One small question of strings and tuning

UkuleleHal

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Hi,

I'm very new, and if this question has been asked before I apologize. However I am wondering about one tiny thing.

A short while ago I bought my first Ukulele, a Soprano. Having not played an instrument since I was in school I was surprised at how easily the ukulele has drawn me in and have me wanting to play it from I wake till I go to bed. Alas I have work.

I am contemplating purchasing one more instrument in order to string play it with a low G. Seeing as my instrument is set up with a high G. (Standard tuning)
I love the sound my uke has. However I am inquisitive by nature and so I would like to know what you ladies and gents out there think of this.

Could anyone enlighten me as to wether or not this might be a good idea. I imagine the sound of every chord to change quite a lot with that change in tuning, however I am very curious.

I do hope that my question makes sense, and that some of you can take the time to enlighten me a bit on my query.
I do have more questions but one at a time. Nice and slow I think may be best.
 
Don't kid yourself, about purchasing just "one more ukulele." Most of us have a whole collection, for the same reasons you will - just wanting to try something else. Even after you satisfy the low G craving, you will wonder what other woods or styles may sound like.

That said, I have both high G and low G ukuleles. I like low G for times when I want to pick out melodies in lower registers (or do chord solos) and I run out of low notes on a high G to do it. Also, I like low G for the deeper tones to accompany my male voice in ballads. I like high G for some Hawaiin and 1920s-1940s songs. Its perfectly reasonable to want them both for different reasons
 
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Oh I suspect I'll end up with a series of ukuleles covering the southern wall of my living room sooner or later. However I have to start somewhere, and I figure why not start somewhere where the chords are
the same as the ones I already know and where the sound is deeper then what I get from my soprano with standard tuning.

I'm positive that in the not to distant future I'll be curious about more sounds etc. :D
 
Oh yes, you must have just one more, always just one more and then my collection will be complete. Then I will rule the world ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!
 
While many ukers like a low g on even sopranos, this tuning works more "efficiently" as the size of the uke increases (learned this from Southcoast). If you love the soprano sound, consider a long neck soprano....either a concert neck or a tenor necked one. If you want a deeper sound, play sme concerts and tenors to see if you want to move up in size. Good luck, you will probably end up with many ukes, some high g, some low, some?????
 
In response to your question - It's a great idea. Try it out. You may love the sound of your current uke with low G tuning. You might not, and decide to go back to high G with it. Then, try it out on your new one when you get it. You may love that. I always have one of each.

You might have some people tell you it's a rule not to use Low G tuning on anything smaller than a tenor. I say RUBBISH. If that's a rule, how many "rules" do we break just having ukuleles in the first place? Too small for optimum sound or volume, non wound strings, strings made of nylon, florocarbon, odd shapes...? If you think about it, what would Sam Kamaka Sr. and Manuel Nunes say about tenor ukuleles? If they would have liked the idea, it's because they weren't interested in imaginary limitations. So many things about our instruments are product of compromise, I think it's crazy to invent limitations based on what someone considers "optimum". ENJOY your experiments.

And you are correct. Every chord will sound different played with a Low G. Some will sound quite different. But remember, different does not mean bad.
 
I've got only one low-G ukulele - it is a Waverly Street soprano, and it was designed to be strung low-G.

At a Uke night, not long ago, I had my cedar-top Kala tenor, and the Waverly Street, and one of the other players asked me why I was bothering with that little, slightly asymmetrical low-G instrument, when I had that wonderful Kala Tenor? I tried to explain that the instruments had different tone and timbre, and finally just handed it to him, saying "Play a song on it."

After the song was over, he handed it back, and said "OK, I get it."

Just about everyone else asked to play it after that, and all agreed.

Basically, what it comes down to is, some instruments work best High-G, others Low-G, and some either way. It depends on your perception, playing style, the song... There are so many variables that I can't count them all. What I will say is, when/if you find an instrument that works for you Low-G, then leave it it that way, and get another to tune in standard re-entrant tuning. I'm pretty satisfied with all of mine the way they are - although thinking of trying a(n unwound) low-G on the Cordoba tenor.

Experiment, have fun, play your ukulele, and buy as many more as you have room for/can afford/will play.



-Kurt​
 
You might have some people tell you it's a rule not to use Low G tuning on anything smaller than a tenor. I say RUBBISH. If that's a rule, how many "rules" do we break just having ukuleles in the first place? Too small for optimum sound or volume, non wound strings, strings made of nylon, florocarbon, odd shapes...? If you think about it, what would Sam Kamaka Sr. and Manuel Nunes say about tenor ukuleles? If they would have liked the idea, it's because they weren't interested in imaginary limitations. So many things about our instruments are product of compromise, I think it's crazy to invent limitations based on what someone considers "optimum". ENJOY your experiments.

And you are correct. Every chord will sound different played with a Low G. Some will sound quite different. But remember, different does not mean bad.

I intend to try this out now. After reading this I find myself even more intent on trying out a low G tuning.

I have to admit that the people at the music store looked at me kinda funny when I picked up a uke and asked if they sold low G strings...
They did not even have it in their registry anywhere. So I will have to import some myself I guess.
Oh well. A little extra work but I bet it will be worth it.
 
Sometimes I put a low G on my Ohana SK-35G sop. It sounds great for some songs. I wonder if you music store has ever heard of Herb Ohta (Ohta San) and his low G soprano? I love his rendition of Hawaii:

 
Sometimes I put a low G on my Ohana SK-35G sop. It sounds great for some songs. I wonder if you music store has ever heard of Herb Ohta (Ohta San) and his low G soprano? I love his rendition of Hawaii:

First off, beautiful music :D
Secondly, I doubt my music store has ever heard of there being other forms of Ukulele then just the soprano... They sell tons of guitars and tons of other instruments but they do not have much of a selection in Ukulele.

So I went online and found one store that does specialize in the Ukulele here in Norway. However due to low sales they do not carry the low g strings. They are willing to order for me though. I think I'm headed in the right direction, even gave me a choice between aquila and a few other brands if they are to order for me. :D
 
Generally speaking, low g isn't for soprano ukes. I had one strung up and ended up switching it back to high. My best advice is to buy a baritone uke and a set of baritone low g CEA strings.
 
First off, beautiful music :D
Secondly, I doubt my music store has ever heard of there being other forms of Ukulele then just the soprano... They sell tons of guitars and tons of other instruments but they do not have much of a selection in Ukulele.

So I went online and found one store that does specialize in the Ukulele here in Norway. However due to low sales they do not carry the low g strings. They are willing to order for me though. I think I'm headed in the right direction, even gave me a choice between aquila and a few other brands if they are to order for me. :D

You can also order a single low G string from Mike at UkeRepublic. He has even shipped to Antarctica, and strings fit in a first class letter envelope, so shipping shouldn't be too bad. Of course it is also good to build up a relationship with your local uke shop.
 
You can also order a single low G string from Mike at UkeRepublic. He has even shipped to Antarctica, and strings fit in a first class letter envelope, so shipping shouldn't be too bad. Of course it is also good to build up a relationship with your local uke shop.

This is the way I would go. It's an inexpensive way to see if you like the low G. I tried it on my concert and changed back. Just not for me but then I don't fingerpick much.
 
UkuleleHal - a few years ago, I made this recording with my Ohana soprano. I needed a low bass tone to make the song work (think American Indian drums), so I did it with a Low Aquilla wound G on the soprano. It just didn't sound right with the high G on this song. Its kind of a kitschy cover of an old Hank Williams song, so I liked the effect of using the little soprano.

 
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I like the sound, it works very well with that tune.
This film showed me that I really need to broaden my horizon when it comes to strumming patterns as well :D Then again I'm very very new so I'm sure that with practice and experimentation it will come :D
 
I happened to stumble on this thread today and was kind of disappointed with a lot of the replies. It seems that either there's a lack of understanding on the capabilities of an acoustic ukulele in the first place, or such an eagerness to trumpet a personal preference that the context of the question was ignored.

If you look back, Hal is a real beginner. He just got his first ukulele. He’s doesn't need to be looking for “new possibilities”. He needs a firm starting point.

Steve made one comment I’d like to talk about. He said “so many things about our instruments are a product of compromise”. I see no compromise at all in the basic designs and traditional set-ups of the first two ukuleles. ...... None ……........ Whatsoever .........(repeat) .......None..................Whatsoever..........

Practically all the compromising in ukulele design, starting with the introduction of the Tenor, has been done with an eye toward “guitar crossover”. Low G notes on small ukuleles are simply another example of this. They definitely result in a compromised sound.

Now as Steve also pointed out, there are no rules about this, no reason you shouldn’t do it, and no reason it can’t work out for you - on particular songs, or even on everything you play. This is not, however, where you should tell a beginner to start.

Before you decide on doing something like this, you should have some sort of knowledge and feel for the basic instrument. How can you make an informed judgment on this on any other sort of compromise if you don’t have a grasp of the “uncompromised” foundation, let alone some skills often required to “mute” or “play around” the sonic problems of this kind of set-up?

Come on guys; Hal is relying on us to make that "informed judgement". Let's think a little bit more about him.
 
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