Can Someone Tell Me What These Chords Become?

Hi,
I'm new to this site and the ukulele in general and I have a question that I'm hoping someone might be able to answer. I was just fooling around with my uke the other day and I tuned the 4th sting to E the 3rd string to A the second string to C and the first string to E. I then played a C chord a G7 an A, an F, a G and Em chord. I've been playing guitar for years and experimenting with different tunings and am wondering if the same thing is possible on an ukulele. I know that if you tune a guitar and then play a certain chord what the chord is actually changes with the tuning. For example if you tune your guitar to DGCFAD a C chord becomes an A#. So my question is if that is possible on a ukulele and if the uke is tuned in the way that I mentioned above what do the chords I also mentioned turn into? What does a C, G7, A F, G and Em become?
If someone could answer my question, I would be most grateful.
Thanks,
KarlisAndris

This would drive my brand new music theory brain cells crazy.

KarlisAndris said:

I've been playing guitar for years and experimenting with different tunings and am wondering if the same thing is possible on an ukulele. I know that if you tune a guitar and then play a certain chord what the chord is actually changes with the tuning.

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You say you have years of experience with guitar (a fretted 6-string instrument) - and now you ask such a question? How much different should a fretted 4string instrument be from a fretted 6string?
Or maybe I am simply wrong assuming that someone playing an instrument "for years" also got in touch with some theoretical knowledge about his instrument and music as such.....

Anyway, sorry for ranting,
BTT: you can tune your uke to whatever odd tuning you like - just be a bit careful with the string tension to not tear the uke apart. I'd guess a decent uke could easily stand being tuned two notes up (but don't quote me on that one when it doesn't, the risk of doing so is fully yours)
Maybe this one helps: consider your uke being a guitar without the two bass strings (E, A) and with a capo in 5th fret - this is linear gcea tuning. In re-entrant tuning the g (on guitar: D string, capoed at 5th) is an octave higher.

And pls be precise with wording and distinguish between fretting positions (aka chord shapes) and the actual chords:
The chord is what you hear (= a group of notes in certain intervals),
the chord shape is what you do (putting fingers on frets of strings tuned to certain notes).

Depending on how the strings are tuned you need different chord shapes for one and the same chord. Example: C major chord consist of the notes C, E, G (repetitions and variations in sequence are allowed). On a uke in standard gcea tuning you use the chord shape 0003 and get the notes G, C, E, C.
If the uke is tuned to adf#b you have to use the chord shape 3211 to get the notes C, E, G, C.
On a baritone uke tuned dgbe you would put your fingers on frets 2010 (this should look familiar to the guitar player) and you hear E, G, C, E.

Check out ukulelehelper.com to answer all your questions about chord shapes with non-standard tunings.

Nickie said:

This would drive my brand new music theory brain cells crazy.

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Not as crazy as you think at first. Music and math have a lot in common, it's all about counting... Don't let the letters confuse you, they are always in the same order (just like numbers from 1 to 12)

A ukulele is basically a small guitar, so a lot of the same principles apply, and yes, you can change the tuning of the ukulele, but there are a number of considerations: a) the strings you have need to be able to handle the tuning (not get so tight that they break or damage the ukulele, or so loose that they flop around), and b) the instrument needs to be able to handle the extra tension if you go for a higher tuning than what it is was designed for (usually that's gCEA for soprano/concert/tenor, and DGBE for baritone). Going two semi-tones up (say, from gCEA to aDF#B) should be fine, anything more and it may be problematic and damage the instrument). Going down is always fine, as long as you like the sound and the bite of the strings.

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us!