Traditional Ukulele Sound...

Just wondering, is the ukulele evolving away from the traditional plink-plink sound?

I'm not saying this is good or bad, but it seems that, like guitars a decade or more ago, ukuleles are now turning up with more exotic tonewoods. And it seems that there is so much more attention fullness and sustain.

A week ago I showed a Ukejon youtube of Time After Time to a friend who plays bluegrass. He couldn't believe the tone coming out of that ukulele... of course Jon is a tonemaster himself.

I know more people play the larger ukuleles... concerts and especially tenors, so there will be more fullness to the sound.

I was just wondering... any comments?

John

Aloha 70sSano,
Technology changes everything on the face of the earth, relatively speaking...
The main thing is that we keep the Traditions, cultures, and languages alive and never forget...
To answer your question absoulutely, look at the electric ukes that hook up to the amps and all
if you weren't looking you wouldn't reconize what instument it was. Personally my preferance
is the classical old hawaiian style, the calang, calang style. Also I like the soprano style,
and when I switch between all my sizes, and when I go back to the soprano I get much
enjoyment out of it, like an old friend...I'm sure I'm not the only one...
"keep on strumming them strings" Uke On!!! MM Stan..

I cant say with any profesionalism, but I think maybe in some cases. Instrument builders are simply providing more variety to Uke players, which is good and bad maybe. Some of the tradition may be overshadowed but far from gone. At the same time, it is also broadening the scope of the instrument, and bringing more people to take it more seriously as a legitimate instrument. Years ago, it was more of a novelty instrument. Personally, I like the shallow plink plink sound, just as I love the tinny plinking sound of an early blue grass banjo. I also LOVE the tinny plinking sound of a vintage rag time era piano. I have a 1920s Player piano, that spent years in a saloon just after the turn of the 20th century. By todays sophisticated ear, it might be considered horrible sounding. But, again, I LOVE it's vintage twangy shallow tones. Same with the Uke. I love the shallow plinking sounds, but at the same time, love the fullness of some of the other Ukes. It really all depends on what I am playing. Sometimes I grab my Banjo Uke, which some may say sounds like a toy. But, it is the charm of it, and it's supposed to sound that way (besides, how can you say something is wrong when it makes people smile?). I don't play it with all songs, because it doesn't sound right with all music, but for it's intended purpose, you can't beat the nostalgia, and vintage authenticity.

So, to answer your question, Yes. Is that good or bad. I think good, just as long as part of that variety still included the charm of the vintage roots..

Just an added note. Things I have noticed, and I am sure many of you have too.

I can be holding one of my guitars, or even a banjo, or at the piano. People may walk by, un-noticing. Some may stop and listen. But, when I am playing the Uke, EVERYBODY notices, and stop to listen, all, even some that don't smile allot will have at least a grin on their face, if not a full blown smile. Why is that ya suppose?

I love the diversity of the sounds coming from ukes these days. But like Tudorp, I also love a little plinky sound now and then too. I think that is why people have so many ukes... you gotta love the variety each one brings. I am at NAMM right now and a guy from Santa Cruz guitars was talking to me and he said he was amazed by how many people "collect" ukes.

I would think that a large part of the reason for the sudden diversity in tonewoods used for ukulele is that there is a MARKET for them now. In the past, pretty much the only choices available were mahogany, koa, or plywood, so that's what peopled played. But as luthiers who were used to working with other woods realized that they could actually sell ukuleles, they started using the other woods, and players discovered that different woods had different sound qualities. Which encouraged more luthiers to make ukes, etc etc etc. This is an oversimplification, of course, but you get the idea. The current popularity of the ukulele combined with the large number of great luthiers now making them and the players' quest for a different sound all combine to create a "positive feedback loop".

As the uke picks up greater popularity, it's going to be subjected to a ton of different interpretations by luthiers. I'm sure during its first popularity wave in the '20s and '30s, the materials used to make those ukuleles were different than the "traditional" woods, and there were different sounds. Then in the '50s people like Maccaferri decided to make plastic ukes, which is even further from the "traditional" wood sound.

So we went from a Hawaiian interpretation of a Portuguese instrument in Ye Olde Days, using materials from (primarily, I'm assuming) the islands, since they were the only things available, to mainland interpretations of a Hawaiian instrument, to more global interpretations of a ukulele, using woods (or materials, like carbon-fibre!) from different areas. I don't think the ukulele is "evolving" as much as it's just achieving a much broader sort of variation (and, as any biologist will agree, variation is a tremendously awesome thing!).

Besides, at this point in humankind's technological achievements, we could figure out how to reproduce the instruments of the past almost exactly, and come up with the same sounds (see: Mike DaSilva's brilliant Santo reproductions).

How much the plinky sound got lost when switching to C tuning over the higher D?

Harold, good question, I just got the Ohana sopranino and tuned it to D, and the sound is very authentic and charming. It sounds cheap but it's like it is supposed to.

On the other hand my Kanilea, with flourocarbon strings, sounds like an electric instrument with all the sustain.

But, I'm getting a very authentic sound with natural gut strings and my Loprinzi mahogany right now. Mellow, woody, and plinky too.

Back to the main question, I think it's because people are getting away from the sopranos and are buying tenors and concerts. So they sound different, they sound more like guitars, especially when electrified.

I'm slightly ashamed to admit I actually prefer the tone of a tenor to a soprano. Though, there are certain songs that just don't work with my tenor and I have to reach for the soprano. Namely "strummy" songs- Five-foot-two, I'll see you in my dreams, etc.

Yes we're evolving. Blame Jake. Everybody wants a tenor, which won't give you that traditional sound. And admittedly I'm guilty too. I had a BoatPaddle Kayak soprano made specifically to have richer tone like a tenor, but to have the light string feel of a soprano and the bright sound of thinner strings. It has a ton of sustain for a soprano. But through various choke techniques and using a pickup I can get a more traditional sound as well. It gives me more flexibility to play both traditionally and nontraditionally on the same uke.

jkevinwolfe said:

Yes we're evolving. Blame Jake. Everybody wants a tenor, which won't give you that traditional sound. And admittedly I'm guilty too. I had a BoatPaddle Kayak soprano made specifically to have richer tone like a tenor, but to have the light string feel of a soprano and the bright sound of thinner strings. It has a ton of sustain for a soprano. But through various choke techniques and using a pickup I can get a more traditional sound as well. It gives me more flexibility to play both traditionally and nontraditionally on the same uke.

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WHAT??? Using the SAME uke for MORE THAN ONE SOUND???? Why, that's just.... unnatural!

alec534 said:

I'm slightly ashamed to admit I actually prefer the tone of a tenor to a soprano.

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Seriously? Ashamed?!?!? I will unabashedly state that I like my tenors the best. And no, they don't sound "guitary" in the least. I'm also a guitar player, so I know.

jkevinwolfe said:

Blame Jake.

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Some folks on every uke forum have no problem doing just that.

Mahogany is possibly the most popular wood for ukes same as it may have been 100 years ago.

New styles and techniques has alot to do with it. Check out this great video with Aunt Vi, "my ukulele don't have that"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPyfq9uHaXM

Who Jake?......

Ahnko Honu said:

Who Jake?......

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StereoJoker said:

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Win! I think I need that blown up to poster size.

StereoJoker said:

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Bubble Boy? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258470/
Should have guessed.