Drop 3 tuning so warm and full on Baritone Ukulele

johnnysmash

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I got my first ukulele last September. A Kala Baritone. I never did like the strings so I changed them out with D'Addario Classc Nylon Strings, normal tension. I used strings A D G B. The sound is now warm but with out enough sustain. So, a few days ago I tried Drop 3 tuning, just dropping each string 3 half steps. Before I put on a capo I tried my ukulele out with the strings tunned down. Great nice warm sound and plenty of sustain. So far no string rattles or strings that are too loose. No need for the capo now. When I strum chords it is loud. Like a thunder box. Much easier on the fingers.

I need a chord chart if anyone has one for this tuning.
 
I'm a fan of tuning down for the much appreciated sustain. I normally drop down a full step (2 half steps). Surely, this can only be done if the instrument's action and current setup can perform without any buzzing - of course you can have it setup accordingly. Good thing is, most factory setups allow for this :)
 
I thought you meant you were tuning your ukulele to a drop 3 chord and I popped over to see which one it was! ;)
 
Do you mean 3 half steps lower than DGBE baritone? That would put you in E tuning, BEG#C#. I wouldn't learn knew chord names. I'd treat it as a transposing instrument, I.e. pretend you are holding a normal baritone or tenor - whichever chord names you are already familiar with.
 
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Do you mean 3 half steps lower than DGBE baritone? That would put you in E tuning, BEG#C#. I wouldn't learn knew chord names. If d treat it as a transposing instrument, I.e. pretend you are holding a normal baritone or tenor - whichever chord names you are already familiar with.

This is exactly what I do. You've gone down so far that your now just 4 semitones above GCEA. A song that was once in the key of G on a baritone is now transposed into the key of E. A song that was in the key of G in standard gCEA tuning is now in the key of B.
 
I agree with Jim and Anthony. I use the same fingering I'm accustomed to. If I play with other standard tuned instruments, I just capo up accordingly. In your example, capo on fret 3 gets you back to standard. On baritone, using a capo is no biggie for me (on soprano it can get a bit more cramped higher up the neck). Plus, I'm getting to old to learn a new set of fingerings, lol. The capo is your friend.
 
Sounds to me like I do not need a chord chart. Just play finger positions that I already know for myself. If playing with another instrument and he plays an
E chord, I need to think, E is the 6th of what chord? Ah G, so I play a G chord in drop 3 tuning and the other player in standard plays an E chord. So I play a C chord and he plays an A chord and so on. If I am not correct in my thinking please correct me. One can get confussed with trying to work some of this stuff out. Me I am always confussed.
 
That's the basic idea, and you're right it is easy to get turned around. I have my ukes in so many different tunings that I usually get it backwards (sometimes twice :p ) . Once I'm sure, I will usually rewrite/reprint the chord chart so I can read it while playing and not be doing the transposition on the fly.
 
Now a new problem came up. Maybe my friend or wife will play my Tenor Ukulele instead of the Standard Tuned Guitar. My Ukulele is tuned G C E A, low G.

So now on Baritoned tuned B E G# C# I play 0003 fingering to get an E sounding chord. What does she play on my Tenor tuned G C E A to get a matching sound?

I tried to work it out and became brain dead - Daahhhh Please help.
 
Now a new problem came up. Maybe my friend or wife will play my Tenor Ukulele instead of the Standard Tuned Guitar. My Ukulele is tuned G C E A, low G.

So now on Baritoned tuned B E G# C# I play 0003 fingering to get an E sounding chord. What does she play on my Tenor tuned G C E A to get a matching sound?

I tried to work it out and became brain dead - Daahhhh Please help.

TO be honest, If your playing with someone else, then you need to be in the same tuning, OR, you need to take the time to work out your chords.
If your playing solo then alternative tunings are just a matter of transposing.

No easy solutions here.
 
Yes, there is a good reason to tune your baritone to DGBE (G6) guitar tuning, or to tune into GCEA (C6) the other uke family instruments. One person can't learn so many tunings and their chords.
You might search different strings if they are not as tight in your baritone. Tight means always less sustain etc.

With this site you can select various tunings for chords and I like it a lot: https://ukebuddy.com/ukulele-chords

But how many tunings can you handle? The other solution is to use capo, which is also only a compromise and I rather advice you use G6 for your baritone. Maybe nylon strings are less tight?
 
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