Guitar Capo on 5th fret is UKULELE ?

HAK2235

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I had someone tell me that if I stuck a capo on 5th fret a section of guitar is just like UKULELE , what part of EADGBE becomes the ukulele section? thanks.
 
yes. bottom four strings 1,2,3,4. Would be for a C tuned uke.
I know some guys don't like that we use the teminology of bottom four but I was taught the bottom is the furthest down from our nose.
 
yes. bottom four strings 1,2,3,4. Would be for a C tuned uke.
I know some guys don't like that we use the teminology of bottom four but I was taught the bottom is the furthest down from our nose.
What is this "we" stuff? :rolleyes: I, and many others, certainly don't refer to it that way.

You were taught wrong. Those would be the top four strings, not the bottom. I cringe every time I see someone refer to them incorrectly, because all it does is perpetuate mis-information.
 
Like Itsme said, the top four strings on a guitar with a capo on 5 are the same tuning as a ukulele.

And yes, I feel it is very important to use the correct terms. There is already too much misinformation on this forum and it is often hard to put it right because anything that get close to a debate is too often censored.
 
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Ha now I am confused as hell, lets refer to the strings by LETTER

so ADGE is now UKULELE or is EADG now UKULELE when I do this ?? :)
 
Ha now I am confused as hell, lets refer to the strings by LETTER

so ADGE is now UKULELE or is EADG now UKULELE when I do this ?? :)

No. The D G B and E strings (4 3 2 and 1) have the same intervals (sound the same) as the ukulele. However, to be at the same pitch, the guitar capo needs to be on the 5th fret.
 
.....and not to confuse you more, but the standard guitar tuning on the top for strings - D G B E - is the same as the typical baritone ukulele tuning. When I hand my ukulele to guitar playing friends, I tell them to pretend the nut is the fifth fret and remember that you're missing the E and A strings. Capoed on the fifth fret, D G B E becomes G C E A, just like a the usual ukulele tuning. With high G reentrant tuning, the G string sounds an octave higher than it would on a capoed guitar, which is why a lot of guitar players (like myself) start off with a low G when transitioning to the ukulele.
 
And of course the first four guitar strings at the fifth, whilst they would play GCEA, they would not have a high G (if that is your thing on uke).
 
yes. bottom four strings 1,2,3,4. Would be for a C tuned uke.
I know some guys don't like that we use the teminology of bottom four but I was taught the bottom is the furthest down from our nose.
As said before, "we" in the Ukulele community prefer to view it in a musical way (rather than purely "physical") where the top string is tuned to the highest note. :)
 
A guitar tuned EADGBE capoed at the 5th is ADGCEA.
Also requinto and guitarlele tuning.
Notice the GCEA in the tuning.
 
and oh yeah, obivously I Will be able to play UKE Notes from music sheets in the same spots right? :)
 
and oh yeah, obivously I Will be able to play UKE Notes from music sheets in the same spots right? :)
What do you mean by "in the same spots"? :confused:

If you are talking about standard musical notation, then absolutely. You may, however, run into issues with notes outside of the uke's range, especially at the lower end if you're playing a uke in re-entrant tuning. Much of the time you can get away with playing the note in a different octave or omitting it altogether.

If you are talking about tabs, you can play from the top four lines of guitar tab but you'll be playing in a different key. And again, you may be missing some notes intended for the guitar's lower two strings.
 
What is this "we" stuff? :rolleyes: I, and many others, certainly don't refer to it that way.

You were taught wrong. Those would be the top four strings, not the bottom. I cringe every time I see someone refer to them incorrectly, because all it does is perpetuate mis-information.


No, I don't think I'm wrong. Here's another site using the same terminology.
"This is a set of 4 strings specifically for a 4-string cigar box guitar (CBG) that you want to tune in an "Open G" (DGBE) or "standard guitar" (DGBE - the four "bottom" strings of a standard 6-string guitar) tuning. Open G is a great setup for slide (fretless) playing, and the standard guitar tuning is great for a fretted instrument - you can play the "top" portion of most guitar chords with just a couple of fingers! These are medium-gauge strings, meant for guitars that are going to be played more heavily or from which you want a stronger sound. "

Not sure when you were taught. But 55 years ago we were taught to use "Bottom" when referring to string placement from the nose down. If I wanted to hear a certain E string, "I would say give me a hi e or low e". I agree when talking about pitch and the top 4 strings, but when referring to string placement I was taught that the bottom strings meant just that, the bottom four strings in placement.
 
Not sure when you were taught. But 55 years ago we were taught to use "Bottom" when referring to string placement from the nose down. If I wanted to hear a certain E string, "I would say give me a hi e or low e". I agree when talking about pitch and the top 4 strings, but when referring to string placement I was taught that the bottom strings meant just that, the bottom four strings in placement.



In music, terms like "top", "bottom", high", and "low" have nothing whatever to do with the altitude of the strings and always refer to the pitch of the notes. So, the bottom string on a re-entrant tuned uke is the 3rd, for instance. Otherwise, you would be excluding players of the violin, double bass, cello, viola, rebec, piano, hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord, spinet, viol, etc. from using such terms. And what about left-handed people who play the uke upside down? I know several people who play this way. Their top string would be your bottom string.

Please don't think that I am criticising you personally, Patrick. Far from it. It is the principle that is important here.

I don't have too much of a problem what people say about the uke really, except that using the incorrect and illogical terminology confuses new players. I have always tried to get players to view the ukulele as a proper instrument, the same as any other and just as important. We can't just invent different and confusing terms for the uke. It doesn't make it in any way special. Just the opposite, in fact. Too many people already treat it as a toy.
 
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Many describe: bottom string=lower pitches, top string=higher pitches or string closest to ceiling is the low string and string closest to floor is the high string. That is what I have heard from just about every musician I have played with including great pro's like Kimo Hussey, Daniel Ho, Fred Sokolow in his blues seminars, and others, the string closest to the floor has been referred to as the top string or the 1 string...then moving to the lowest note (unless you have a high G) in which the 4th string is referred to as the G string on a GCEA tuned uke. DGBE would then be the four top strings with D being the bottom string of that tuning.

I was in Mexico a few weeks back playing my ukulele on the beach and you should of seen the G strings!

No, I don't think I'm wrong. Here's another site using the same terminology.
"This is a set of 4 strings specifically for a 4-string cigar box guitar (CBG) that you want to tune in an "Open G" (DGBE) or "standard guitar" (DGBE - the four "bottom" strings of a standard 6-string guitar) tuning. Open G is a great setup for slide (fretless) playing, and the standard guitar tuning is great for a fretted instrument - you can play the "top" portion of most guitar chords with just a couple of fingers! These are medium-gauge strings, meant for guitars that are going to be played more heavily or from which you want a stronger sound. "

Not sure when you were taught. But 55 years ago we were taught to use "Bottom" when referring to string placement from the nose down. If I wanted to hear a certain E string, "I would say give me a hi e or low e". I agree when talking about pitch and the top 4 strings, but when referring to string placement I was taught that the bottom strings meant just that, the bottom four strings in placement.
 
I hear you Ken. Last thing I want to do is confuse anyone so will refrain from referring to the bottom altitudes; but don't agree it is illogical and incorrect. The referenced term is old. I checked many (guitar) sites and they were referred the same way as shown in the quotes. It is not a term I invented.

I will though refer to placement as you stated from now on as it does make better sense.

I agree Blue Knight, I was just referring to string placement for a reference. I could see a rookie getting confused by someone saying the top four strings of a guitar which is what the op was referring too. Thinking about it, I should have referenced it by pitch not string placement.

My apologies to the my learned friends here; from now on, it will be by pitch not placement.
 
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No, I don't think I'm wrong. Here's another site using the same terminology.

<snip>

Not sure when you were taught.
Well, there ya go... another "I found it on the intarwebs so it must be true" argument. Further proof that the more mis-information is perpetuated, the more people (such as yourself) are inclined to believe it is true.

BTW, I learned guitar (initially) at a church youth group in the late 1960s, later followed by private lessons from a gentleman who was head of the classical guitar program at two colleges. I had never heard of any confusion over which was considered the "top" string before I saw it on UU. Where were you taught?

I don't have too much of a problem what people say about the uke really, except that using the incorrect and illogical terminology confuses new players. I have always tried to get players to view the ukulele as a proper instrument, the same as any other and just as important. We can't just invent different and confusing terms for the uke. It doesn't make it in any way special. Just the opposite, in fact. Too many people already treat it as a toy.
:agree:

Thank you, Ken. You said it better than I could have. :)
 
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