Well, theJumpingflea is correct...this tuning is what makes the ukulele unique. The uke can be tuned a lot of different ways, each for a particural sound or song style. I have found that some ukes sound better tuned a certain way...ie. Low G, slack string, ADF#B, etc. Try some different tunings and see which one opens your uke(s) up. This by the way is also an excuse to develop UAS... I mean, now you have different ukes set up for certain types of playing and each now sounds as good as they possibly can! It makes perfect sense...hehehehe!:music:
Re-entrant tuning is a very old one, dating from the renaissance. For some lutes and for some early 4 course guitars, music was written for re-entrant tuning. Most of the renaissance and post-renaissance guitars were 4 courses of double strings with the first and second courses tuned as matching doubles, and the 3rd and 4th courses tuned an octave apart (similar to the modern 12-string guitar) - later on both lutes and guitars, the 1st course became a single string to better accmomdate fancy soloing and technique on the highest string. And finally, the 4th course became a single string or a double tuned the same to emphasize the tonality that a musician/composer wanted.
I've often noted that re-entrant tuning on many ukes igve it a more ringing tone from the sympathetic vibrations of the high G string.
Re-entrant tuning is a very old one, dating from the renaissance. For some lutes and for some early 4 course guitars, music was written for re-entrant tuning. Most of the renaissance and post-renaissance guitars were 4 courses of double strings with the first and second courses tuned as matching doubles, and the 3rd and 4th courses tuned an octave apart (similar to the modern 12-string guitar) - later on both lutes and guitars, the 1st course became a single string to better accmomdate fancy soloing and technique on the highest string. And finally, the 4th course became a single string or a double tuned the same to emphasize the tonality that a musician/composer wanted.
I've often noted that re-entrant tuning on many ukes igve it a more ringing tone from the sympathetic vibrations of the high G string.
And the low G tuning gives you a larger range. I therefore like low G tuning on the most resonant ukes, and high G on ukes which benefit from the sympathic re-entarnt tuning.
I love 'em both. It's a wide wide world!
I just did some googling and found this: http://www.lgv-pub.com/Essays/Fink_-_Tuning_paper.pdf
Look at fig. 6c. on page 7. Not only is it reentrant tuning but it is exactly the same tuning as a modern ukulele. It looks to be an octave higher but guitarists always write an octave too high. They were using this tuning in Spain prior to 1555. Amazing. I wonder what the scale length was. I'm off to do more research.
Because then we get to say "re-entrant" and actually sound serious.