Most useful tuning for fingerstyle

PeterF

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Hi, I'm new to the ukulele but have been playing fingerstyle guitar for around 5 years. I've also built a few guitars and now that I'm getting more into this instrument, I thought I'd build myself a uke too. Now, I'd like to concentrate mostly on fingerstyle type songs and have found that many are in low G tuning. I want to build it with the tuning in mind from the start because of intonation issues with dropped tunings, and I don't really want to be changing strings all the time.
So basically which tuning do you find yourself playing in the most - low or high G?

Or am I totally overthinking it with the intonation issues? I know guitars have problems, but I don't know about ukes.

Or I could just build 2... :D
 
Hi, I'm new to the ukulele but have been playing fingerstyle guitar for around 5 years. I've also built a few guitars and now that I'm getting more into this instrument, I thought I'd build myself a uke too. Now, I'd like to concentrate mostly on fingerstyle type songs and have found that many are in low G tuning. I want to build it with the tuning in mind from the start because of intonation issues with dropped tunings, and I don't really want to be changing strings all the time.
So basically which tuning do you find yourself playing in the most - low or high G?

Or am I totally overthinking it with the intonation issues? I know guitars have problems, but I don't know about ukes.

Or I could just build 2... :D

I, too, have played fingerstyle guitar for a few years and just started ukulele about two months ago. I use a low G and don't notice any problems with intonation. Right now, only playing my new (to me) Pono all solid mahogany tenor.
 
Or I could just build 2...
... you know you will anyway ;)

In the meantime, will you be playing primarily from conventional notation or from tab?

Conventional notation means you'll need to arrange the piece for yourself, so the consideration here will be the overall range of the music. If you need the overall range you'll need the low G (and possibly end up sounding much like a guitar halfway up the neck !!)

If you're anticipating playing from tab, the decision is already made for you ... is the music arranged for high or low G?

I've not noticed any intonation issues that couldn't be cured by an appropriate choice of saddle. I removed the compensated saddle that was fitted to the ukulele that I set up with low-G strings and replaced it with a straight one ... it's fine, but maybe I'm not too fussy ;)

In the end I found I was not using the low-G ukulele very much and re-strung it with a set of Aquila 5th's (tuned like a mandolin/fiddle).

I continue to play finger-style ukulele on a conventional high-G instrument ... mostly 'cos the tabs I've bought are arranged like that :)
 
I was primarily a fingerstyle guitar player before I started playing uke. When I started playing finger style I started with a low G because it was more in line with what I was used to. Over time because more tabs are high G I started playing more high G. At this time I play more high G. Intonation has not been an issue.
 
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