Tuned down sounds better

ukumic

ukumic

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Hi,

I just wanted to change my strings but was messing around and eventually ended up playing the same strings in lower tuning :p. I first tuned them down two half steps and finally even four half steps (I regularly use GCEA, high G). The thing is that I really seem to like it, both strummed and picked. The uke seems to have a fuller sound which is also louder and has better sustain. I think it would work especially well with rather sad/melancholic songs.

So have you guys tried different tunings? If so, which ones did you like? Do you maybe use them as your standard tuning now? I'm very much interested in your opinions!

What does it mean for me that I like it tuned down? Some kind of guitar envy? :D
 
try a baritone!! those are tuned 5 half steps down, or like the high end (dgbe strings) of guitar.
 
Ukumic, you haven't said, but I'll bet your uke is a tenor.

Ukantor.
 
ukumic said:
Hi,
So have you guys tried different tunings? If so, which ones did you like? Do you maybe use them as your standard tuning now? I'm very much interested in your opinions!
Click to expand...

I gave up on standard tunings. I still use GCEA from time to time, but I don't think of it as standard.

Try this:
FCFA:cheers:
 
F a# d g for the win!
 
I found just the opposite with the pineapple sopranos that I teach folks how to build...they sound best (my opinion) in the old ADF#B tuning. They sound...well, happier!
 
I play a Tenor with dGBE tuning. It sounds great and blends well with the gCEA tuned Concert my wife plays. I think diff tunings are fun to play around with. :D
 
SailorQwest said:
I play a Tenor with dGBE tuning. It sounds great and blends well with the gCEA tuned Concert my wife plays. I think diff tunings are fun to play around with. :D
Click to expand...

What strings do you use? I would think standard gcea tenor strings would get to floppy.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I also tried tuning the C string down to A, sounds cool, guess it's A minor tuning. Pretty limited but just to mess around with.
 
d-mace said:
What strings do you use? I would think standard gcea tenor strings would get to floppy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I've only gone as far down as two half steps, but didn't really like it b/c the strings were already becoming sort of floppy and losing tone. One half step down was fine. When playing solo, my ears aren't quite good enough to tell that a Gb isn't a G as long as all the strings are in tune with each other. I mainly tune down to sing songs out of my range, and when I'm too lazy to transpose.

I haven't tried alternate tunings though...maybe I should start. :D
 
experimentjon said:
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I've only gone as far down as two half steps, but didn't really like it b/c the strings were already becoming sort of floppy and losing tone.
Click to expand...

I agree that the strings are getting floppy, especially with 3 or 4 half steps. But for fingerpicking I might actually like it better: fretting gets easier because you need less pressure - reminds me of my soprano. ;) But maybe I will try Worth Browns instead of the Pro Artes that I'm currently using because the Worths seem to have a bit more tension. Maybe a nice tradeoff between lower tuning and "floppiness".

For strumming, however, I'm missing a bit of the "sharp" sound that you get with GCEA tuning.

But it's definitely fun to experiment with different tunings... :shaka:
 
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