Guitar to Uke? What do with the high G - Uke-specific technique?

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westcoast

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Guitar to Uke? What to do with the high G?

I'm probably always going to be a guitar player first, but I got a tenor ukulele to mess around with. I'm really liking it for the size: I can take it anywhere! Also like the ability to do simple chord melody stuff. It's a lot simpler when you only focus on 4 strings instead of 6!

I kept the uke in its original tuning because I like the sound. However, I don't really understand how to use the highest G string, so effectively I'm just pretending I'm playing a guitar capo'd at the 5th fret when I strum. But for single note stuff, I kind of just ignore the highest pitched string.

For example, if my strings are: GCEA - 4321, should I be playing scales starting on the 3rd string -> 2nd -> 1, and wrapping around to the 4th string (because it's the highest in pitch)?

What are the ukulele-specific techniques I'm missing out on here? I'm sure there's a lot.

Thanks!
 
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If your doing scale then just use strings 3,2,1. Leave out the fourth. I'm not really into reentrant tuning myself. Most of my ukulele's have a low bass string (linear tuning). My view is that most people who dig reentrant tuning are into Hawaiian style ukulele playing where it makes sense.

I'm a picker and I have one original song where reentrant tuning works but mostly I prefer linear.

Anthony
 
I got a second tenor and put a low G on it. I am like you...first and foremost a guitar player, but enjoy the uke. I'm a fingerstyle player, so it's fun for that. I use the high G tenor primarily for workshops where I do more strumming.
 
I'll 3rd that being a guitar player myself. Get yourself a low G and then you'll get a better feel for it.
 
Embrace the reentrant!

The high G can actually be very convenient when playing chord solos. Yes, you are pretty much down to three strings for any single note runs and solos, but the unique sound of the close harmonies is well worth the sacrifice.

A second uke with low G is always an option, if you really want those extra five notes on the low end.

Only my Kamoa electric has low G... all my others are reentrant.
 
I like to use the high G to simplify fingering for the left hand. That open note shows up a lot, and it can be handy in the higher positions too. It gives you more options anyway. I like it, and I have a guitar background (with a bit of banjo). I have several ukes in low G tuning, so I like both but for different songs.

–Lori
 
I used to feel as you describe. If you find some tabs for reentrant and start playing them, eventually it will feel natural.
 
High G can be very effective for Celtic and Bluegrass styles of playing, however there are great players like Ken Middleton who only play in high G tuning and makes a point that you should bring a high G to many of his workshops, especially when he teaches those styles especially to get that Campanella sound (little bells) that just does not work with low G. As to scales, many can start on the C string, but if you try to use the high G string at the 5th fret it sounds strange (compared to a low G on the 5th fret) and is not the lower note you expect to hear before going to D on the 3rd string.

In the end, I think having both are great, but it's like everything else you do in music. It's a personal preference and what gives you the most enjoyment is what you should do. Some of the top pro's only play low G and others play high G. Each have their own style, their own sound, so I think using high G effectively is what works best for you. In my case, low G works best so all my ukes except one right now are low G. Wicked posted, he is the exact opposite of me, so there are your two extremes ;-)

Welcome to the uke family!

Cheers!

westcoast said:
I'm probably always going to be a guitar player first, but I got a tenor ukulele to mess around with. I'm really liking it for the size: I can take it anywhere! Also like the ability to do simple chord melody stuff. It's a lot simpler when you only focus on 4 strings instead of 6!

I kept the uke in its original tuning because I like the sound. However, I don't really understand how to use the highest G string, so effectively I'm just pretending I'm playing a guitar capo'd at the 5th fret when I strum. But for single note stuff, I kind of just ignore the highest pitched string.

For example, if my strings are: GCEA - 4321, should I be playing scales starting on the 3rd string -> 2nd -> 1, and wrapping around to the 4th string (because it's the highest in pitch)?

What are the ukulele-specific techniques I'm missing out on here? I'm sure there's a lot.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
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blue_knight_usa said:
High G can be very effective for Celtic and Bluegrass styles of playing, however there are great players like Ken Middleton who only play in high G tuning and makes a point that you should bring a high G to many of his workshops, especially when he teaches those styles especially to get that Campanella sound (little bells) that just does not work with low G.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thanks to everyone for all the responses!

I looked up campanella style playing here: http://ukulelehunt.com/2010/03/31/campanella-ukulele/ so that's pretty cool and a vote for the high G.

Like a lot of people I really got into the uke via Jake Shimabukuro, and I've read he plays with re-entrant tuning, which is one reason I've stuck with it as I'd love to learn some of his tunes.

Being a guitar player, though, I really liked Jason Arimoto's various blues covers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnUMZgPP6Wo&list=UUbIieKHkn2nzZWLpI5VHkig&index=11 (and of course, his cover of Gravity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICMT0w-A7Us&list=UUbIieKHkn2nzZWLpI5VHkig). I'm guessing this is a low G since it's more a guitar song?
 


West coast, I agree with Wicked. Embrace the re- entrant tuning, don't try to recreate the guitar by going linear.

Here's Ukulele recording artist Gerald Ross touching on the essence of your question, west coast, at 2:00 min in this video. Enjoy!!
 
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Wicked said:
Embrace the reentrant!

The high G can actually be very convenient when playing chord solos. Yes, you are pretty much down to three strings for any single note runs and solos, but the unique sound of the close harmonies is well worth the sacrifice.
A second uke with low G is always an option, if you really want those extra five notes on the low end.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you. Well said!

However, I find it's annoying to play often classical pieces without a low G. You need that bottom end though I think John King's book used re-entrant tuning.

HAL LEONARD makes a great ukulele scale finder book that looks complicated, but you will get used to it. They have many starting points (root notes) for all scales all over the different strings of the fretboard. Very useful andunder $10. A gem.

Petey
 
coolkayaker1 said:


West coast, I agree with Wicked. Embrace the re- entrant tuning, don't try to recreate the guitar by going linear.
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

You and I must have been replying at the same time. Yeah guitarists... don't go linear. I've been a mediocre guitar player since the age of 12 and I've been enjoying discovering the uke with re-entrant tuning. It just keeps giving me new ideas all the time. :cool: I find that strange, but it's true. I've figured out quite a few things that guitarists need to know about the uke but I'm too lazy to make a funny video about it. Most fingerpicking bluegrass/folk guitarists and classical guitarists including flamenco will make a very easy transition to the uke. Guitar players who just strum a lot with a pick and sing, or rock guitarists who never fingerpicked before will have a hard time. It's very difficult for a guitarist whose only used a pick all his/her life to strum without a pick. The uke with the re-entrant tuning is great for strumming without a pick. A pick wielding guitarist has to DE-PICKAFYE one's self. I know... it happened to me and I gave away ukes to some other guitar players and they were lost without a pick. Lyle Ritz always used a pick, but I'm talking about amateur guitar players like myself. hehehe

Petey
 
I'm sure even luthiers don't agree and there aren't too many luthiers more esteemed than Chuck Moore, maybe David Hurd and I know Chuck says that he prefers low G for tenors as he doesn't want to limit his instrument (paraphrasing).

Here is a link from David Hurd..."Thus it is surely no accident that the various tunings of the four ukulele courses as well as the six classical guitar courses often have a lower bound near the air resonance in order to access that range of notes directly. Note that as normally strung, the concert size has no near low note"

http://www.ukuleles.com/Technology/sounds.html

It's amazing if I understand correctly that the soprano, concert should be high G, tenor should be low G, and baritone should be low D. I guess there is truly a science to building ukes and not just art!
 
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Wicked said:
Embrace the reentrant!

The high G can actually be very convenient when playing chord solos. Yes, you are pretty much down to three strings for any single note runs and solos, but the unique sound of the close harmonies is well worth the sacrifice.

A second uke with low G is always an option, if you really want those extra five notes on the low end.

Only my Kamoa electric has low G... all my others are reentrant.
Click to expand...

Yes - I agree so much. I have tried low G and it just don't seem ukulele to me. Even my baritone uses a high-D. Once you get used to it, you will find you get so much music out of that high g and that it adds so much. Stick with it, my friend. You got the guitar for all that scale stuff - the uke is a comping machine! Of course, just listen to Jake or Abe Lagrimas Jr. -- they work all their magic with high-G. Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes - embrace the high-G!
 
Matt Dahlberg who is also a master player uses re-entrant as well. As one of his new students he is making me play with re-entrant now, so I might just have to be a convert soon ;-)

westcoast said:
Thanks to everyone for all the responses!

I looked up campanella style playing here: http://ukulelehunt.com/2010/03/31/campanella-ukulele/ so that's pretty cool and a vote for the high G.

Like a lot of people I really got into the uke via Jake Shimabukuro, and I've read he plays with re-entrant tuning, which is one reason I've stuck with it as I'd love to learn some of his tunes.

Being a guitar player, though, I really liked Jason Arimoto's various blues covers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnUMZgPP6Wo&list=UUbIieKHkn2nzZWLpI5VHkig&index=11 (and of course, his cover of Gravity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICMT0w-A7Us&list=UUbIieKHkn2nzZWLpI5VHkig). I'm guessing this is a low G since it's more a guitar song?
Click to expand...
 
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