String Tension & Playability

lifereinspired

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Hi!

I'm trying to understand a little bit more about string tension.

From what I understand, the longer fretboards (ie concert, & tenor or a long neck soprano, etc) will have higher string tension. I'd this correct? Is it simply the increased length of the neck/strings that causes the higher tension or something more? Are the strings "thicker" or "heavier gauge" than soprano strings or simply longer (it wouldn't make sense to me that the gauge was different but I'd like to know for sure)? Can this issue be alleviated at all? Do different strings (whether various manufacturers or styles within a particular manufacturer) have more or less tension at all? What happens if you put, say, concert or tenor strings on a soprano? Would the string tension increase for any reason? Would the sound change?

Higher string tension will make it harder to press to chord & bar chord, correct? What else would it effect? Tone? Volume? Any difference for picking/strumming? Just trying to better understand the differences and learn since I'm starting out.

Part of why I'm asking is because I'm trying to figure out the best size instrument for me to start with. I have had the chance to play a fair bit on both a soprano and tenor from the same manufacturer to compare them. I mostly like the fret spacing on the tenor and really like the sound. However, I have a rare genetic condition that causes defects in my connective tissue and I have a lot of problems with joint laxity/dislocations/weakness in my fingers, as a result. I have fairly small hands with moderately small finger width. I've noticed that I still can manage the soprano fret spacing fairly well but I can bar chord much easier on the soprano right now. The tenor has caused some frustration because it takes all the finger strength I have to fight to bar chord (even doubled up with my middle finger) and I can only rarely get a "clean" sound on the strings - even if that's the only thing I'm trying to do (not even putting it together with other chords in a song, just doing isolated bar chord practice). Although I love the warmer/deeper tenor tone & fretboard spacing, due to the above experience, I'm leaning towards getting a soprano to begin with. I'm thinking that I'll get less frustrated at my current inability to "tame" the higher tension strings and have less pain, too. My rationale was also that once I've built up some strength from regular chording & barring on the soprano for a time, I could add a tenor and build upon the technique, ability, and strength that I will have gained by that time (even if it's just a few months or a year down the road). I'm hoping that would alleviate the pain and frustration that's happening now when trying to bar the tenor without at all giving up on it. Does this seem like a reasonable assumption that I'd be able to build up to the tenor's increased string tension once I've built more strength and skill on the soprano? It's maybe feeling like a slightly more reasonable learning curve for my body now, given the connective tissue issues I have to deal with, though it isn't at all what I was initially thinking since I do love the sound and size of the tenor.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, advice, and experience. Thanks so very much!!
 
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I have freakishly small hands but I can play tenor scaled instrument just fine. It took a while for me to realize that I need to treat that instrument like a baritone or guitar and not like a 'fun' sized instrument. That means being ultra precise with finger placement. There is no room for sloppiness like there is on a soprano or concert when you have hands this small. I make every mm count. I did change my low g which was wound on the tenor scaled uke to a unwound meant for a concert to relieve hand pain and get rid of an awful drone sound going on. I read on the forum that some people had success with putting concert strings on tenor to get lower string tension.

Any reason concert sized ukes don't appeal? They have more space on the fret board than soprano and require less finger spanning than tenors.

Also have you had your uke properly set up? Nut issues can be common reasons for difficulty making a bar chord.

There's nothing wrong with having 2 ukes. :p
 
To answer your questions regarding tension.
*Yes a tenor will be higher in tension then a concert which is higher then a soprano
*It is due to the longer scale, the strings must be pulled tighter to reach the same pitch
*Tenor strings ARE larger in diameter so this adds to the increased tension
*Different types and brands of strings do have different preceived tensions. This is a "try it yourself" to see what works for your fingers issue.
*You can put smaller gauge strings on larger ukes, ie soprano strings on a concert or concert strings on a tenor. It will usually produce a brighter tone with less volume and less tension

Why not get a concert uke and install soprano strings. This will give you the increased fret spacing and a deeper tone that you said you prefer over a soprano. Not as much as a tenor but more so then a soprano.
 
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I always suggest starting on a concert scale uke, more room than a soprano, less tension than a tenor. :)

Higher tension strings tend to give more volume & are thicker. Fluorocarbon strings will have a bit less tension & will feel kinder to your fingers, at least, I think so.

I use fluorocarbon low G concert strings on both my concert scale & my tenor scale ukes, they feel good to me, & have less tension than nylgut.

My hands couldn't cope with tenor spacing when I started out, so I learned to play on concert scale.

Now I can play just about any scale, though I avoid anything smaller than a long necked soprano. ;)
 
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Thanks so much for all of the great information. This is really helping me to understand things more.

The main reason I'm not planning (currently) on starting with a concert is that I want to start with a uke from Outdoor Ukelele. Since I have the issues with my fingers, they tend to not always do as me brain suggests - such as randomly drop things. I really don't want to think about or admit how many of our glass Christmas ornaments died this year from just this thing. Plus, since it will be my first uke and I'm really like freakishly loving playing it, I find myself wanting to bring it everywhere, all the time. I want to be able to bring it to the hospital when I need to be there, I have to travel 4k miles by car 4x a year for specialized medical treatment that can't be received (literally) anywhere else in the world and I want to bring it there regardless of whether it's -20 or 120 degrees. We also plan to camp this year (or at least try to - we've been working on "adaptive" camping for a couple of years now) and I want to bring it along then too. I also have an adaptive recumbent trike and I want to be able to strap it on there and take a ride and play for a bit. The real seat on that will make a perfect playing spot. And, we live in Northern VT with lots of varied humidity (going down to sub 15% in winter to 100% in summer) and the poly will be a fairly bombproof first uke. Once my fingers are a little better trained, I hope to look at a reasonably priced wooden instrument (maybe Magic Fluke or Mainland type of thing??). We're trying to live more "simply" (not enough at this point to call myself a "minimalist", though I'd kind of like to head that way) and we've definitely gotten rid of a lot of stuff that we don't need. But, I can already feel UAS fighting this lifestyle! LOL. I'm thinking the upcoming carbon soprano from OU would be pretty awesome for me and I adore the all black look. All that to say that OU hasn't gone into a concert size just yet, so I'm limited to the other two sizes for now, since I'm wanting to go that direction. The concerts I've played have been lovely, however. It just feels like the OU is a smart option for a first uke for me, at this point.
 
Hi - for what it's worth, I normally like concerts or sopranos (lower tension/ smaller hands) but I did like the Outdoor Uke Tenor. It has nice low action which really helps in the tension. The Carbon Black Tenor just went on sale and it looks like they must have sold out their first batch. So I would imagine a 2nd run soon. If you want to ask them, they're pretty responsive on their Facebook page.
 
I am mostly a soprano player, but I love my Outdoor Ukulele tenor. Easy to play and no worries with temperature. It has been tossed in the trunk, truck, camper etc. and played by several sets of grandkids. I like the frets, the size - it is a smaller tenor imho - and the feel of the neck and body. I have the regular tuners and have had no issues.
 

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Oh, thanks so much to both of you for sharing your experiences with your Outdoor Ukuleles. I really appreciate hearing about it. That's great news hearing that the Outdoor Uke Tenor is easy to play due to the low action & design! While I may still consider starting with a soprano due to the portability, I'm confident a tenor will definitely be in my future. :D

@actadh, can I ask which color OU tenor you have? It looks black (gorgeous uke, BTW!) but I didn't know they actually ever had the tenor in black. I thought it was only the 1st gen original run soprano (with the square neck back) that came in black. It's a beautiful uke! Thanks so much for taking the time to share the photo!
 
I'd suggest starting with the OU soprano, looking at what you intend doing, less tension whilst you get used to playing on it, & if you want a tenor later on, it'll still be there to chuck into your camping kit without taking up much room. :)
 
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