Low versus high G for newbie?

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Anyone have suggestions for me starting out if I should string a high or low G being a newbie? I have never played an instrument before. No background in music. The company I ordered from could do a low G if I wish. Any thought?
 
Depends what you want to achieve.

"Conventional" ukulele is high-G, which gives that typically bright sound when the instrument is strummed.

Low-G gives you a few more notes if you're playing melody and a slightly more mellow tone when strummed ... IMHO not really beneficial on a conventional soprano, the body is just too small to sound the bass notes well.

YMMV :)
 
I would suggest a high g to start with. If you are going to be strumming and singing.
As you progress you will most likely want to upgrade and acquire another ukulele.
You will have a built in reason to add a low g ukulele to your collection.
 
Yah, high G for starters. It sounds better for strumming. :cool:
 
Whilst I personally prefer low G, I'd suggest staying with re-entrant high G tuning, as most of the learning materials you will find expects you to have it, & most uke players sing & strum anyway - enjoy the journey. :)
 
Either works for strumming frankly. I've found some bel canto pieces call for the high-g stringing and some TABed pieces with a bit more range call for a low-g. Listen to some various people playing different instruments. For instance Kimo Hussey for low-g. If you like a particular style then let that decide for you.

-- Gary
 
What size is the uke? I'd say low G works most of the time on a tenor, and occasionally on a concert, but rarely on a soprano. Also, do you plan to strum to accompany singing, or pick out melodies? I think a high G sounds much better on a strummed uke, but sometimes I need the couple of extra notes that a low G provides if I'm picking out melodies.
 
Agree with everything robinboyd wrote above!
I have tried LowG on all scales,and (for me) it
just does not work well on soprano.
 
I'd just add that high g is easier to strum. You don't have a big rubber band bouncing your finger back.
 
Well, you asked my opinion, and that is all it is, but to me the re-entrant tuning is what sets the ukulele apart and makes it a ukulele. My opinion is that if one is going to start playing a ukulele they should start with a ukulele. Plenty of time to turn it into something else later. Again, my attitude is that everyone should feel free to do anything they want to their ukuleles, and they should be free to call anything they want a ukulele, but that is my feeling on the subject.
 
I agree that a newbie should start with re-entrant tunings because it is the standard. However I personally prefer linear tunings because it is less shrill. I also like my linear tuning because of the versatility it affords when fingerpicking. For example I can play the C ionic mode with the open C string (like a re-entrant) or I can play it on the 5th fret. And if I play the C minor pentatonic on the fifth fret I can use all four strings.

So linear tuning is a tool that certainly has its application. The real solution to the question posed by this thread is to have one of each just as a well-provisioned toolbox has both a hammer and a screwdriver.
 
Well, you asked my opinion, and that is all it is, but to me the re-entrant tuning is what sets the ukulele apart and makes it a ukulele. My opinion is that if one is going to start playing a ukulele they should start with a ukulele. Plenty of time to turn it into something else later. Again, my attitude is that everyone should feel free to do anything they want to their ukuleles, and they should be free to call anything they want a ukulele, but that is my feeling on the subject.

Re-entrant tuning goes back a lot further than the ukulele and one of the predecessors of the ukulele, the machete used (and still uses) linear tuning so both tunings are "authentic".

That said, I agree with those that say to start with re-entrant tuning, especially if starting with a soprano. While I agree both linear and re-entrant tuned ukuleles can be strummed effectively, I personally think strumming sounds better on a re-entrant tuned instrument. I mostly use my linear tuned ukes for finger picked accompaniment.
 
Start out Hi-G and unless it's a soprano, put on a Fremont Soloist Low G. Try that for a while and see if you change back?
 
I would just add that whichever way you set up your first ukulele, that becomes the sound that you get used to.

All of my ukuleles but my baritone (Lanikai entry level that is seldom played...I own it because it is a baritone...and was $40 shipped as a "gambler's special" on eBay) and my KoAloha Opio Sapele Tenor are re-entrant.

It took a lot of playing the linear (low G) Opio to start to hear that uklele as being "right," too. It sounded "wrong." However, that ukulele is my favorite to play, so it is the first one out of a case, and over time I accepted that sound. But it did take a while!

I guess that is the other thing I would say...whatever you choose, you could always go to the other setup.
 
Decided to go with a low G on my tenor. I'm looking forward to learning melodies and want to play blues.
 
Decided to go with a low G on my tenor. I'm looking forward to learning melodies and want to play blues.

That's what I do almost exclusively. The beauty of the Low G is that it doesn't preclude the high G. Let me re-phrase that. With the high G you play the blues with the 1st three strings, ignoring the G string except for chords. The same holds true with the Low G because the 1st three strings are the same regardless of the G. However with the Low G, you can also play the blues with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings. That gives you a lot more options. For example you can play Ab blues on the 8th fret in High G style or the 1st fret in Low G style. You can also play your pentatonic scales across all four strings with the low G.
 
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