LowG/HighG on same uke

joramy · Jul 1, 2016

A player in our uke group has a uke with both a log G and high G strings; they are right next to each other so you can't play one without hitting the other (her uke has 5 tuning screws).

Any advantage to this? I would think it a disadvantage for playing melody, since strumming low G will always hit the high G string as well.

What is the rationale for this?

Joramy
www.lakesidepress.com/UkeSyllabus.pdf

brUKEman · Jul 1, 2016

I have a 5 string uke and I use it mostly for strumming. The low G gives it some bottom. The five strings makes it sound louder and fuller, yet it still has that ukey sound. I accompany myself on harmonica and like the overall sound.

ubulele · Jul 1, 2016

I've avoided them because I want my ukes to be maximally versatile--good for strumming and fingerpicking, while I think the 5-strings suffer in both areas. In theory, you could become adept at selecting which string you pick when fingerpicking, which would be a boon, but in practice, I'd hit the wrong string far too often. In strumming you're always emphasizing the 4th string pitches in chords, and that's often the wrong component of a chord to push.

Good for those who just want beefier sound, bad for those who are more musically discerning about voicings, or who fingerpick on the lower strings, whether reentrant or linear.

Down Up Dick · Jul 1, 2016

ubulele said:
I've avoided them because I want my ukes to be maximally versatile--good for strumming and fingerpicking, while I think the 5-strings suffer in both areas. In theory, you could become adept at selecting which string you pick when fingerpicking, which would be a boon, but in practice, I'd hit the wrong string far too often. In strumming you're always emphasizing the 4th string pitches in chords, and that's often the wrong component of a chord to push.

Good for those who just want beefier sound, bad for those who are more musically discerning about voicings, or who fingerpick on the lower strings, whether reentrant or linear.

Yeah, that's about why I got rid of my six string (traded it for an eighter); I didn't like fingerpicking it at all, and I had plenty of others to strum. I really like my Kala eighter. It's sound is chimey when strummed, and, though it's a bit difficult to fingerpick, it's better than the sixer.

ld:

igorthebarbarian · Jul 1, 2016

I played greenie's 6-stringer and really liked it. A cool different sound without having to learn new fingerings. Now I need a 6- or 8-string. I'm just a strummer so maybe an 8?

Down Up Dick · Jul 1, 2016

igorthebarbarian said:
I played greenie's 6-stringer and really liked it. A cool different sound without having to learn new fingerings. Now I need a 6- or 8-string. I'm just a strummer so maybe an 8?

As I said before I prefer the eighter, but if you just strum, I guess the sixer would be okay. More volume and a different sound than a normal Uke. I mostly didn't like picking it.

From the first, I really wanted an eight string, but the store didn't have one so I bought the six string. Tsk tsk.

ld:

LowG/HighG on same uke

joramy

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brUKEman

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ubulele

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Down Up Dick

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igorthebarbarian

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Down Up Dick

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