Lanikai SM-C Nice in D, thin in C help?

WreckerGirl said:

I recently bought a Lanikai splated mango concert uke. Sounded great in the store. Got it home and tuned it C-G-E-A and it sounds thin and a little tinny (banjo-like). Not much volume, either. My starter uke (Vineyard concert) has better volume and fullness. Then it occured to me it was tuned to D-tuning in the store. I retuned it and the sound is brighter. BUT my dilemma is, what does keeping it tuned in D mean? Are the chords different? Can I play with others? I love the look of the mango, and the aquila strings are great -- very bouncy that helps me move from chord to chord. But I'm disappointed with the sound in C tuning. Keep it in D or take it back and exchange it for another uke with a more full sound? The local store carries Lanikai ukes and I was hoping this would be an upgrade from my Vineyard. Not so sure.

Noobie mistake.

Click to expand...

Uncle Rod Higuchi said:

OK, the bottom line is this:

C tuning and D tuning.

- the chords are different(ly named) - same finger form but different names.
- Yes, you can play with others (but your finger forms will be different from the other players).

If you're OK with learning new names for chord forms, then playing ukes tuned differently does
not need to be a problem. You will just have to keep things clearly in mind when switching from
one tuned in C to the one tuned in D.

If you're playing alone or doing a solo, you won't have to be concerned about the tuning. Whatever
works for you (picking or singing) will be fine. if anyone wants to strum along, it will be their problem
in figuring out what key you're playing in.

So a lot of it boils down to whether you plan on playing in a group and being the odd person out, or
if you will be primarily playing by yourself.

Whatever you decide, keep uke'in',

PS with the profusion of sopraninos, maninis, and pocket ukes mostly in D tuning, don't feel like you're
a sore thumb. Remember, at one time almost all the sheet music was in D tuning. A lot of it has to
do with whether you'll feel comfortable explaining to others how and why you're playing a ukulele in
D tuning.

Click to expand...