Alternate tuning

Ukulelerick9255

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When a song is played with an alternate tuning on guitar such as Till Kingdom Comes by Coldplay do you change tunings on a tenor ukulele?
 
It depends.

According to this : https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/c/coldplay/til_kingdom_come_ver2_tab.htm
The tuning is CACGBE. This makes the first chord just a C major chord. A very "root heavy" chord, if you will, as 4 of the strings are Cs and spread across 3 octaves. But still a C major chord. So that one doesn't require a strange tuning to be playable on uke.

I'll leave the rest as an "exercise for the reader" to see if it could be transcribed for uke either in standard tuning or altered.

ETA: here's a chord sheet with normal chords so you don't have to use an altered tuning on uke
https://ukutabs.com/c/coldplay/til-kingdom-come/

I'm not familiar with the song though so I'm not sure how much of the "nuance" of the original this might be missing
 
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Jim has given you some good info above. Another idea might be...

If you use one of the uke-chord/guitar-chord song sites that allows for on-the-fly transposing, maybe you can transpose it to an easier key like C or G and just play in that key, provided your vocal range is not too strained?

Lots of times I just use the 'C-tuning' chord shapes even if my uke is tuned to something else like a Bb tuning (F-Bb-D-G) or A6 (E-A-C#-F#) [yes and OMG, even the baritone uke in G6 (D-G-B-E) tuning :)] when the key of C is too high for my own baritone-vocal-range, and I really dont care to name the actual chords I am playing. If needed I can always just count down however many semitones to officially 'name the chords'...

Conversely to transpose up, a use of a capo is an easy solution, and similarly, if I can sing it, I dont care to name the chords. With a capo you can count up semitones, i.e. a C chord shape with a capo at the 2nd fret is a D chord, etc...

It's only if I will add other instruments to a recording like bass or guitar, OR if I am playing with other folks that I would really need to know the names of the chords.

I know it's a self-imposed ignorance to defer the actual chord naming, but I am not obsessed with theory and how the Circle of FIfths will apply, I care if it is easier to play, sounds good and fits my vocal range (if it is a song I want to sing).

In the end there are no rules, and you have to find whatever works for you. Rules are all meant to be bent, broken or adapted to one's individual needs. :)
 
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