Is there such a thing as "easy to play strings"?

marimorimo

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I'm very new to playing ukulele so please forgive the stupid question. First, some background:

I have a relatively cheap beginner concert ukulele that came with Aquila Aurora strings in orange. Frankly I love the sound of the instrument, even comparing with others that are double the price. It has a clear, bright sound and projects well (for my ears at least).

However, I am quite unhappy with the action. I think the action is either too high, or the strings are too hard/tight. When I first started, it was near-impossible for me to press a string on the first fret, even if I pressed on it with all my might. Nowadays, I have better accuracy but it's still hit-and-miss. I need to put a LOT of pressure on my fingers to get a clear sound.

I've tried other ukuleles from music shops and for me the strings seem almost a dream to play--they feel more pliant, and I don't feel like I have to cut my fingers to get them to sound. The also feel more "floppy" (due to lower tension?) Not sure if this is a pro or con. However, save for the much more expensive ukuleles, I still prefer the sound of my current uke.

Do you think my uke would be easier to play if I changed the strings? Is there a kind of string that has a clear, bright sound yet is also easy to play? I welcome any suggestions.
 
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Any ukulele with any strings will feel easier to play if the ukulele is set up properly. Once you have a good setup, then you can try other strings. For me, my Worth clears feel "gentle" on the fingers. String change will affect the sound, so read the tons of threads here about strings. We have folks on UU who have made string experimentation an art form.
 
You hit the nail on the head about youraction possibly being too high, the Aurora strings are no harder to play then others. At the beginning of my uke journey I bought two inexpensive ukes I loved the sound of but seemed hard to fret compared to others. I took them in and the guy told me the action was way too high, means the strings are higher above the fretboard then they should be. Once they were set up and lowered they were a dream to play and I still own them
 
I had the Aurora colored strings on a uke before and didn't find it too hard or high tension. I think it's more likely that the action on the uke is too high. You say that you have a relatively cheap beginner uke. Without a proper setup, the action of those straight from the factory are almost always too high. I would see about getting the action taken down and see if that helps.
 
This is a great post that demonstrates the importance of a proper set-up. And that's why most of us highly recommend the dealers who do good quality free set-ups like HMS/The Ukulele Site and MIM's. I too had a similar situation with the first one I bought from Sam Ash - a Kala Travel Tenor - that in retrospect the action was too high for me. I got a Flea later and found that wow, lower action really does make a difference.
I can see the difficulty of high-action ukes actually being a deterrent from sticking with it / making it difficult to keep a beginner going.
 
I bought a Makala MK-S - it's said to be a wonderful beginner uke, but I bought it stock at a music store that doesn't do set up. The action on it is way too high, but since I'm not willing to pay someone to fix it at the moment, I'm going to attempt to do it myself once I have another uke if I royally screw this one up. Definitely taught me the importance of ordering from somebody who does set up.
 
As an absolute beginner, you will need to harden up your fingertips, until they have, all strings are going to feel like they are cutting into your fingers. :)

(Something I think some on here forget. ;) )
 
I'm a luthier, very experienced musician, and somewhat of a sucker for great instruments. I bought a tenor not too long ago made by one of the very top builders, and it was almost impossible to fret at the first. Like the that C# chord 1-1-1-4. REALLY to barre the 1-1-1. So it happens to the best. I know it's about steel-stringed instruments, but Frank Ford's site, frets dot com comments on how high he thinks the strings should be at fret #1. You might have a look there...you don't have to chop on your Uke just to see for yourself what is proper. Then you can easily decide what to do from there. sounds like your strings are WAY too high at the nut, as everyone here is saying.

Good luck.
 
Here's an article about compliance (perceived string tension) that's quite interesting, although also a bit lengthy.

It pretty much lists all the factors that can make strings feel stiffer, including a high action:

But there are other factors that can influence how stiff a string feels. One is simply how far you bend it. Fretting an instrument with low action feels a whole lot different than doing a deep string bend on the same instrument.

It seems as though you've identified the likely problem yourself - one way to confirm that the action is off is to test the tuning of the strings at the first couple of frets. If they sound sharp - then you almost certainly need to lower the nut.
 
I bought a Makala MK-S - it's said to be a wonderful beginner uke, but I bought it stock at a music store that doesn't do set up. The action on it is way too high, but since I'm not willing to pay someone to fix it at the moment, I'm going to attempt to do it myself once I have another uke if I royally screw this one up. Definitely taught me the importance of ordering from somebody who does set up.

It is not difficult to cut the slots lower in a nut. You can get torch tip cleaners pretty cheap.

I don't remove the strings, I just move them to the side of the slot on top of the nut. Make sure you angle the slot slightly (higher on fretboard side, lower on headstock side. File the a little and place the string back on the slot. The fret at the 3rd fret. String should barely be above the first fret. I've gotten away with it just touching it. Run 400 grit in the slot when done. Repeat for the other 3 strings.

Take your time and have fun.

John
 
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It is not difficult to cut the slots lower in a nut. You can get torch tip cleaners pretty cheap.

I don't remove the strings, I just move them to the side of the slot on top of the nut. Make sure you angle the slot slightly (higher on fretboard side, lower on headstock side. File the a little and place the string back on the slot. The fret at the 3rd fret. String should barely above the first fret. I've gotten away with it just touching it. Run 400 grit in the slot when done. Repeat for the other 3 strings.

Take your time and have fun.

John

My new uke arrives Tuesday, I plan to attempt it the next week. :)
 
It is not difficult to cut the slots lower in a nut. You can get torch tip cleaners pretty cheap.

I don't remove the strings, I just move them to the side of the slot on top of the nut. Make sure you angle the slot slightly (higher on fretboard side, lower on headstock side. File the a little and place the string back on the slot. The fret at the 3rd fret. String should barely be above the first fret. I've gotten away with it just touching it. Run 400 grit in the slot when done. Repeat for the other 3 strings.

Take your time and have fun.

John

I've seen somewhere that you should just be able to slip a credit card between the string and 3rd fret so it's just touching both.

I slacken the strings off a little so they slip comfortably out of the nut slot then retighten and check. File a little at a time and check frequently. The simple check is that you are not going sharp when you fret the first and 2nd frets.
 
For a new, cheap uke - the first thing I do is sand the saddle down a bit.

I rarely touch the nut - filing the slots is a riskier procedure, and in my experience, nut slots are often fine the way they are on a new uke.
It's normally the saddle which presents the bigger problem, affecting overall action.

Something to keep in mind is that, your inexpensive uke may sound "brilliant" due to its high action.
Once you lower the action and get it to play comfortably, it may not sound as loud and bright.


As for strings, Aquila aren't particular hard tension strings. If you want something easier on the fingers than Aquila, then D'addario plain nylon or Martin clear fluorocarbon ukulele strings are quite soft tension.
 
Thanks for all the advise, guys. I've decided to seek out a luthier who does set-ups around here. Unfortunately the shop where I bought my ukulele from doesn't do them.

As an absolute beginner, you will need to harden up your fingertips, until they have, all strings are going to feel like they are cutting into your fingers. :)

(Something I think some on here forget. ;) )

I'm quite aware of this, and have developed calluses on my fingertips. In fact, the callus on my middle finger got so thick it affected my piano playing (the fingertip felt strangely numb) so I had to stop for a few days. It's better now after I broke off some of the thickened skin but my left middle fingertip still looks flattened compared to my right. I'm pressing on the strings hard enough to leave deep indentations on my fingertips and still encounter buzzing due to not pressing enough, especially on the first fret. I don't think the ukulele should be this hard to play.

Something to keep in mind is that, your inexpensive uke may sound "brilliant" due to its high action.
Once you lower the action and get it to play comfortably, it may not sound as loud and bright.

This is my first time to hear about this. What is the reason behind the loud, bright sound on a high action uke vs a low action uke?
 
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It's better now after I broke off some of the thickened skin but my left middle fingertip still looks flattened compared to my right.

That's just part of being a player of stringed instruments. The skin on the tips of the fretting fingers will be tougher. With nylon strings that doesn't have to mean thick calluses, but the tips won't be as supple as on the other hand.
 
This is my first time to hear about this. What is the reason behind the loud, bright sound on a high action uke vs a low action uke?


It has to do with the string vibrations.
Higher action means there is a wider arc for the strings to vibrate. Additionally higher action means the strings are under higher tension, and therefore more energy is passed onto the ukulele's body.

If there were two ukuleles that are completely identical, except one has a higher action, the one with the higher action will naturally be louder in tone.

With action, there is a fine balance between comfort, tone and playability.
You don't want action to be too low, you will lose some of the volume and tone (furthermore, action too low can make it hard to fingerpick or strum as hard).
Too low of an action can also make your ukulele buzz.


Of course, with higher quality ukuleles that have a more responsive soundboard and better overall craftsmanship, they will sound great even with a lower action.
 
The low as you can go approach is not always the best approach for everyone, although being too high is also not good. But I do believe that there is a happy place somewhere between. For myself, there is a range, and I would rather the action be on the higher side of that range, than on the lower side of it. I actually had a uke set up, but then raised the action a little to get more boom out of it. I know that goes against what a lot of people say and hear.

But just out of curiosity, do you have strong hands? In general, I mean. I had a friend who wanted to learn to play guitar, and the bottom line was that her fingers were delicate and she just did not have a very strong grip. Her fingers were unable to press the strings with sufficient force. I asking if this could be part of the the problem or not?
 
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The low as you can go approach is not always the best approach for everyone, although being too high is also not good. But I do believe that there is a happy place somewhere between. For myself, there is a range, and I would rather the action be on the higher side of that range, than on the lower side of it. I actually had a uke set up, but then raised the action a little to get more boom out of it. I know that goes against what a lot of people say and hear. But just out of curiosity, do you have strong hands? In general, I mean. I had a friend who wanted to learn to play guitar, and the bottom line was that her fingers were delicate and she just did not have a very strong grip. Her fingers were unable to press the strings with sufficient force. I asking if this could be part of the the problem or not?

I agree totally.
In fact, when I look at performances of some professional ukulele players, I suspect that there is some height to their actions to allow for the expressive way they play.

Action is a matter of preference too.
I used to like super low action in the past, but now I prefer it a bit higher.

I would say my preference is medium-low. It's a very very subjective sweetspot.



Interestingly enough, GUITARS do have a standard on what is recommended action.
I believe for classical guitars, it is 4mm for the 6th string at the 12th fret.
A classical guitar that has this setup actually feels a bit "high" for me. I prefer it to be around 3mm (hence "medium-low").


Does ukulele have such standards?
 
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Thanks everyone for the additional clarifications and feedback!

But just out of curiosity, do you have strong hands? In general, I mean. I had a friend who wanted to learn to play guitar, and the bottom line was that her fingers were delicate and she just did not have a very strong grip. Her fingers were unable to press the strings with sufficient force. I asking if this could be part of the the problem or not?

I have to admit my grip is on the weak side (I am female as well). Although I have managed to do relatively well with pressing all the other strings except those on the first fret.

Barre chords are still hit and miss (more on the "miss").
 
I agree totally.
In fact, when I look at performances of some professional ukulele players, I suspect that there is some height to their actions to allow for the expressive way they play.

Action is a matter of preference too.
I used to like super low action in the past, but now I prefer it a bit higher.

I would say my preference is medium-low. It's a very very subjective sweetspot.



Interestingly enough, GUITARS do have a standard on what is recommended action.
I believe for classical guitars, it is 4mm for the 6th string at the 12th fret.
A classical guitar that has this setup actually feels a bit "high" for me. I prefer it to be around 3mm (hence "medium-low").


Does ukulele have such standards?
I found a range on the internet one time, but I don't have it anymore. But my first ukulele was a cheapo and I liked it. I still like it. I was at my first ukulele festival and I happened to be talking to a well known Luthier, who was a sponsor, and a well known performer, who was playing that evening. So the Luthier was looking at my cheapo ukulele and commented that it looked pretty good, but the action was high. The performer took it, strummed it a little, and said that he thought that the action was pretty good. So when the performer left, the Luthier said to me that some performers like a higher action.

So I wondered about that a lot. To me, I guess performing is what it is all about, so I would want it to be set up to give the best performance. But I guess that a lot of people are not interested in performing, and a lower action serves them better for some reason. I suppose there are plenty of performers who like a lower action as well. I'm not being critical, but I do not know to what end someone plays a musical instrument, if not to entertain someone else. I respect whatever drives someone to play the ukulele, I am just saying that I do not understand it. So anyway, I got another ukulele and had it set up before it was sent to me. It was set up pretty low, and I was pretty proud of that, because that is what it was supposed to be. But I noticed that when I was playing it and singing outside un-amplified, it just wasn't cutting it and I was somewhat disappointed. So a guitar player friend of mine suggested that I get a new saddle and just raise the action a smidge. Not a lot. I didn't want to do that, but I did it anyway, and it made more difference than I thought it was going to. I was surprised.

But let me add, I have a grip like a vise, and I found that I did not have the light touch that it took to play such a low action, especially playing in loud venues where I have to compete with other noises, and my chords and notes were sort of stumbling over each other, for the lack of a better analogy. When I raised the action a little, I was actually able to play quicker, clearer, and sound better. So that is my experience with string height. I know that it goes against the mantra, but it is what works for me.
 
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