Am I the only one that likes to play a full step down?

ainokeato

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Lol I dunno why but everything I play for some reason it just sounds fuller a full step or even a half step down I don't know if it's because it sounds deeper or lower or something. Anyone else prefer full or half step down versus regular gcea and up?
 
never tried it but i will tonight :D i play guitar a half step down
 
Yeah, I do sometimes.

I'll usually tune my Uke down a full/half step when I feel that playing a certain chord with the GCEA tuning would feel too weird.

ex: With GCEA, a Fmaj7 would be 2413, but if I tuned my Uke to FA#DG then playing a Fmaj7 could be played as 0222 (which would've been a Gmaj7 if with standard tuning).

But generally when I play, it'll be standard.
 
that sounds like a great idea.May i ask,what is the tuning for half and full step down? I will try that tonight also on my tenor.
 
that sounds like a great idea.May i ask,what is the tuning for half and full step down? I will try that tonight also on my tenor.

Full - F A# D G
1/2 - F# B D# G# or Gb B Eb Ab depending on how you look at it.
 
Thanks Deach,are the chord shapes the same a re-entrant?

re-entrant a low-g chords are the same

when you tune down a step, your chord shapes will change. if you play a g-chord 0232, that chord is now an f-chord.
 
I kinda prefer tuning higher if I do change my tuning, I think it sounds ukier.
 
I did that for a while with my concert, because the scale length is such that it's the same string tension as my sopranos if I tune it down.

It was pretty good for jazz, and for playing in flat keys like Eb and Bb. I may go back to it one of these days. It would be good to have key alternatives if you play in a band or with a singer.
 
For me, sopranos sound best in gCEA or aDF#B. I've never understood why anyone would want to tune a tenor gCEA. They sound so much better tuned lower.

Ukantor.
 
For me, sopranos sound best in gCEA or aDF#B. I've never understood why anyone would want to tune a tenor gCEA. They sound so much better tuned lower.

Ukantor.

Sticking with a standard tuning is a big plus if you're playing with others.

On a related idea, the composer and violinist Paginini used to tune his violin up a half step or maybe a full step. It made for a brighter sound and made him stand out from the orchestra.
 
For me, sopranos sound best in gCEA or aDF#B. I've never understood why anyone would want to tune a tenor gCEA. They sound so much better tuned lower.

Ukantor.

I agree, well in my opinion anyways :) I don't know why either. I mean I don't go any higher than GCEA maybe it's my need to show everyone the uke isn't just another child's throw away toy. Lol in related news my new Mainland Mahogany Tenor should be arriving in the next couple days so i'm excited.
 
I tune down just so I can hit high notes in certain songs. Wouldn't be fun for me to try to transpose in real-time to actually play with other people, so if I'm with others, I just have to suck it up and hit the high notes.

Also on some ukes, if I lower the tuning, I have to fret more gently or the notes go sharp.
 
I tune down just so I can hit high notes in certain songs. Wouldn't be fun for me to try to transpose in real-time to actually play with other people, so if I'm with others, I just have to suck it up and hit the high notes.

Yep yep I understand, not many people out here in vegas that I know that I can jam with so until I can get a group to hang out with and jam with I wouldn't know much about how it would sound with others much.
 
..... Wouldn't be fun for me to try to transpose in real-time to actually play with other people, so if I'm with others, I just have to suck it up and hit the high notes....

capos come in handy for that situation.
 
capos come in handy for that situation.

I actually tried to get a capo for my original soprano - got a banjo capo, but it just didn't work size-wise.

If you've got a source for uke capos, I'm all ears!
 
I actually tried to get a capo for my original soprano - got a banjo capo, but it just didn't work size-wise.

If you've got a source for uke capos, I'm all ears!

I've used a Kyser banjo capo on a soprano without any problems.
 
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