Baritone UAS

After playing around with a Kala mahogany baritone at my local music shop earlier today, I have a bad case of baritone UAS (I'm going back Monday). I've only ever played and owned sopranos, so please tell me what I need to know about playing a baritone ukulele and whatever else you'd like to say about baris.

You'll need to learn all your new chords you make with the same chord shapes, thus a G on a GCEA Soprano won't be a G on a Baritone. All different, so you'll need to have two chord sets in your head for each chord. One for GCEA and one for DGBE tuning if your using the standard baritone tuning. I love the sound of the Baritone, I just can't get my head around learning all the new chords all over again such as remembering a C is really a G on a Baritone (I think), and such. Good luck, Bari's are awesome with other ukes to fill in that lower end beyond tenors.

blue_knight_usa said:

You'll need to learn all your new chords you make with the same chord shapes, thus a G on a GCEA Soprano won't be a G on a Baritone. All different, so you'll need to have two chord sets in your head for each chord. One for GCEA and one for DGBE tuning if your using the standard baritone tuning. I love the sound of the Baritone, I just can't get my head around learning all the new chords all over again such as remembering a C is really a G on a Baritone (I think), and such. Good luck, Bari's are awesome with other ukes to fill in that lower end beyond tenors.

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Or you could just pretend to still be playing in C and use the same chord shapes as usual. As long as you don't need to be in a specific key (e.g. playing with others or needing to sing in a specific key) you can do whatever you want. Good luck!

I have several baritones and I love the way they sound. The key of the instrument is the same as the name of its third string, so sopranos, which are typically tuned GCEA, are said to be in the key of C, while baritones, when tuned DGBE, are in the key of G. As others have said, both tunings use the same chord shapes, but a C chord on a soprano (C tuned instrument) is a G chord on a baritone (G tuned instrument). When I first started playing baritones, I used GCEA chord shapes, which meant that whenever I played the C chord shape, I was playing a G chord, whenever I was playing an F chord shape, I was playing a C chord, etc. (One of the benefits of this, incidentally, is that you can play the same song in two different keys using the same shapes.)

I've since been training myself to learn the names of the chord shapes when played on a baritone, and that hasn't been all that difficult once I realized that I can "count" on my fingers to determine the chord name or shape. For example, to determine the baritone name for the GCEA C shape, I make C my thumb and count up (D is my index finger, E is my middle finger, F is my ring finger, and G is my pinkie. For each chord shape, I go thumb to pinkie to get the baritone name of that chord shape. If I know the chord name but need to determine the shape, I make the chord name my thumb and count up to my ring finger. For example, to figure out what shape to use to play D on a DGBE baritone, I make D my thumb, E my index finger, F my middle finger, and G my ring finger. The chord shape for D on a baritone is the same as the chord shape for G on a GCEA ukulele.

You can also have a baritone ukulele strung GCEA, but unless you get octave lower GCEA strings (Guadalupe Strings in LA makes them) you end up with an ukulele that sounds a lot like a tenor, with probably a little more resonance at the lower end.

I have ukulele's tuned to every step FROM DGBE and GCEA and sometimes I even use ADF#B! When your playing solo it doesn't matter and I use pitch change as a transposition tool. Don't like the key a song is in? Change it. I'm only thinking of two starting chord positions but honestly, when you start playing barre chords its EXACTLY the same issue. You have several positions for the same chord all over the neck.

Anthony

Baritones are wonderful. That's all there is to it.

I play a'62 Martin baritone. They're tuned like the bottom four strings of a guitar. The tuning is 5 steps down from a uke. So the c fingering in uke tuning is a g in bari. tuning. The way we play an f is a c in bari tuning. Pretty straightforward once you get the hang of transposing the chords. You can also put a capo up 5 frets and it'll be tuned like a c tuned uke.

For myself, I like the lower tuning of my Martin. It is a special sound only a bari can produce. It really adds depth when playing with a group. Congrats. on thinking about a bari.; they're a blast to play.

mds725 said:

You can also have a baritone ukulele strung GCEA, but unless you get octave lower GCEA strings (Guadalupe Strings in LA makes them) you end up with an ukulele that sounds a lot like a tenor, with probably a little more resonance at the lower end.

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I have two baritones, and I found the DGBE unappealing to me. It's the same chord shapes (different names) as the sopranos, concert and tenors--I just didn;t dig the bari tone. ;lol So, Hilo standard GCEAs on both now---lovely! As mds725 says, it does sound like other ukes in tuning only; it's the same tuning. But, it sounds no more like other ukes than a tenor does to a concert does to a soprano. It does have more bass resonance, so sounds "deeper" even with GCEA tuning, and the long strings truly add to the sustain. Fabulous sustain!
http://pohakushop.com/?product=hilo-baritone-g-c-e-a-string-set

They all sound different. I think my baritone GCEA sounds more different than the tenor than does a tenor from a concert. Why? The body of a baritone is much bigger than a tenor. Not a little--a lot. So, I strongly advise anyone to have a baritone in GCEA, at least one.

You will experience some major adjustment with the widened fret spaces. An issue, sometimes, when barre chording above the fifth or sixth fret (unless you have giant hands). So, it's always a fit question, to some degree.

Enjoy!

Patrick Madsen said:

I play a'62 Martin baritone. They're tuned like the bottom four strings of a guitar.

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No, no, no! A bari is tuned like the TOP four strings of a guitar, DGBE. If it were tuned like the bottom four, it would be EADG.

Urgh!!! Sorry, but it just gets my goat to see so many people here constantly refer to top and bottom (or 1st and 4th) strings incorrectly.

On a standard GCEA or gCEA uke, the A is always the top/1st string, the g/G (re-entrant or linear) is always the bottom/4th string.

/rant over. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0xnNs56GsI

Itseme, see this video at 5:50 min. The are tuned like the physical bottom four strings of a guitar. They sound like the top (highest notes) of a guitar.

Now back to helping original poster./

OP, please read all the posts carefully, but my last one tells you that you have GCEA options. The DGBE option is, as you hear it from Aaron in the video above, sweet also.

Baritones are meant to be tuned DGBE. That is the tuning the instrument is made for, but being uke players, folks just can't seem to leave things alone. Now there are strings designed for the higher tunings some folks can be lazy and not adapt to a different tuning and "Oh no, you mean I have to learn new chords"! The uke has now so many different configurations in body sizes, necks, strings arrangements and players, that it has become a simple four string monster. That is just the way it is and that is why folks like it. You would think with 5 different ukes scales that it would be enough, I guess not!

coolkayaker1 said:

Itseme, see this video at 5:50 min. The are tuned like the physical bottom four strings of a guitar. They sound like the top (highest notes) of a guitar.

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No, they are not. The guy from HMS is just plain wrong. Another perpetuation of misinformation that people tend to accept as fact because someone else said so.

If they were physically tuned like the bottom four strings of a guitar, they would be EADG. You can't "physically tune" a bari to EADG and have it sound like DGBE.

Note that there is a half step difference between the 2nd/3rd strings in the two configurations.

lovingforkful: I found this video to be helpful with various tuning options for a baritone. Professional musician/luthier Aaron K. describes first the typical baritone tuning, and then alternative tunings. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXvMXx0tWiE

Bottom line: get that baritone, and know that you have many options for tuning. Notice, although they may be "called" different things, to play the same sound with each tuning, Aaron uses exactly the same fingering. (as poster said below, when playing alone, just use same fingerings that you have learned on your soprano).

I was convinced I'd be a soprano-only uke player forever---until I discovered the mellow, deep sound of the baritone uke, that is. I got a baritone uke (Kala KA-B) this past March. Love it! I use standard baritone tuning, and I use a capo to transpose songs to keys that are friendly to my voice while letting me play easy chords.

Some good advice here already, but for what it's worth:

I was a soprano guy, got bit by the baritone bug, bought a baritone, dug it, still dig it (kind of), and am now again a soprano guy. (The bari lives at school for uke club.)

For me, it's a nice departure from what I consider a regular uke tone. But, for me, what it really solidified was just how much I love that clean soprano tone.

Just to be (un)clear: you should snag a baritone.

My wife and I LOVE our baris. We got these because we couldn't handle the six strings of guitars anymore. We love the rich base sound of the DGBE tuning. A month ago I got curious and bought a tenor just for comparison and to be able to more easily utilize the ukulele resources that are readily available online. I'm about as musically talented as a fence post but me all of a week to be able to learn the names of the cord shapes on both ukes. If I can do it you can probably do it faster. Now I'm a fan of both. Here's why: We have built a songbook of over 150 songs from the internet that contains multiple genres. Some sound better with the baris ( folk, country,etc) and some sound better with the tenor ( Jimmy Buffett, railroad songs,etc). Bottom line, get both, take a few days learning the names of the chord shapes and enjoy a much richer musical experience. Added bonus: you'll be very proud of your accomplishment.
Enjoy!

baritone

I found a string set and tuning that really work for me on baritone. On my dad's 1956 Silvertone solid mahogany bari I have been using dGBE tuning (d is re-entrant or an octave higher) and Worth brown florocarbon strings. The high d string sounds more uke-like and the lack of wound strings really cuts down on noise. I play bottleneck slide on this uke to combine ukulele fingerstyle and Sol Hoopii steel licks. I find I'm playing it more than my Ohana and LoPrinzi concerts.

mds725 said:

You can also have a baritone ukulele strung GCEA, but unless you get octave lower GCEA strings (Guadalupe Strings in LA makes them) you end up with an ukulele that sounds a lot like a tenor, with probably a little more resonance at the lower end.

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I attach youtube show how sounds baritone ukulele GCEA tuning an octave lower.
The slow songs are the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEITmRg9tpc&feature=bf_prev&list=UUgAsFDORpIRCjiJ-7lIPG2Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LQvDlq4OKY&feature=BFa&list=UUgAsFDORpIRCjiJ-7lIPG2Q

I love both sopranos and baritones but i treat them as two different instruments rather than one just being a bigger version of the other. Sometimes it's a mood thing, other times I can't be bothered to transpose when playing with others. Unless you're going to play with others don't worry about learning new names for old chord shapes. (or use a capo as recommended above).

Doug from Southcoast will give you some interesting options on tunings and strings if you email him. For a while I was playing my baritone at home in Bb tuning with linear, flatwound strings (no squeak from the metal strings) but with a Shuub capo on the second fret when in company. Just play the songs as you would your soprano.

Warning - if you click with a baritone they're just as addictive as sops. You will want one with low D and high d, possibly one in a further tuning of Bb or C and if you're like me will be investigating opportunities for an 8 string before too long.

BlackBearUkes said:

Baritones are meant to be tuned DGBE. That is the tuning the instrument is made for, but being uke players, folks just can't seem to leave things alone. Now there are strings designed for the higher tunings some folks can be lazy and not adapt to a different tuning and "Oh no, you mean I have to learn new chords"! The uke has now so many different configurations in body sizes, necks, strings arrangements and players, that it has become a simple four string monster. That is just the way it is and that is why folks like it. You would think with 5 different ukes scales that it would be enough, I guess not!

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I take exception to this. Lazy? I spent a long time developing my playing skills and a significant part of it was working through the ukulele sizes to find what worked best for me. As it turns out, the baritone suited my physical size and finger stretch and happened to be a perfect match. I wanted the instrument to still maintain the tonal nuances of it's smaller brothers without sounding too much like a small guitar.

It had absolutely nothing to do with "learning new chords," etc.

I am a Baritone Ukulele Player. This is my collection and every one is tuned GCEA (low G tuning.) And I want to thank Dirk Wormhoudt at Southcoast for developing such a fine set of strings.

2012 Graziano Custom Baritone (build in progress)
'12 Ko'olau CE-1 Baritone
'11 Pono Acacia Deluxe Baritone
'09 Pono Mahogany Deluxe Baritone
'08 Pono Macassar Ebony and Cedar top Baritone
’64 Gibson BU1
'64 Guild BU-1 Baritone
'64 Favilla B2 Baritone
'72 Yasuma Model 51 Baritone
'75 C.F. Mountain Model 51 Baritone
'53 Vega Arthur Godfrey Solo Lute
'52 Vega Arthur Godfrey Baritone (deluxe)
'55 Harmony Model 695 Baritone
'65 Harmony Model 695 Baritone
'65 Airline Baritone
'59 Biltmore Short Scale Baritone
'71 Bobby Henshaw Baritone
'55 Kent Carmencita Baritone
'55 Kustom Kraft Baritone
'68 Lyra Baritone
'70 Giannini Baritone
'66 Aria Model 1255 Baritone
'10 Eleuke Mahogany Baritone
'72 Regal Spruce top Baritone
'68 Silvertone Baritone
'09 Kala KA-B Mahogany Baritone
'11 Cordoba Cuatro (as Baritone)
'09 Jupiter Creek Telecaster Steel String Baritone
'09 Oscar Schmidt OU55CE Koa Baritone
'70 Maccaferri Islander Plastic Baritone