjo ... it's just a different set of chord shapes!

Good luck and enjoy!

As always YMMV :music:

OP:
Leave it in G tuning and get a chord chart for it. Play it using the "Normal Chord Forms" and listen to it. Sounds low (5 semi-tones), now look at what the chords are in Baritone, and try the Baritone forms. After a while you will learn to 'shift gears' and it's a lot easier. You will find that some keys are easier on the Bari, (Em, G etc). Try it in dGBE and see if you like the re-entrant tuning, now it sounds like a Ukulele. Bari's are cool in G.

Thank you, JackLuis. I've been enjoying the sound of it in G, and will likely leave it there. I'm starting the Ukulele Aerobics course tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous, because even though I've been playing for years, it looks like we're going to brushing against the edge of my abilities by the middle of week one. Yikes!

domestikitty said:

Thank you, JackLuis. I've been enjoying the sound of it in G, and will likely leave it there. I'm starting the Ukulele Aerobics course tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous, because even though I've been playing for years, it looks like we're going to brushing against the edge of my abilities by the middle of week one. Yikes!

Click to expand...

I'm on week 4 of baritone Aerobics. I find some of the daily exercises much harder than others. I especially find the legato exercises challenging. I've basically said to myself if I can't do something then that's okay - just move along I can always come back to it. I'm mainly interested in the fingerstyle and scale exercises anyway.

Strap...Yes! Couch Guitar strap...even yesser. OK. Here we have a bari tuned GCEA linear using Southcoast strings.

Here is the same uke tuned DGBE linear
Now for me , I wish my wife could transpose in her head while I played...because I love the DGBE (D'Addario) but she watches my hands. So GCEA it is for me. With a guitar player in house, this is a non issue. You will be playing the same chords.

And here is your new uke in GCEA because this one is the one that stays at home. - Love my new cedar top!

Oh my goodness- thank you, TCK! Somehow I missed that there were more responses to my question. I especially appreciated being able to hear the same uke played by the same person with the two different tunings. Reinforced my decision to keep it in DGBE.

I don't have to worry about anyone looking at my hands because I play upside down (not restrung leftie) and they've all learned that it's just confusing to try to figure out what I'm doing.

I'm on week 4 of the Baritione Ukulele Aerobics book, and I'm pretty happy with my progress. The only new issue I've discovered is that because of the way I play, chords strummed with linear tuning sound a little strange. At least with re-entrant tuning I would hit a high note at the end of a down strum, so it sort of balanced that fact that it was upside down. Landing on the low note last sounds weird. But I'm not sure if it's disturbing enough to teach myself to strum upside down as well.

-Jennifer