Low G vs High G

I know, I know... search first. Tried that and came up with zero!
So... what are the benefits of low G vs high G tuning for my new Lanikai Tenor?
I know that people say that high G "sounds more like a uke", but I can't see any other advantages, especially since I already play guitar. I keep looking for a note on that "low" string, only to find it playing an octave higher.

OTOH-- I think Jake Shimabukuru plays with a high G, and it doesn't seem to bother him any. We saw him a coupla weeks ago and were totally blown away.

I switch back and forth between low and high G depending on my mood and the song. For picking, I generally want my low G because I want those extra semitones. If I want a more traditional ukulele sound, I use the high G, although I have to say that a low G still sounds like a uke. No one is going to mistake it for a guitar.

It depends on the song for me as well. I find some songs seem to fit my voice better with low g(like "I Hung My Head" Johnny Cash version), but others sound just right with high g(like a picked version of Sting's "Fields of Gold"). As I'm sure others with tell you, if you can swing it, one uke strung with low g and another with high g will make it easier for you and give you a reason to buy another uke!

Some advantages of high-G:

• It's the traditional, "uke-y" way to play it.
• Jakes does it, so it must be right!
• It confuses guitarists.
• You can get some nice, tasty, "closed" chord voicing that are difficult, if not impossible, to play without the re-entrant tuning.
• Likewise, when picking individual notes, you can take advantage of that G and A being right next to each other. This makes some lines easier. It also allows you to let those adjacent notes overlap and ring out in a cool way. (See pretty much any of John King's classical ukulele videos for perfect examples of that "Campanella" style.)

Some advantages of low-G:

• It adds about a half octave of range, in a nice, useful spot below middle C.
• Iz does it, so it must be right!
• It confuses banjo players
• You can get those nice, tasty, "spread" chord voicings.

JJ

Hey Paul!

Ukuleles are like whistles and mandolins: you need more than one. One for high G and one for low... and then a few more just because they're there.

I used to like low G for my tenor uke, but I'm really getting into the re-entrant high G thing. It helps you to think like a uke player rather than like a recovering guitarist.

Maybe I'll tune it like a mando and be done with it. :music: