Eddie Vedder songs High G vs. Low G

Hi, I'm fairly new to this forum. Actually this is my first post and I'm also fairly new to the Uke in general. I've been playing for a while but by no means am I any sort of expert. I also live in Canada, (I'm a little removed from Uke culture unfortunatley) so please dont mind i
if my questions are a little obvious.

My first question is: I want to lean some of the new Eddie Vedder Uke songs but I'm not sure if he plays with a High G string or a Low G string, can anyone clarify that for me?

My second question is: I have a Kala Tenor (KA-ASMT) currently strung with a wound Low G string while all my others are nylon. If I want to learn these songs and they are played with a High G string is it possible to achieve a High G with my current string? My guess is no and I didnt want to try in fear of damaging my Uke but I thought I would ask.

Thanks for the help!!!!

Welcome to UU, Martelo!

Martelo said:

My second question is: I have a Kala Tenor (KA-ASMT) currently strung with a wound Low G string while all my others are nylon. If I want to learn these songs and they are played with a High G string is it possible to achieve a High G with my current string? My guess is no and I didnt want to try in fear of damaging my Uke but I thought I would ask.

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I don't know about Eddie Vedder, but no, you can't just crank a low G string up to high G. You will need to replace the string.

Martelo said:

. I also live in Canada, (I'm a little removed from Uke culture unfortunatley) !!!!

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hey and welcome

its part of the canadian uker experiance to be a uke player in isolation.

peace eor

Martelo said:

My first question is: I want to lean some of the new Eddie Vedder Uke songs but I'm not sure if he plays with a High G string or a Low G string, can anyone clarify that for me?

Thanks for the help!!!!

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Welcome! I'm pretty sure they're all re-entrant (high g).

Thanks for all the quick reply's everyone!!!! Ok well I guess I'll have to replace my Low G with a High G string then. I got my Uke from MGM a while back and I'm pretty sure I have Aquila strings right now. Any suggestions as to what I should purchase? Brand? wound or nylon? and also where is a good Place to grab strings from? eor as a fellow Canuck Uker, ya got any suggestions? I'm in Toronto.

Eh, replacing a string is such a bother, maybe you just need a second uke

Howdy and welcome.....

Recently strung my Kala tenor with a a high G for the first time myself.... I used the Worth clear strings from Uke Republic and I'm really happy with the sound. Don't let the price fool you - they're around twice as much, but the strings are twice as long, so if you're careful stringing the first time, you have enough excess for a second set of strings. I'd been using Aquilas before, as well....

As far as the Eddie Vedder tunes - if you haven't already seen, I think there is an official song book available. Not sure if it's tab or just chord diagrams, but there are a couple of threads around regarding it and seems like several folks have purchased it, so I'm sure someone will answer your questions in detail.

Good luck!

Well I dont think I can afford another Uke right now but I should be able to shell out 10-20 bones for some new strings!!!!

If I went ahead and ordered the Worth strings would I have to replace all of my strings to get the proper sound out of them, or should I only change my Low G to a High G string?

I also found a Uke Minutes that shows you how to change strings so I dont think I should have to take it into a local music shop around here, unless of course this is harder than it looks on the video, thoughts?

Thanks again for all the help, this forum is awsome!!!!

to answer you eddie vedder question, all the songs i saw he was playing High G....but keep in mind hes strumming almost all of his songs...so high or low G really doesn't make any difference...its still all the same chords. Low G has a lovely sound, with a larger range or voicing (tones) in the chord, but high G also gives you a fuller sound in the upper register. Unless playing finger style, most notably like jake shimibukuro, or a john denver country folk picking pattern...where you can use the low G for a real bass line, the two set ups essentially function the same. That being said, i do like the sound of low G better sometimes

Martelo said:

eor as a fellow Canuck Uker, ya got any suggestions? I'm in Toronto.

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hey

i live in rural PQ..aside from any music stores in toronto i would say the good old internet..

good luck

bornagainjeeper makes some great points.... I've played guitar for years, so when I picked up the uke back in the spring, I went with a low G tuning because it's closer to my comfort zone with guitar.... my recent experiment with high G is really just that - an experiment. It's interesting, but after a few weeks of it, I'm pretty sure I'll be going back to low G at some point - at least until I acquire that second uke and can have one for each tuning. I miss having that lower end, although the different options with the high G are interesting..... maybe I will begin to prefer it, I dunno....

As far as restringing..... if you're picky, I would replace the whole set at the same time, since you'd be switching brands and the set wouldn't be 'balanced' anymore. Or you could just replace the one string and see if you can live with it first. If the video makes sense to you, I'd just do it yourself - it's something important for a musician to learn, in my opinion, just a basic maintenance thing. You might consider ordering an extra set of strings, just in case - although with the Worths you would get two chances.....

If you decide to do it yourself, stop by your local music store and by a string winder - or order one from whomever you get your strings from. It's a huge time saver and the best 6.99 you'll ever spend.

Good luck!

well I gotta say after reading bornagainjeeper's post I'm begining to wonder if I should even swap out the strings at all, kinda sounds like a hassel with not too much to gain. I plan to strum mostly for now anyway and if changing from low G to high G wont really make that much difference I might just save my money and stick with what I have. I did however find that some of the chords did sound a bit different with my Uke (most likely due to my playing ability) and I'm still curious to try high G. Maybe it is time to save up for another Uke after all!!!

If I do order the strings I'll definitley grab a string winder to save time. I also agree that its something I should know how to do and with the Worth strings it sounds like I'll have another set due to their length. One thing I'm confused about is how do I know when to cut the string and save the rest?

Thanks again for all the posts and help, I still cant believe how awesome this forum is!!!!

23skidoo said:

.If you decide to do it yourself, stop by your local music store and by a string winder - or order one from whomever you get your strings from. It's a huge time saver and the best 6.99 you'll ever spend.

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Say what? You can get the cheapie plastic ones for <$2. Maybe not as fancy, but they work just fine.

Martelo said:

I also agree that its something I should know how to do and with the Worth strings it sounds like I'll have another set due to their length. One thing I'm confused about is how do I know when to cut the string and save the rest?

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They come in lengths made for two sets. Make sure you buy the set for your size uke and then cut them in half before you even try to put them on. At least that's how I do it.

I recently changed my strings for the first time, and here are a couple of hints that might help you when the time comes. To see a good close-up demo of the bridge knot, check out this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyv7uOiXsbM Also, I practiced tying the bridge knot with one of the old strings before I went after the new strings.

well I'm still a little on the fence but I think I'm gunna go ahead and order a new set of high G strings. I think its worth trying it out rather than always wondering how my Uke might sound if I didnt.

I guess just cutting the strings right in half when I first get them makes the most sense and most likely the easiest way to do it.

Thanks for that video cantsing, the enlarged version of tying off the string is awesome. That was actually the part I was feeling the most unsure about after I watched the Uke Minutes vid on restringing.

So I guess I'll go with the Worth clear strings (any other suggestions, or is that the best way to go?), is Uke Republic the best place to order from?

Thanks again everyone