We bought ukuleles for Christmas for the kids, and after reading the instructions carefully, I tuned both instruments with the pitch pipe and off the A string. I've taken lessons on the uke before, so I knew a little. After the kids played with them all morning, my husband decided to play them, but decided they were out of tune. He proceeded to turn the pegs seemingly at random by his own (untrained) ear. When I told him that he wasn't tuning it right, he ignored me, but later said that he wasn't tuning it, just "tightening the strings." He was only turning the pegs, not the screws at the end of the peg. He insists that what he was doing would not change the tuning of the instrument. Am I crazy to think that he's in left field on this? He has no training at all with a ukulele, hasn't read a bit of our intro book, but took beginner guitar lessons 20 years ago so insists he knows what he's talking about. The poor uke was crazy out of tune when he was done. This has turned into a big thing - on Christmas, no less! Help!
Tuning versus "tightening the strings"
- Thread starter sjp3443
- Start date
If the ukuleles have friction tuners, turning the screws at the end of the pegs will tighten the tuners but will have no effect on the tuning of the instrument. By turning the pegs themselves he was most definitely changing the tuning of the instrument.
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Thanks for the reply and confirmation - and here I thought the uke was going to bring laughter and fun to the house! Didn't mean to badmouth my husband - he's a keeper - just thought I'd get a reality check. We'll try some chords tomorrow with the boys, ages 3 and 5 - they love their ukes!
Doug W
Well-known member
There are many online sites for tuning the ukulele. You don't have to actually tell your husband he is nuts because guys hate to be wrong. Compare your uke tuning to this website.
http://www.get-tuned.com/ukulele_tuner.php
Anything that changes the length of strings will change the tuning. OK your husband is just wrong!
http://www.get-tuned.com/ukulele_tuner.php
Anything that changes the length of strings will change the tuning. OK your husband is just wrong!
R
RyanMFT
Guest
Nuprin is exactly right. One step more....a ukulele is not tuned in the same way as is a guitar being that the the top string (closest to your chin when holding it) is not the lowest note of all the open strings.
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Aloha SJP3443,
New strings on new ukes will need constant tuning until the strings strech out or break in....just a good suggestion, get a good digital chromatic clip on tuner...it is fast and accurate. I use a Cherub WST-550C
google it, and it only costs $15.99 one of the best to me...As for tuning your ukulele, whenever you turn the tuning knobs on the ukulele, that is what you're doing...he he...I guess he cannot pull that one on you...Good Luck!! MM Stan...
28 years begins no more information about men than you already have, either.
Go to UkeHunt.com (?). He's just put out a little on-line book for newbies.
Happy Uke Playing.
OldePhart
Well-known member
If he thought he was just turning the screw in the end of either a friction peg or of most enclosed type geared tuners then he did probably did correctly think he was tightening the pegs so they would hold a tune. The problem is, when you do that, you almost inevitably also move the peg or tuner button a little and thus change the tuning as well.
He probably noticed that the tuning was drifting quickly - as almost always happens on a new uke - and thought he was correcting the problem by tightening the tension on the pegs. However, the reason the tuning drifts so quickly on a new uke is because the strings haven't stretched in yet - you just need to tune it often until they stabilize. In the mean time, you don't want to overtighten friction pegs, or the friction screw on enclosed geared tuners, because that just makes it harder to tune - they should be just tight enough to keep the tuning from slipping after the strings have stretched.
(Hey, somebody has to give the poor guy the benefit of the doubt, right?) :biglaugh:
John
He probably noticed that the tuning was drifting quickly - as almost always happens on a new uke - and thought he was correcting the problem by tightening the tension on the pegs. However, the reason the tuning drifts so quickly on a new uke is because the strings haven't stretched in yet - you just need to tune it often until they stabilize. In the mean time, you don't want to overtighten friction pegs, or the friction screw on enclosed geared tuners, because that just makes it harder to tune - they should be just tight enough to keep the tuning from slipping after the strings have stretched.
(Hey, somebody has to give the poor guy the benefit of the doubt, right?) :biglaugh:
John
He's a guitar player...
..so he probably thought the tension on the strings was too low. These are probably soprano 'ukes, right?
If he wants a more guitar-like experience, he needs to play a concert or tenor 'uke, where (for standard GCEA tuning) the string tension is higher.
Meanwhile, keep him away from those 'ukuleles!
..so he probably thought the tension on the strings was too low. These are probably soprano 'ukes, right?
If he wants a more guitar-like experience, he needs to play a concert or tenor 'uke, where (for standard GCEA tuning) the string tension is higher.
Meanwhile, keep him away from those 'ukuleles!
We are not that hard to figure out. All we are, is boys with toys. The older we get, the more expensive the toys.
Geeky666
Well-known member
When I change strings, I find myself checking my tuning after every song. It's not something I do just once a day, I can't stand being out of tune! It's not like changing your oil in your car every 6 months, you need to check, check, check. Get a tuner and keep it in tune. Eventually the strings will break in and you will gain confidence in them staying in tune. To me, correct tuning is fundamental. If your kids are playing a detuned instrument it just may be the dissuading factor and they could lose interest.
Kala makes this ukulele-specific tuner that seems to work really well.
They're available on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ITEM-KALA-BRAND-KC-02-CLIP-TUNER-Ukulele-/330512558554?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf41569da
I stretch the strings with my hands a bit as I string them up. I also often tune the ukulele to D tuning for a day or so (ADF#B), then back down to C tuning for my regular use.
Chromatic tuners are cool because on a fresh set of strings you can see them going out of tune just by plucking quickly and watching the screen on the tuner. Even if you hold the knob steady you won't feel it move, but the strings will still detune. That might be the best way to illustrate what's happening - and they're fast and easy to use, too.
Chromatic tuners are cool because on a fresh set of strings you can see them going out of tune just by plucking quickly and watching the screen on the tuner. Even if you hold the knob steady you won't feel it move, but the strings will still detune. That might be the best way to illustrate what's happening - and they're fast and easy to use, too.
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