Full Circle: Back To The Soprano!

Wondering if any of my fellow UU'ers have had a similar experience.

First uke was a soprano (about 18 months ago), liked it, but moved to concert and tenor...even dabbled in baritone recently. Easier fingering and fretting, I told myself. And the larger fretboards are, indeed, more forgiving for my uncoordinated, beginner hands.

But, alas, I have come full circle. Spurred on by excellent youtube videos (e.g Petey Houdini, Ukulelezaza, Bosko's concert, J King, etc.), I'm appreciating the soprano like never before. The size, the sound, the ease of stretches. In particular, the percussive nature of the instrument...the syncopation required of it, that plays well with chord inversions (up to the 9th fret or so...lol). It's taking my strumming hand skills to a new level.

Anyone have a similar experience of coming back to the soprano?

My first Uke was a soprano as well. After a while I got a really great concert (Mainland) but found that I liked the soprano size better so I have not even tried a tenor. May try one some day but for now the soprano is just right.

I do find myself playing the soprano more than any size uke. There's just something about playing that standard size that just seems right, though there really is a time and a place for all the other sizes.

Dan

I hear you....moved away from the little guys when I started getting shoulder pain..but always missed the tone of a Soprano....dabbleing on trying again to see if my hiatius helped heal things up a bit....

A bit the same here Steve, though I never really left it.

I played soprano for 3 years before I even realised there were any other scale ukes! Then I tried some concerts, then finally a baritone over the last 12 months or so. Never liked tenors for the string tension. But I understand where you're coming from. Sopranos are so dynamic, so vibrant and alive and I agree, the rhythmic and percussive fun of them is unmatched by any other scale. Those old school ragtime and jazzy, popular tunes are just so right on a soprano and not quite there on other scales. Also, I find them a little more forgiving of dodgy technique than the others.

To sum up, I could easily live without a concert and tenor, but not without a soprano and a baritone...I think those two scales cover all bases.

Thanks for the replies.

@strom: I notice you have a Bruko #6. I have one on order. I know Bruko builds are exceptional from my Baritone, looking forward to receiving it from Herr Pfeiffer.

@dhoenish: thanks for the reply. I have played the soprano exclusively for the past week (since I got a new one); no other uke. Wondering if I should trade out my baris and tenors, and just stick to sopranos (and maybe concerts, if I'm feeling particuarly randy…lol). I'm in Chicagoland, too. Geneva≥

@ukegirl: thanks for your reply. Shoulder pain from the soprano…I have never heard of that before. Wondering what it is about holding the soprano that gave you the pain. I can;t hold it well against my ribs and keep it there. I tend to sit with it in my lap, or with legs crossed and over my higher hip, like U-zaza Remco. (I'll put a vid here).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyXpPalNQU8

@Eugeneuke: I forgot to mention you, brother Jon. You, too, have many superb soprano ukulele videos that have inspired me. I see your love of the size from your videos. Frankly, I hear you. With a baritone (I have smaller hands so a tenor is likely my baritone, in a sense--the bari frets are way wide for me, but I try, nonetheless) and a soprano, you pretty much have it covered. You're an exceptional musician. You really are.

I tried all three sizes (didn't try bari) and eventually settled on soprano and tenor. As a beginner, I find it hard to switch among three sizes.

coolkayaker1: yap, I think you should trade your tenors, especially the Collings. I think you should do it soon too

Same journey, CoolK.

Started with soprano. Then concert, tenor, baritone! Even had a concert Kamaka. Sold them ALL when I realized I just love the soprano. It's what makes a uke unique, to me. The only thing that might tempt me is that Martin concert: it just sounds so good.

But I have a vintage Martin 1M that I just bought that will be here soon. So how can I really move away again when there are so many great sopranos out there?

Soprano! Welcome home, my man!

cahaya said:

I tried all three sizes (didn't try bari) and eventually settled on soprano and tenor. As a beginner, I find it hard to switch among three sizes.

coolkayaker1: yap, I think you should trade your tenors, especially the Collings. I think you should do it soon to

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I agree cahaya, he need to trade one of his baritones too ld:

Owning 62 guitars, I like my ukuleles being different. Whenever I play an ukulele larger than a soprano, I feel like I might as well play a guitar. I was introduced at an ukulele festival "why is it that the biggest guys play the smallest ukes?". My Ovation Applause UAE20 Acoustic/Electric Soprano goes with me everywhere. I'm not knocking those that prefer other sizes, soprano's are my personal preference for ukulele. Ric

I started on a concert, then bought my Pono tenor. This summer I had a soprano frenzy inspired by the jazzy sounds of Ukulelezaza et al. Bought an Ohana SK-38, then a Kiwaya KTS-4. Ever since I have a soft spot for sopranos. I find myself drifting back to concerts lately with a custom Covered Bridge on order.
The soprano helped me improve my technique immensely!

Nowadays I'm more and more aware of which uke to pick up for a particular song. Is it jazzy ragtime stuff? Soprano; is it bossa nova? Low g tenor.

I love all my ukes, but my little Kiwaya is most dear to me!

I can imagine ricdoug house...sorta like mine but more..ha ha love da rubba duckie bruddah...

I have all 4 size ukes and I like them all but I do tend to play sopranos more. My cheap $1 Kohala uke sits right above my desk so I have something to play while I'm surfing the net and when I'm learning a song. I have my cheap $20 Barclay in the living room so I can noodle around and play while I'm watching TV.

Yep, soprano all the way. I owned a tenor, sold it, owned two concerts, sold one and am going to sell the other. Strangely my baritone feels much easier to play than my tenor did, I see the baritone as a different instrument, and am keeping that one.
The only thing that bothers me about me playing the soprano is the lack of technique to fit my fat fingers in from about the 8th fret.

@ Steve, soprano felt right for size in my hands, concert an tenor didn't and still don't for normal playing (8-string tenor is different ). The baritone, as others have said is a different feel and another beast entirely. I could live with just biggest and smallest.

ukegirl said:

I hear you....moved away from the little guys when I started getting shoulder pain..but always missed the tone of a Soprano....dabbleing on trying again to see if my hiatius helped heal things up a bit....

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Ukegirl, I have neck problems and sometimes cannot play the soprano. Look at yourself in the mirror when playing and analyse your posture. If, like me you discover you're pulling Carlos Santana poses without realising then try holding and playing a different way. You may find that one shoulder is higher than the other or that your actually twisting your spine in sevral awkward places. The other thing to be aware of is that the radial nerve runs all the way from the neck down through your elbow. When you strum this may cause an issue anywhere from your neck down to your risk if I remember correctly. Depends on the ergonomics of you sitting and playing posistions.

sne dme a pm if you want a bit more info

The scale allows voicings and the relaxed tension gives that warmth. Theres a 20 year old koolau at my dads house that I always take off the shelf right when I get there. All koa soprano and it's just perfect. I have a soprano in my music room and in many ways it's my favorite. There is a place for all sizes, but when strumming a little soprano its just so fun!!

This has been commented on before! I started like most,on
soprano,quickly moved to Concert then Tenor;dabbled for a
short time on Baritone,and guess what? Yep, ended up back
on soprano which is my 'instrument of choice'
I still play my Tenor,but have sold on my concert and Baritone
scaled ukes.Horses for courses!
The soprano has the genuine ukulele sound in my book,which the
others get close to,but not quite!

I like the soprano and the baritone best. Started with the soprano, but ended up with the baritone as my favorite. Still play the soprano some. Tenors and concerts are not for me.

Coolkayaker1: You have a very impressive uke collection for 18 months! This is what my uke collection would look like right after my divorce, which fortunately will never happen. But what I'm saying is that its fun to pretend to be you with all these wonderful instruments! I'm going through a similar journey and have just started playing my new Mya-Moe Baritone #765, but I love it for slower jazzy songs. My new Martin 2K is my favorite for all the 1930's jazz standards and swing tunes and that "jangly" sound that Petey Houdini talks about is right there. I also have a Kiwaya KTC-1 that is sweet sounding but has become my travel uke, and finally my Collings UT-2K had been my main go to uke until the Mya-Moe arrived. So, I love all 4 sizes but I feel like soprano and baritone are emerging for the kind of music I love. Maybe that will change next year? Its been a wonderful journey. I really enjoy your posts!

Thanks for the replies.

@newkid: your list of ukuleles is amazing, actually. Seems as though you picked up one quality uke in each size catergory, which is the way to do it, methinks. Good thinking.

@drbekken: you are the king of the vintage sound, blues and jazz with a sprinkle of tin pan alley. I see that you have big hands and can stretch on the bari--amazing that you can play the soprano for anything but a straight strum. But, you do.

@timebug: I agree with you about the genuine uke sound of a soprano. My wife, who has to listen to me plucking along agrees--the low G tenor and baritones make her want to come over and strangle me.

@andrew: That's cool about the 20 year old soprano. I have to say, your experience with ukes is phenomenal. What a resource you are (and by the way, I will never part with the great ukes--like the KoAloha tenor with Baggs--that you have helped me with). I gotta come over to Haleiwa and play every single soprano in your entire store and have Coke and 'Za at Spaghettini's with you, as we once said.

@Ben_H: I never tried an 8 string. I owned a six string for, oh, about a week or so. lol That's good advice, by the way, for ukegirl.

@ukuhippo: I agree, I can get to nine, and then it's flubs and sloppy. Plus, that tinkling sound above fret 9 or so--sounds like I'm plucking a piano wire.

@CaptSimian: You make a good point. The sopranos are just easier to sit back, watch TV and relax and play. I agree, wholeheartedly. Try that with a baritone! lol

@mmstan, you are always the ambassador of the uke…I'm sure you dig all sizes. You've given me so much help here.

@we tigers: soprano frenzy--I like that. I see your point about dialing in the uke to the song. I am wondering though, and I do think my COvered Bridge concert is lovely in every way, if I need a concert size. It's sort of, as my pal Paul December posted a few months ago, the "Jan Brady" of the uke world…not quite Marcia, and certainly not as cute as Cindy. lol I, too, love Kiwayas.

@ricdoug: wow, great photos. Looks like many people enjoy your soprano skills. Love that one with the dog and the girl looking up at you from the sand. Bet you were playing White Sandy Beach by Iz there. lol

@eugeneuke and cahaya: the Collings tenor is one uke that I will always keep. It's so beautiful, in sound and looks. (and smell!). If anyone wants to trade for anything else on my list, shoot me a PM. lol (except the Collings and Koaloha tenor, that is). Also, C, I think you've hit something about swapping sizes. Although it's good to remain finger-diversified, I think it also inhibits truly getting the proper muscle memory to keep changing scale sizes incessantly. Good point.

@pdx: you're one of the reasons I'm buying Martin. Tsk tsk. My bank account says, "stop reading posts by Pdx. he's killing us!" Seriously, your journey and mine are mirrors. It's fun, ain;t it.