Why did you choose concert over tenor or vice versa?

Kherome

Kherome

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I have recently acquired a really nice uke. It's so nice that I'm a little hesitant to do certain things with it and I thought maybe I could find a low cost laminate uke to be less careful about while I learn some techniques (Like chucking, which I am afraid I may accidentally lay some scratches down from doing it wrong) so if I go wrong I damage the cheap uke not my good one.

I'm unsure if I want a tenor (like my good uke) or a concert. I know it's all personal taste, but I would like to hear why you would choose a concert over a tenor or a tenor over a concert etc.

I appreciate all insights! Thanks!
 
Strictly based and hand & finger size, and the ability to stretch or cram fingers on tenors or sopranos. The concert just “ fits.” If my hands were larger, and my fingers were longer & more flexible, I’d be playing a tenor.
 
I'd get something different from what you have so you can decide what YOU like. Since you have a tenor, get a concert. If you get another tenor then string one low-G and one high-G.

If I have any regrets on uke-buying it's that I bought cheap ukuleles which are now taking up space rather than getting good ones. Countering that regret is that I could have spent more on a single uke than on the entire stable, and I wouldn't have learned that I generally prefer low-G tenor. That preference isn't absolute - before opening the forum I was playing my high-G concert.

I would try not to worry too much about scratches and just play. Whatever you get, spend enough to get something decent rather than a complete throw-away. Life's to short to play an instrument that doesn't sound good, especially if you already have one that does.
 
My first uke was a concert. I took to it immediately. The size felt comfortable to play and the sound was very close to the "traditional" sound associated with the soprano ukulele. After a while I thought it would be interesting to try some of the other sizes. I tried a few sopranos in the music store and knew almost immediately that my fingers were going to be too crunched on the fretboard. I couldn't comfortably make clean chords, it was just too cramped. I then tried out some tenors. I played one for a while to see if I would like it. Initially I did and ended up springing for a nice Pono tenor. I was very excited when I received it and I played it a lot for a while. As time went by I grew less and less enamored with it until it got to the point where I was barely playing it at all. It was no fault of the uke itself, it was a nice uke and sounded very nice. I just couldn't bond with the size. For me, the tenor was starting to move into guitar territory and the sound was moving a bit too far away from the ukulele sound I was looking for. Since I didn't like the tenor size I never considered a baritone. I would have disliked it for the same reasons I didn't like the tenor but even more so.
 
Good question!
I've owned sopranos, concerts, tenors, and even 2 baris.
I only have concert size ukes left, and my next one is a concert size.
It's like stated above....it fits my hands. The left hand size seems to be the major determiner.
It fits in my case.
I prefer the tone, just midway of a jangly, punchy soprano, and a guitary tenor.
And, it doesn't make me look fat.
 
Soprano. Can't beat the sound (my opinion) and being able to stretch across alllll those frets. Sure, it might feel cramped at first, but then it feels natural after a short while.

Having said that, concert feels so perfect, size-wise. Like mikelz777 said, tenor felt too guitar-like (I got a baritone to keep myself from buying a guitar!). :p But it's worth trying out each size to see what works for you. I rented a soprano for a month to make sure i liked it, so if renting is an option, it will give you a way better idea than 20 minutes in a music shop. As was mentioned, if you don't have a tenor yet, try that.

The downside to switching between sizes is not having the same muscle memory in your fingers as to where your frets are.
 
Scale preference mainly comes down to what you're used to. After all, I see little kids playing just fine on full sized guitars so the human hands and brain are very flexible. At some point in life we probably don't adjust as easily as when we were younger and then hand size and flexibility comes into play more. I'm way on the wrong side of 60 and my fingers are almost as flexible as I was at 20 (the rest of the body ain't tho').

Coming from playing classical guitar and bass I initially thought a tenor was impossibly small at first and it cramped up my left hand something terrible. And I'm only 5'8" with medium mitts. So I bought a baritone and tuned it up to G C E A with lighter strings. I struggled with that tiny baritone fingerboard for a year but managed to finally get used to the small 20" scale. Next I practiced on a Pono tenor for a few months and was amazed I could play it, albeit still small feeling. Two years after my baritone experience I'm comfortable on the tenor and can run up and down like a mad man so I figured anybody can adjust if you put in the time. And, yes, I still play 6 and 7 string classical guitars so you brain eventually stores separate fingerboard maps for the various scales and you don't give it a second thought. Only initially it's tough. Really tough.
 
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Soprano & Concert are my preferred sizes at the moment.
I agree with what some of the others have said about the concert being a great size plus not sounding too far off from the soprano sound.
 
I havent chosen :)
I lean slightly towards concert scale, but my best ukes are also tenors.

Concert pros:
Lower tension is easier on the hands,
Looks and sounds more traditional
Less stretch for the fingers on the first few frets.

Tenor pros:
Probably more volume with the higher tension
More sustain,
Better place for the fingers between the frets higher up the neck.

If you want to focus on tenor scale, get one more.
Or try a concert and de ide later.

As people say, it is a matter of habit, and whatever you play the most you will probably be comfortable with.
 
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After trying out most sizes, I found the one right for me - I did most of my learning on a concert scale long neck soprano.

I have mostly concert & tenor scale ukes in my collection, but by far my best ukes are the tenor scale long neck concerts that I now have - perfect, for me - maybe take a look yourself. :)
 
Concerts are my favorites. For me, the scale length and body size just hit a sweet spot in terms of tone, string tension, and playability. Tenors are a close second. Sopranos are finding more favor with me as time goes on. Baritones... meh.
 
I’ve played concerts mostly, but I really like baritones best. I prefer the low tones and the size of them.

I mostly just use them to sing or noodle with now. I guess I’m really into other things at present. :eek:ld:
 
Concert scale is my favorite. For me it comes down to two things. Most importantly it just feels the most comfortable for me to play. It just fits how my arm and fingers want to play. It feels more natural than the other scales. Secondly, the concert gives me the sound that I am looking for. It keeps some of the traditional soprano sound while adding just a bit more of the resonance and sustain of a tenor. It's just right...
 
Kherome said:
I have recently acquired a really nice uke. It's so nice that I'm a little hesitant to do certain things with it and I thought maybe I could find a low cost laminate uke to be less careful about while I learn some techniques (Like chucking, which I am afraid I may accidentally lay some scratches down from doing it wrong) so if I go wrong I damage the cheap uke not my good one.

I'm unsure if I want a tenor (like my good uke) or a concert. I know it's all personal taste, but I would like to hear why you would choose a concert over a tenor or a tenor over a concert etc.

I appreciate all insights! Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ha, I had the same chucking concerns. My advice is to slow your chuck down to an absolute crawl. Watch the mechanics for a sec. It’s technique. A chuck should not hurt your Uke. I can understand learning on a beater first.

As far as size, I was drawn to Concert. I recently bought a cheap tenor off amazon to satisfy some curiosity. I was stoked to find at this point in my Uke journey I’m not interested. Although, for the best range you obviously need a Low G Tenor. However, I plan on seeing how deep I can take the concert size.
 
When I decided to get into ukuleles, I decided from the first moment to be a tenor player. I thought that sopranos would be high-pitched, twangy, and shrill--kind of like a plastic harmonica. Whether that's true or not, it has still been the organizing principle in my hobby.
 
Kibes37 said:
Ha, I had the same chucking concerns. My advice is to slow your chuck down to an absolute crawl. Watch the mechanics for a sec. It’s technique. A chuck should not hurt your Uke. I can understand learning on a beater first.

As far as size, I was drawn to Concert. I recently bought a cheap tenor off amazon to satisfy some curiosity. I was stoked to find at this point in my Uke journey I’m not interested. Although, for the best range you obviously need a Low G Tenor. However, I plan on seeing how deep I can take the concert size.
Click to expand...

Oh I am working slowly on it! But still Occasionally it goes awry and I am don't want to lay a big scratch across my beautiful uke. So I hope to find a cheaper laminate to practice some of that kind of stuff so I don't muck it up haha!
 
There are a lot of ways to chuck. I tend to find focusing on making sure my index finger is bent and tucked on the down strum, so only the top of my nail hits and glides before the palm under my thumb follows with the mute. What I find harder is strumming without my index fingernail (now that it is long) catching a string or the side of the neck. I prefer to strum with the meat of my finger tip. I get it eventually, but that could cause some unwanted scratches. Unless you sport your strum scratches like a badge of honor. A lot seem to.
 
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For me it's all about hand size. Wanted to play tenor because I loved the sound of the one I got, but just can't stretch to do it. Tiny hands.
I had someone from UU trade me that tenor for the same model in concert (solid cedar top) and I totally love it! Put on a low g string. Definitely my favorite uke.
I'm with someone above who said don't go crazy about some scratches. You're playing it, it's not a museum piece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(guitar)
Have fun!
 
Cluze said:
Concert scale is my favorite. For me it comes down to two things. Most importantly it just feels the most comfortable for me to play. It just fits how my arm and fingers want to play. It feels more natural than the other scales. Secondly, the concert gives me the sound that I am looking for. It keeps some of the traditional soprano sound while adding just a bit more of the resonance and sustain of a tenor. It's just right...
Click to expand...

I could add all sorts of words to this, but I couldn't have said it any better. Why do I love concert size? It's just right.
 
I think that James Hill had a video where he told you what size ukulele you should play based on the length of your forearm. I'm not sure how valid that is, as I've seen some pretty excellent big guys playing sopranos, but it is out there somewhere.
 
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