Multiple Ukes: How do you decide which one to play?

hippowong

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Hi,

I have finally bought another ukulele. I started with a Kala Soprano for about 6 months which I love and often fall asleep with while practicing on my bed. But I decided I should try to get a Concert uke so that if I needed to work my way to high frets i could.

Although the Concert has a fuller sound I find playing it harder. The strings are wound a little tighter, so I have to make sure to press down harder and I have to stretch more on the lower frets which is difficult for me to do.

I see many members who list multiple ukuleles, how do you know which uke you will play? I like my soprano but I feel I need to adjust and practice more with the concert especially the fingerpicking songs. What's your advice?
 
Coming from guitar and banjo, I had the opposite issue. My very first uke was a soprano, and it felt impossibly small. I didn't take to it, and it ultimately went unplayed. About two years after that, I casually picked up a concert in a music shop and felt like it was a revelation; with a bit more room on the fretboard, I felt like I could really play the thing. That was the moment that converted me to a uke player. I sold the soprano, and decided that sopranos weren't for me. I started playing a lot of fingerstyle and moved more towards the tenor, as it gave me even more space on the fretboard. I played tenor almost exclusively for a while, sold my concerts (except one). Then I fell in love with a Martin Style O soprano... and suddenly, I didn't hate sopranos anymore.

So that's a long way of saying it's a journey. There's nothing wrong with playing soprano exclusively if that's what you like. But a concert should be much different than playing a soprano, and you'll probably adjust to it pretty quickly. If it's really a lot more difficult to play, make sure it's set up correctly.

For me it's:

Soprano: when I want a focused, powerful, percussive tone, and for singing with. I rarely play fingerstyle on my sopranos.
Tenor: When I'm playing with other people, when I'm playing fingerstyle, and especially when a little extra bass "oomph" fits the music I'm playing
Concert: When I want the soprano tone, but I need more room on the fretboard for what I'm playing, so my fingers don't get all tangled up
 
I like my soprano but I feel I need to adjust and practice more with the concert especially the fingerpicking songs. What's your advice?

Simple - practice more with your concert.
 
what Mandarb said.

how do you know which uke you will play?
With my big hands I usually grab a concert size, but every now and then I feel like soprano. Basically depends on mood and availability (if the Flea stands next to my sofa chances are good I don't get up to dig the soprano out of the gigbag..... And vice versa.)
 
I've got ukes into double figures. Of those there is a core five or so I play regularly, but that core changes and others come in and out of favour.

Of the core I play, which I choose depends on what I'm doing. Late night picking? I pick my Koa tenor. If I'm gigging I look at the weather and who I'm playing with. Bad weather or likely to get damage I pick my fluke. If I'm jamming with others I pick a uke to match the ukes I'm playi g with.

It varies!
 
I agree with bazmaz, all depends on what and where. I started with a tenor (being a long time guitar player, it seemed to fit better), but now I usually grab a concert. Unless it would be better with a low g, or 6 or 8 strings then it's definately a tenor, and if it's old Hawaiian mele it's usually a soprano. Or whatever mood strikes me!!
 
Kind of like a sandwich, how do you decide if, this time, you want bologna, salami, cheese????? They all sound different to me, so sometimes I'm just in the mood for..............you get the idea.
 
I rotate my ukes with my Kamaka always getting the most play time. I usually have two ukes out at a time and I often play a song with one and then the other. As far as getting used to the concert. I have one concert and I although I am soprano person with the passage of time the concert has gotten easier for me to play and I like playing it almost as much as my soprano ukes. I like the fuller sound that comes out of a concert. Practice and alternate them.
 
String tension on the smaller ukes tends to be a bit less. If your concert strings feel too tight to be comfortable try some other strings. I think the Worth clears are a little easier on the fingers.

From what you say you've been playing around six months. You may need to get the muscle strength and memory built up in your left hand before you can comfortably switch to a concert. Some of us came to uke with years of experience playing guitars, so changing sizes was an adjustment we had to get used to when switching to the uke.
 
1. let your dog choose for you... maybe the canine can sense which one hasn't been 'loved' for awhile.

2. blindfold yourself, spin a few times, choose capriciously.

3. soprano for breakfast, concert for lunch, and tenor for dinner.

;)
 
Keep practicing and it will become easier to switch. I am in a similar situation to RichM, played guitar for many years before switching to ukulele. Now when I pick up a guitar, it feels unwieldy and HUGE, and those strings are all jammed together, so crowded! I also thought I would never be able to play a soprano, just too small for my large hands, but after a few years of playing ukulele I find I can manage. I still prefer a concert or tenor though myself, just more comfortable. All my ukuleles are special to me, and sometimes it is very difficult to choose which one to play. Sometimes though you will be playing something and think, "Oh, I know this will sound much better on a low-g tenor" or whatever. Each ukulele has its own character and timbre, and discovering those is part of the fun. Keep playing and before you know it you may have many ukuleles yourself. Shortly I will have one in just about every size:
Soprano, super soprano, concert, super concert, tenor, and baritone. And I could not dream of parting with any of them...
 
@RichM

I just couldn't get my fingers working right for the guitar, but the tenor uke works fine. I then got a Flea with a tenor neck and also a Mainland pineapple with a tenor neck. These are all working well for me now.

Tighter strings could be due to not being broken in. Also setup (strings too high) could be a factor. Each time I got a new uke, I had to force myself to play it, but being a brass player, I knew that would be the case.
 
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