Low C AND Low G on a tenor

jnorris235

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Yes, I know I should get a guitar - been told that. But nevertheless I adore the Low G on my tenor and wondered whether anyone uses a Low C also - perhaps next to the normal C string. 5 strings (cant see the point of doubling up on the A). Just a daft question maybe ... Or can a Baritone be tuned GCEA? A guitarlele would mean learning new chords and I dont want to do that.
 
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Really not sure what you're asking. You can definitely tune baritone GCEA with the right strings, either at the normal low G tenor tuning or an octave lower.

You want C3 and C4 on a tenor ? I suppose it's possible, but have not seen that.
 
One nice thing about a guilele/kiku is you can choose to ignore the lower D and A and only play the G C E A strings. However—although you don't touch the lower D and A—their harmonics ring with sympathetic vibrations, creating a beautiful reverb-like ambience, enveloping each note and chord you play. On my recording of Through and Eyes of Love I don't touch the 5th and 6th strings of my TT6 but they're ringing all the time:

 
Beautiful playing as always Peter, that TT6 sounds great. I do the same thing with my Romero Baritone 6 string, I know you own one as well. The sympathetic vibrations from the other two strings reverberate wonderfully. Sounds better then my more expensive custom build Mya Moe baritone.

To answer the OPs question you cannot have a Low G with a “Low C” paired with normally tuned e and a strings, it would sound unbalanced and terrible. Try it yourself with your low G uke, tune the C string one octave down to the same octave as the low G. I have owned a 5 string tenor where the G is doubled. You have Low G, High g then c, e, a it sounds nice and chimey.
 
I've been in communication with Strings and things about a double Reentrant with low G, Low C, Low E and Low A, and the regular Reentrant on an 8 String Tenor.
 
J. Norris, Presently, I am hooked on playing a 19" scale 5 string bari-tenor solid body uke. The added 5th string is a D tuned a fifth lower than the low G string. Chords are the same as the tenor, concert, soprano standard GCEA tuning with only one extra string to finger or even forget about. You can actually tune the D string up or down to create an open drone note which works at times. I think it really opens up the potential of the instrument. However, some folks do object to hearing "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits coming from a ukulele. Still working on "Crazy Train"...
 
Did you mean wound G and wound C? Or do you actually want to drop your C string an octave?
 
The C on a uke is already a "low" one. On six and eight strings it is paired with one that is an octave higher. However, Aquila makes a fifth string set that includes a wound C that is an octave lower and used as lowest string instead of G. I don't really like that on my concert.
 
The C on a ukulele is middle C or C4 on a piano. I am planning on having an 8 String with C3 and C 4.
 
A lot to take in here. Grateful for all your thoughts, and the video, Pete.
I suppose what I was mulling through was being able to go below the G on my 4th string Low G.
And do this by doubling up the 3rd string, C, with a Low C. Thus enabling perfectly ordinary uke chords to be played, but lower notes for melody pluckable!
I figured it could sound cool too, added depth.

I appreciate that the guitalele can also be played with ordinary uke chords having seen the video and the 5th and 6th string being used when wanted, maybe for melody notes or learning a few new fingerings to bring them into play. And Dr Ukenstein, your 5 string sounds even better.

Sadly, I do not like the reentrant sound, preferring a fuller sound from bass notes added in, without wanting to relearn everything on the what now seems an “enormous” guitar!

I cant see how to test the doubling up on the 3rd C string, hence asking if anyone does it.
It would have to have 5 tuning keys, but a unique nut and bridge wouldnt it?
 
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Of course it is possible. Yes, you'd need a nut for sure to accommodate the arrangement. I don't think there is a stock 4-course setup with the 3rd course doubled.

As far as sound, you could test the set up with a guitalele using the bottom 5 strings, i.e leave off the 1st string and string up the rest the way you want. That way all the slots should be bigger than the strings you put in them, so you might get some string buzz, but if you leave off the 6th, the strings might not fit. Of course that would be 5 courses, not the 4 you're after, but it would give you an idea if you wanted to pursue for real.
 
You could try it with an 8 string and change out the high C. There are 8 string ukes with 1-3/8" and with 1-1/2 nuts.

You could restring a 5 String with the high G as the low C. However I think it might be easier if the nut were made for more string separation.
 
Sounds good, I’ll try to get a cheap guitalale or 5 string secondhand (I’m sure I could cut the nut to put the two C’s closer) to experiment on cos I've no idea if it it'll sound good - especially if noones ever heard it done!
 
Hi Jon,
Your pal from down the road here! ;) Do you really mean a C tuned even lower than the C on your uke at present is - i.e. an octave lower? The C you already have is compared to a low G, already a low C. The pitch of that would be so low that you’d end up with a string so floppy and low tension as to tender intonation terrible.
Cheers,
Matt
 
Hi Jon,
Your pal from down the road here! ;) Do you really mean a C tuned even lower than the C on your uke at present is - i.e. an octave lower? The C you already have is compared to a low G, already a low C. The pitch of that would be so low that you’d end up with a string so floppy and low tension as to tender intonation terrible.
Cheers,
Matt

Yes. Was musing about having notes below the Low G. So the extra Low(er) C sounding alongside with its ordinary C string mate. Might sound rubbish but was just musing. You know how I don’t like the twinkly traditional ukulele sound anyway!
 
Yes. Was musing about having notes below the Low G. So the extra Low(er) C sounding alongside with its ordinary C string mate. Might sound rubbish but was just musing. You know how I don’t like the twinkly traditional ukulele sound anyway!

Here is the problem with dropping the C one octave lower, the 17” scale is too short for that and as Matt said it will sound rubbish. Sounds like a baritone might suit your taste if you don’t like the “twinkly” ukulele sound of GCEA. A cheap experiment is buy some baritone strings and install them on your tenor and tune them to DGBE (standard baritone tuning). Baritone scale length is around 20” so the strings will feel a bit floopy on the 17” tenor but it will work.
 
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