playing the soprano

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chuck in ny

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just starting to play the concert and finger the chords and it's a wonderment that anyone's fingers can do well with the closer frets on a soprano. i have a normal man's hand too, not hammy mitts at all, a size 9 glove.
well i understand that people do but so far the experience would encourage going toward tenor playing and more body in the sound.
more power to you. my fingers are crammed in to their seeming limit on this concert.
this subject can remain a mystery, too.
 
I started with a soprano, and I have two different thoughts on this. First, yes, playing my tenor gives me more room. BUT...I played the soprano for several months before getting the tenor. During that time, I learned that the angle of your hand will make a huge difference in your ability to play chords without feeling crammed. While I do like my tenor more overall, I no longer feel horribly crammed on my soprano.
 
Actually I just had the chance to test a tenor Fluke for a few days and I didn't like it. Nice and full sound (not a surprise with more body volume), but high string tension and somewhat "unhandy" compared to my concert sizes or the soprano. Apparently my tenor time has not yet come...
Once you got your hands used to concert size, soprano is not that much of a difference. As Fairy said, it's mostly a matter of practice, practice, practice and even more practice.
 
I find it interesting that we complain about the Soprano size. Just think of all those mandolin players who don't have the luxury of bigger instruments.
 
kayaker
you could almost schmooze me into the experience. it would require heavy self medication. on that subject, them days are gone.
 
I really prefer the smaller size and softer feel of the soprano, but I came from banjo and mandolin, so that is my frame of mind, I suppose.
 
I have large hands and comming from guitar felt really cramped on a soprano initially. I thought I wouldn't even want to own one. Now, if I had to get rid if all but one uke, I'd keep a soprano.
 
chuck in ny said:
just starting to play the concert and finger the chords and it's a wonderment that anyone's fingers can do well with the closer frets on a soprano. i have a normal man's hand too, not hammy mitts at all, a size 9 glove.
well i understand that people do but so far the experience would encourage going toward tenor playing and more body in the sound.
more power to you. my fingers are crammed in to their seeming limit on this concert.
this subject can remain a mystery, too.
Click to expand...
I felt that way too when I first started playing. Anything smaller than a concert seemed impossible. After playing concerts and tenors for a couple of years I ordered a cheap soprano to give as a prize in a challenge in the contests forum and discovered that I can play a soprano just fine, now.

John
 
chuck in ny said:
my fingers are crammed in to their seeming limit on this concert.
this subject can remain a mystery, too.
Click to expand...

I felt the exact same way when I started playing. Over time though, I've found the soprano to be just as easy as the concert. I play my Koalana now as much aas I play my concert ukes. I still have a hard time with the stretches on the tenor, but I feel that will come in time also.
 
Drawing from my own past experience, the better my fingering technique , the more able I was to play different size ukes. Soprano became easier than when I started, etc. etc. Switching sizes does take a few minutes of getting used to, but I can move between them now where'as in the beginning I couldn't. Practice, etc. etc.
It's about finger/hand fitness and technique....which comes with.....you guessed it!
 
great discussion. thanks all you are giving me some courage about the matter.
 
chuck in ny said:
great discussion. thanks all you are giving me some courage about the matter.
Click to expand...

You can do it. I came from guitarland and had no difficulty. In fact--after 40 years--good-bye guitar!

Sopranos rock!

(And there are always Barry's for contrast.)

I never took to concerts. I have one tenor, a Martin vintage. Someday maybe a Kamaka.

But I gotta bunch of sopranos and now a bunch of Barrys. I can easily switch back and forth from one to the other.

Get a soprano and try for yourself!
 
i love the soprano for my tine lady hands ;) i actually have the opposite problem to the op, i don't think i will ever even play a concert, i like the smallness of the soprano so much.
 
I am a big man with huge hands,and the soprano
is my instrument of choice! I started on a soprano
after a lifetime of guitar,and them moved 'up' to the
slightly bigger Concert.Then I got a Tenor.Could play
them all to the same level, and eventually I found
myself going more and more back to the Soprano.
Still play the tenor occasionally,the concert now and
then,but the Soprano daily,for at least a couple of hours!
 
I like the sound of sopranos better, more "ukey". Some tenors sound more like guitars. Of course, the guitar is a beautiful instrument, and I wouldn't mind having a "guitary" uke someday, perhaps. But I would play a guitary tenor differently than I would a ukey soprano.

As to hands fitting, well, I think everyone just has their own comfort levels with sizes.
 
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