Advice, please!

LimousinLil

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I need advice from a knowledgeable person (which you all are, apart from me!) I have been strangely (and naughtily) attracted to a baritone uke - made by my favourite "man in shed" luthier - which is tuned CFAD. As it is luthier-made, I assume that it has been specially produced for that tuning. What I want to know is whether I can play it using the normal baritone DGBE chord shapes, or whether I need to learn a whole lot of new chord shapes (in which case, it is a definite "no, no".) I am only intending to play this on my own ... not with others; so don't need to fit in with a normal DGBE "sound". SORRY ... I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to things musical!
 
Your regular baritone shapes will be just fine. Everything will sound a tone lower, that's all.

If you're playing chord shapes for the key of G you will actually be playing the key of F. Similarly if you are playing Key of D chord shapes you will actually be playing key of C and so on. If you want to be in regular baritone pitch at any time, simply put a capo on the second fret.
 
Done all that on other ukes, Mr. "Choirguy" - sorry, I don't know your name! This uke is a special shape ... to enhance the CFAD tuning, I assume. (It looks more like a bouzouki, for which, I think, the normal tuning IS CFAD - but with the bouzouki you would have 8 strings.) And, yes, Keith, for multiple reasons too complicated to explain, I am feeling depressed at the moment ... so I NEED another uke!
 
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I also don’t see why you couldn’t raise each string to “normal” Baritone tuning. You could even buy special strings and tune it like many Sopranos, Concerts, and Tenors (GCEA).

Everyone makes there own choices for their own reasons but tuning down can be useful to make it easier for singing.
 
Yes, thanks Geoff! To be honest, as I said previously, this uke has been custom-made and is more of a bouzouki shape than a traditional uke and, so far as I can understand CFAD is the normal tuning for a bouzouki ... so I am assuming that the uke has been purpose-made with this tuning in mind. And, yes, to be honest again ... I just need a bit of distraction and fancy trying something different, finances permitting! (This chap really IS a shed-builder and his prices aren't excessive, but, having owned another of his instruments, I know the quality is good.)
 
Everyone makes there own choices for their own reasons but tuning down can be useful to make it easier for singing.
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I have many guitar friends tell be the same thing. I don't understand. If you are singing "C" how does being tuned up or down help.
I believe a "C" is a "C" no matter the tuning.
 
You could detune one of your baritones to see what the tuning sounds like. They might not have the same depth as the 'Bazooka' Uke, but it would give you the idea. I was keeping one of my Tenors tuned to eAC#F# for a while but I could never figure out what the chords were, as I was using 'normal' shapes? I liked the pitch though.
 
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I have many guitar friends tell be the same thing. I don't understand. If you are singing "C" how does being tuned up or down help.
I believe a "C" is a "C" no matter the tuning.

A C is a C no matter the tuning. Thats not to say a C shape will always be a C. If you retuned a uke down two tones it isn't a C tone but an A#/Bb.
The confusion here is the shape. A C shape played on a CGEA is a C but that shape played on a CFAD would be lowered in tone making the C shape not a C tone.

Val, If you want that uke get it! CFAD is simply tuned down a whole step so you will be singing a little lower than anyone else tuned DGBE. You are right in assuming you can't play with anyone else unless you tune it up to DGBE. That tuning would suit someone like me with a low alto voice great!

I would ask the luthier some questions instead of assuming. Is the scale the same as a regular baritone and is he using special strings just for his uke? Those are good questions so that you know what strings to stick with if he is. He just might simply like that tuning and there might be no harm in raising the tuning to DGBE. If I was to lower a whole step on my regular bari the strings would be a little loose in the vibration. Thats not to say I wouldn't do it. Sir John recently did a song lowered a whole step and it was fine. Some ukes might pick up a buzz or an awkward tone doing that.

If you love the uke I say get it! Try singing with your bari tuned down to CFAD and see if it feels comfortable for your range. Particularly if you are one to always sing near the key of C for example. I am one that likes to sing around the key of A. C is a stretch for me.
 
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Thank you Jack and Linda, for that very sensible advice! Do you know, it hadn't actually occurred to me to try tuning down a bari I already have just to see whether the range is comfortable ... I DID say I was an idiot! (In so far as actually contacting the luthier, that's not possible; he really IS a man who operates from his shed - he builds an instrument, plays it for a bit, and then takes it into a local music shop to sell it for him. I don't think even THEY have his contact details! The assistants in the shop are very helpful and knowledgeable, though, and I have already asked them about the strings in an email I sent - no reply yet. I already own one of this chap's ukes and it is one of my favourites, so I don't think I would be disappointed.) Gosh, this is getting complicated! Right, I'm off to try out that tuning!
 
All good info from other folks already...

just remember that this new adventure into CFAD will teach you something, what exactly?

...nobody knows for sure, but likely you'll have an epiphany some day and be rewarded for having faith in yourself, and the courage enough to take the chance...

I speak from experience, having been down a similar path a time or two myself...but your rewards may differ from my own...

sometimes, just the journey itself is the reward...
 
I have many guitar friends tell me the same thing. I don't understand. If you are singing "C" how does being tuned up or down help.
I believe a "C" is a "C" no matter the tuning.

You're losing me here!

I believe SailingUke is wondering why you can't simply find chord shapes that do the job for you regardless of how the uke/guitar is tuned.

The answer is of course you can, but in that case capos would never have been invented.

Tuning down a step (e.g., from DGBE to CFAD) is is simply the inverse of, & in principle no different to, tuning up a step (i.e., from DGBE to EAC♯F♯). We'd do that if we wanted to take advantage of the 'open' chord shapes (shapes that utilise open strings, e.g., [bari] G-shape, C-shape, Em-shape, etc).
Normally however, we don't bother tuning a uke or a guitar up in pitch: we simply put a capo on the appropriate fret. Putting a capo on the 2nd fret, for example (which in standard bari tuning would give us EAC♯F♯), would enable us to play a song written in the key of A with open chords ringing out (i.e., to play it as though it were in the key of G).

I was faced with a similar situation yesterday, looking at Jan & Dean's "School Days", a song which I thought (wrongly!) TCK was asking to have featured in his Season (it's really Chuck Berry's "School Days", of course - and in fact TCK wanted another Jan & Dean song, too! :) ). Turns out Jan & Dean sing "School Days" in the key of F♯!* Besides, F♯, the other two chords in the song are B & C♯.
Now, of course I know how to play the chords of F♯, B and C♯; but how much simpler simply to put a capo on the first fret of my uke, thus raising the pitch of my open strings one semitone, and play those chords as F, Bb & C (in other words, play the song as if it's in the key of F)?

Tuning a uke/guitar down a step is the equivalent of putting on a 'negative capo'. if you have a song that's in F, and you want to play it on your baritone ukulele, but want also to keep those open strings ringing out as you play; why not tune the strings down a tone to CFAD, and play it as though it's in the key of G?
And as Geoff already said, if you want to use regular baritone tuning at any time, simply put a capo on the 2nd fret to get you back to DBGE.
Yes, you lose the use of the first two frets in the process, but really how many of us ever find ourselves in the dusty regions of the 12th or 14th frets?

*Really! The only other song I know of originally in the key of F♯ is Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' - I have the sheet music!
 
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Very many thanks Ubulele, Booli and Paul (especially Paul, for that exceedingly detailed explanation!) Oh, dear - I think this thread is running away from me! All I know is, I went off and tried tuning a bari down to CFAD to see how it sounded and I liked the result; although the strings were a bit slack. I am not sure how the tuning fits in with my vocal range (whatever that might be!), but I can see that a bouzouki/uki might be an interesting addition to the fold. And, yes, Booli ... it's an ADVENTURE!!!
 
Have you noticed a key that you particularly feel comfortable singing in? What do you play most of your songs in? That is how you would know if it will work fine for you. In other words if you sing a lot in the key of C and D consider that you might find yourself playing a lot of shapes in the key of E or F to raise it back to your comfort zone. On the baritone the E shape is great but the B shape might be something you hate playing. That would be the only thing you might decide later that you don't like. If that uncomfortable shape (what ever it might be for you) falls in your range you might find yourself avoiding that instrument.

Does that make sense? Try every song that comes your way on that lowered baritone for a while and see if it gives you any trouble. Now if you don't have any chord shape that you avoid your good to go.
 
Personally I find that songs in the key of C are either right at the top or bottom of my range. It's really awkward. Eb is great, though.
 
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