Stubby fingers need more room

I'm new to the Uke and have a Kala Soprano. I'm thinking about getting a larger one and have been eyeing the Concert. Should I get a concert, or a tenor? I'm hoping there will be a bit more room on the fretboard for those chords that take three of my stubby fingers in the same place (e.g. that darned "D", or the dreaded "E").

With only a couple of months on the job I do believe the music is starting to emerge!

I have one of each size. There is no substitution for hands-on. Get yourself to a music store and play some. The widest neck I know of is the Oscar Smidt OU6W tenor, its like a guitar but with 4 strings.

John King had stubby fingers...
Anyway, I have a OS tenor, and the neck is TOO wide for me!

My first ukulele was a 1950s Harmony soprano my father-in-law gave me. Much too cramped for my (also short fat) fingers. So I bought a tenor. Then another tenor, then another, then a couple-three concert sized, and back to sopranos, and another tenor.

Playing the larger sizes was very good for my fingering and technique, and as I started playing the banjo ukes (soprano size), I was feeling more comfortable. When I got the Ohana Vita Uke, which is a soprano scale neck on a concert size body, I started playing it much more often, understanding a bit more about the pressure I use on the soprano strings, vs. the tenor and concert strings.

While my Tenor Sceptre is my VERY favorite uke, the Ohana Vita Uke has become the daily pick-it-up-and-strum while at the computer uke - and my fingers don't cramp up like they used to.

So my advice is simple: keep the soprano, but get a tenor. Get comfortable on the tenor, but pick up the soprano every 3-4 days and use it. After a few months, if you don't find yourself getting very comfortable on both, then decide which one is best for you.

Good luck!

Gotta agree with scason. Hitting a music shop is best to try the different sizes.

That said, I'm 6'5" and play soprano all the time. Some stuff is just easier on the small size. I get by on the D chord by barring it. You have to be able to bend the first digit on your finger back enough to clear the A string. I do the same basic thing on an E, and chord it with just two fingers. it may take a while to figure out how to do that, but having fat fingers can be an advantage when you can do chords with fewer fingers.

Another trick I use is to make a mini G formation for the D chord. My fingers are way too big to get them all in a row, but with the G triangle shape, I can squeeze them into one fret. This is useful if I need to jump to a D7 right after a D.

I've got fat finger tips and when I started the ukulele I went with the tenor size for exactly that reason. I figured I could never play a soprano. Guess what ? I was wrong. I now prefer the soprano size and that is what I play most all of the time and I play every day. But I do not regret having started on the tenor because at the time it was the size that felt most comfortable to me. So try out the different sizes and start where you feel the most comfortable and see where that takes you in the future. That's all part of the enjoyment of the ukulele.

This may be the start of UAS

Guess I'll just need to get one each of every shape and size!

Thanks all!

I think in many cases people use finger size as an excuse. I have very big hands and fingers, and when starting out never thought I'd fit them on a soprano. I too, like Bill Mc was wrong. I now play all sizes, and probably the soprano more than anything.

crstrode said:

Guess I'll just need to get one each of every shape and size!

Thanks all!

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Well....


YEAH!

bazmaz said:

I think in many cases people use finger size as an excuse. .

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I have to agree!!