Two beginner questions

Preserved · Oct 6, 2012

Hi everyone,

I got a Concert Ukulele for my birthday a few months back and I'm having a blast learning how to play. I have zero history with musical instruments.

How to use a metronome?

One thing I'd like to work on is timing. I've read about using a metronome, and downloaded a metronome app for my phone but I'm missing the bigger picture on how to set it up. I can get it to make noise and all, but I don't understand the terminology used. What do I set it at? For example, I'm practicing playing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from downloaded cord sheets. What's the timing?

Good explanation of "action" needed.
My wife was jealous so we got her a Kala KA-15S Saprano. Feels tiny next to my concert Uke! However, it is also harder to play..takes lots of effort to depress the strings enough. Now I only have the two Ukes to compare, but the Kala is quite a bit more difficult. Sadly, my wife is a little frustrated.

I've looked, but can't find a detailed explanation of how to check and fix the action on a ukulele. I don't have a ukulele shop any where near me, so I need to check this on my own. Ultimately I'd love to find something that gave accurate measurements. As in.."Strings should be 3 to 4 mm above the first fret". Any suggestions, links??

Thanks for your time!

-Preserved

vanflynn · Oct 6, 2012

Welcome to UU Preserved. Glad you joined us.

As far as the metronome, I never us one. My toe tapping keeps me in time, but they can be usefull in groups.

For action, they are basically talking about the string height about the fretboard. If it's too high you need to put lots of pressure on the string which can make playing uncomfortable. Typically you want about the thickness of one or two business cards between the strings and the first fret and the thickness of a dime for the 12th fret. Most guitar shops that do repair can adjust it for you. If you want to do it yourself there are lots of vids on the web.

Hope this helps

OldePhart · Oct 7, 2012

High action is pretty much endemic on inexpensive ukes. You get lucky sometimes but unless you buy from a dedicated uke dealer who takes the time to set them up they are often a bit of a problem.

Basically, you need to work each slot in the nut down until the intonation is good at the first fret (when the action is high at the nut it is not only hard to finger, it also pulls sharp at the first couple of frets). Look around for some of the vids that show how to do it right...for example you want to slant the slot slightly downward on the tuner side so the string "breaks" cleanly over the fret-side edge of the nut, etc. None of it is particular difficult but it is a little tedious. There are tools (nut files, etc) that can make the job easier but they are expensive and probably not worth purchasing for just one uke.

Never lower the bridge saddle until you've got the intonation decent by working on the nut. The reason is that if you lower the bridge first you may not be able to get the nut low enough for good intonation before the strings begin buzzing - especially on a very inexpensive uke where the frets might not be quite level. You can actually tolerate a pretty high action at the bridge without the uke being too awfully difficult to play - and high action on the bridge side doesn't have a lot of impact on intonation even up the neck unless it is just crazy high.

As for the metronome don't worry too much about the terminology (if you're talking about things like "andante" and so on - those are just music major terms for speed). All you need to do is set it to beep or tick once for each beat. So, if you're playing a slow song you might set it at 60 to 80 beats / second, for example. "Mid speed" is usually considered around 110 to 120 bps. If you've got a fancy one that uses different tones for the beats in a measure then you need to select the correct time signature for the song (4/4 or 3/4, etc.)

When using the metronome you should set it just loud enough that you can clearly hear it when you aren't playing anything. Thereafter, if you're playing on the beat you will not usually hear the metronome, or just barely hear it. When you are off the beat you will hear the metronome clearly. So, if you are hearing the metronome your timing is off, basically. This is why audio metronomes work better than visible ones.

John

Uke Whisperer · Oct 7, 2012

Hello John,

I am very sorry about mentioning this, but are you playing "Formby"? 60, 80, 110, 120 per second? No wonder you are so highly respected in the Uke community! I wish I could play that quickly!

:cheers:

EDIT: I do apologize for pointing this out, but I just couldn't stop myself!

Tom

OldePhart said:
High action is pretty much endemic on inexpensive ukes. You get lucky sometimes but unless you buy from a dedicated uke dealer who takes the time to set them up they are often a bit of a problem.

Basically, you need to work each slot in the nut down until the intonation is good at the first fret (when the action is high at the nut it is not only hard to finger, it also pulls sharp at the first couple of frets). Look around for some of the vids that show how to do it right...for example you want to slant the slot slightly downward on the tuner side so the string "breaks" cleanly over the fret-side edge of the nut, etc. None of it is particular difficult but it is a little tedious. There are tools (nut files, etc) that can make the job easier but they are expensive and probably not worth purchasing for just one uke.

Never lower the bridge saddle until you've got the intonation decent by working on the nut. The reason is that if you lower the bridge first you may not be able to get the nut low enough for good intonation before the strings begin buzzing - especially on a very inexpensive uke where the frets might not be quite level. You can actually tolerate a pretty high action at the bridge without the uke being too awfully difficult to play - and high action on the bridge side doesn't have a lot of impact on intonation even up the neck unless it is just crazy high.

As for the metronome don't worry too much about the terminology (if you're talking about things like "andante" and so on - those are just music major terms for speed). All you need to do is set it to beep or tick once for each beat. So, if you're playing a slow song you might set it at 60 to 80 beats / second, for example. "Mid speed" is usually considered around 110 to 120 bps. If you've got a fancy one that uses different tones for the beats in a measure then you need to select the correct time signature for the song (4/4 or 3/4, etc.)

When using the metronome you should set it just loud enough that you can clearly hear it when you aren't playing anything. Thereafter, if you're playing on the beat you will not usually hear the metronome, or just barely hear it. When you are off the beat you will hear the metronome clearly. So, if you are hearing the metronome your timing is off, basically. This is why audio metronomes work better than visible ones.

John

OldePhart · Oct 7, 2012

Uke Whisperer said:
Hello John,

I am very sorry about mentioning this, but are you playing "Formby"? 60, 80, 110, 120 per second? No wonder you are so highly respected in the Uke community! I wish I could play that quickly!

:cheers:

EDIT: I do apologize for pointing this out, but I just couldn't stop myself!

Tom

BWAAAA-HAAAA! Yeah...next to me Jake is a piker...

Good eye! (For anyone puzzled, as I was for a second, I should have said beats per minute BPM...)

John

addicted2myuke · Oct 13, 2012

You don't need to look for a uke shop. Any experienced luthier will lower the action for you. Call your local guitar or music shop and ask them or look up luthier on the net. I had all my ukes worked on by a luthier in my area, and it made a world of difference. You could try to do it yourself, but if you mess up, it could make the problem worse. Good luck.

Pukulele Pete · Oct 13, 2012

Take a look at " Frets.com" and do a search on this site for "action" or "setup" and you will find lots of info. I would suggest learning to do it yourself , it's not that difficult .

Two beginner questions

Preserved

New member

vanflynn

-----

OldePhart

Well-known member

Uke Whisperer

Well-known member

OldePhart

Well-known member

addicted2myuke

Well-known member

Pukulele Pete

Well-known member

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