New tuning makes baritone easy for ukers.

It sounds nice and mellow, Kevin. The one thing I didn't like about my baritones was having to transpose the chords in my head when someone passed out a chord sheet at uke meetups, or worse yet trying to watch their fingers - then transposing on the fly. Your method solves that problem.
 
Thanks nohaval. SWB: Yeah, it solves all the problems related to playing a Baritone. I'm getting close to getting the string formula right.
 
Interesting sound. For what it's worth, Southcoast makes a linear string set in C for baritones, though in the standard octave, and Guadalupe makes a set in your octave - they may even have a reentrant set, too but down the octave like yours.

I have mine in reentrant G, which for me sits perfectly with the expanded resonance of the baritone, but stays uke-y. It's been a good challenge for me to transpose Chorda in my head while working on the Bari. Same reason I have my sopranos tuned to D. I think they sound better there and I like the challenge of transposing keys. I think it's helping to make me a better musician.
 
I heard Kevin play this way with several other conventionally-tuned ukes. One uke tuned in the lower tuning adds a lot of bottom to an ensemble.
 
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Yes I drop tune my baritones...slows dow the tempo and sounds richer...not that new at all, but a whole lot better to me...Happy Strummings
 
I'm gluing closed a seam in a beat-up baritone from ebay today. I had planned to tune it this way and I have a set of D'Addario baritone strings I was going to try. If I don't like that, I'll try your fishing line gauges. Thanks for the tip! It sounds nice in your video.
 
Happy 4th all. I recently strung a baritone with what I'm calling Contrentrant tuning. C Reentrant, but an octave lower. You can play standard uke frettings and it has a nice rich feel. How to do it and video demo.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17385890/voodoo/baritonecontrentrant.html

It's still a work in progress. Let me know what you think.

Hey Keven, I did this a while back (there's a thread about it somewhere, not worth looking up). Here's the YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIC1c4wYwTA&list=UUAgBWJlWUS5d95ixRC0Gg8Q&index=3&feature=plcp

I made one change after the video - the G was still a bit soft even with the harder D'Addario string so I ordered some 130lb Seaguar leader, which works better. The tuning has a very low and mellow sound without losing the "ukiness" of the reentrant tuning. My "formula" is three strings out of a D'Addario "hard" classical guitar string set plus a 130lb Seaguar leader for the G string. So, you end up with wound strings on the C and E and unwound on the G and A. I call it an "octave uke" since that's basically what it is (you're probably familiar with "octave mandolins").

The strings work pretty good but still tends to be just a touch "snappy" if you strum hard. Beautiful for finger picking, though.

Shame I didn't know you were interested in this during UWC I could have shown it to you as I had it with me up there though I didn't pull it out much.

John
 
This has already been done by a string company called Guadalupe, readily available from Mainland ukuleles:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?62861-Guadalupe-custom-baritone-strings
Except this is a low-G version.

I made a topic about it a while ago too:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...w-set-of-strings-before-YOU-GOTTA-TRY-THIS!-D



Overall impressions is that yes, it's certainly a unique, different tuning.
However, it has limitations when it comes to strumming (sounds too muddy), but is best suited to fingerpicking.
It sounds very nice in person in a room, but when you have it in any live playing situation (especially with other instruments), amplification is essential to be heard.
Physically, the notes are too low for the baritone's body size to fully support (technically, even DGBE tuning is too low for a Baritone body to ideally support).

I never really saw it as a corner-cut to not having to learn baritone chords, as I really don't think transitioning to baritone chord shapes is a challenge worth avoiding. In fact, being able to play baritone chord shapes is an advantage, as it is a different key to the regular uke, making it easier to play in some keys (eg: an uke's E chord is an easy-peasy "A-chord shape" on a baritone), and in the emergency situation where the only available instrument is a guitar, you'll be able to play one. It also makes playing instrumental/solo/improvisation in certain keys easier. You simply get a wider palette to work with.


With a bit of practice, playing in both keys comes very quickly and natural. I don't personally think we should discourage people from learning something new.

However, I like the low GCEA tuning for its unique place in the ukulele voicings. Mellow, warm and deep. It gives the ukulele some guitar-equivalent bass tones, while maintaining ukulele playability. Afterall, a baritone uke (DGBE) is still "like a guitar lacking the bass notes". However, DGBE-tuning and GCEA-tuning on baritones come with different playability, tone and feel - I keep one of each tuning for their pros and cons.
 
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It's a real coincidence that this topic has just come up as I was going to ask whether anyone had done exactly this.

I recently bought a Koloa baritone from eaglemusicshop here in the UK. For £150 this instrument is unbelievably good - all solid mahogany with one piece neck. Fit and finish is as good as on my Mainland so I'm a very happy bunny. However, it came strung DGBE with 2 wound strings and sounded like a 3/4 classical guitar with 2 strings missing - really dull!

Luckily enough I had seen Ken Middleton's vid of him noodling on his baritone with a set of high D strings from his recently launched Living Water range and had ordered a set at the same time as I had ordered the uke, so I had them to hand when the bari arrived. What a transformation! The bari now sounds wonderful and I've hardly been able to put it down - but I'm playing GCEA shapes so my G chord is actually a D etc., and this is very confusing when playing with friends.

I bought a set of GCEA Aquilas in the hope that they would be pitched down an octave but I now know from this thread that that won't be the case. I guess I'll just have to start playing bari chords, which is no big deal really, and has got to be worth it to be able to use Ken's great strings!

I'll be putting a full review of the Koloa on my blog in a few days.

http://www.theukeshed.com
 
Figured this idea was too logical to be new. Glad to hear so many have experimented.

Taz: The standard reentrant Aquila's will be to loose to play.

Kissing: How do you like that Risa electric "Bean" in your photo?
 
I tried it and didn't like it too much; currently my baritone is strung in re-entrant A, 3 steps down from standard. Sounds nice and takes the same strings as my sopranos tuned to D. Useful, too.

I think there's too much playing in the key of C out there. Harmonicas, flutes, white piano keys, most ukes, it never ends.

For those that want to do it (not re-entrant), some strings to try are the bottom 4 strings of the GHS Doyle Dokes classical set, available at Elderly. They are heavier than normal and have an extra heavy third string, it's the only wound third string out there. The fourth is heavier than normal too. These two are tuned lower than they would be on guitar, so the tension is just right when tuned to the uke spread. And it's nice to have a fatter wound first string.
 
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Kissing: How do you like that Risa electric "Bean" in your photo?

I really do love all of Risa electric ukes.
The Bean is a top notch instrument. Semi-hollow body, sweet sounding single coil pickups with great sustain and tone and a snazzy design.
It would equate to a great quality electric guitar, such as a high-end Fender Strat or Telecaster - definitely professional quality and tone versatile for a very wide range of music styles.. jazz, rock, country, blues, etc..


However, "overall", I like Risa's Les Paul models better.
But that's more because I like the thicker, juicier tone of humbuckers and the style of "Les Paul" guitars.
If you prefer single coils and Tele/Strat style guitars, the Risa Bean would be the better choice.
 
Rigk makes great stuff. The bean was really temping, except for the metal strings.
 
I want to play a baritone ukulele. I'm not a string or tuning wonk, so I understand little about what's been said on this thread...lol. My criteria are:

No wound strings.

Learning no new chords/transpositions (just use those that I know from my tenor, concert, sopranos)

No substituting one string here and there from a set, and no fishing line and no guitar strings.

Does anyone know of a simple ukulele string set I can buy to play gCEA or GCEA on a baritone without warping the neck from the high tension?

Thanks.
 
I want to play a baritone ukulele. I'm not a string or tuning wonk, so I understand little about what's been said on this thread...lol. My criteria are:

No wound strings.

Learning no new chords/transpositions (just use those that I know from my tenor, concert, sopranos)

No substituting one string here and there from a set, and no fishing line and no guitar strings.

Does anyone know of a simple ukulele string set I can buy to play gCEA or GCEA on a baritone without warping the neck from the high tension?

Thanks.

There are gCEA sets available off the peg specifically for baritone ukulele, I know Aquila makes one and I'm sure a lot of other brands do too. Just put "GCEA baritone ukulele strings" into Google (other search engines may be available, see Internet for details) and you will find what you are looking for.
 
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