ADF#B Soprano

kdmccullum

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I was going to sell my soprano but my daughter begged me not to. On a whim I tuned it up to ADF#B and two things stood out. One was that it seemed to sound much better. And I also noticed that I liked the string tension much better. It didn't feel loose and more like my tenor. Using the J65 strings which are made for ADF#B so maybe that's it but definitely a better feel.

So how many out there are playing with D tuning vs C? And do you find transposing difficult or fairly straightforward?

Kurt
 
I always keep at least one soprano D tuned. It was the defacto tuning until the past couple of decades. I believe it still is in Canada, not sure.

Yes, I enjoy the string tension, too. Every instrument has a perfect resonance, and sometimes one may need the opposite: to be tuned down a notch or two.
 
I keep one in C and one in D (for sopranos). I agree that often the D sounds nicer. I also like the higher tension strings. Another handy thing is sometimes if you have a cheap uke that buzzes just a little - tuning up to D will put enough tension on the neck to pull out just enough of the back-bow to let it ring clearly.

John
 
Howdy, Kurt!

My 50s plastic Islander Uke is always tuned to ADF#B (and I love those J65 strings). Sounds great!

Most of my soprano ukes are tuned to GCEA; transposing was difficult at first, but it's gotten easier and easier with practice. Getting a few old uke methods (that use ADF#B) helped me get it more quickly.

Glad to hear your soprano is singing for you!
 
I'm primarily a concert player, but I keep my soprano tuned in D, and I really like it. I generally use it for specific songs and/or keys. Transposing isn't usually an issue (my husband and I play different tunings, so I do that a lot already.)
 
I keep a soprano tuned in D. Sometimes it seems easier to sing a song a tone up and sometime a tone down. So having sopranos tuned in both C and D gives me a choice.
 
I have my Kala Watermelon tuned to the D tuning I play it all the time for the Seasons of the Ukulele
I dont transpose maybe I am lazy but I just play it the same way as a C tuning
sometimes a song sounds to me better that way.
 
Sometimes people give me old uke methods and stuff from the 50's and 60's, and they are all for D tuning. If anyone would like a scan of the chord charts (in D) I would be glad to share them. Not too hard to just figure the chords out, but if anyone is interested just shoot me a message and I will email some chord scans.

Also, I find the higher string tension of D tuning very nice on a soprano scale length. I usually play a tenor so it feels like "home".
 
I just bought a pre-owned Black Bear sopranino and it arrived in D tuning. It really works well on the shorter scale and will have to try it on a soprano.

Mitch
 
Looks like I am in good company. Definitely keeping this one and leaving it tuned to D. I was set to let it go so I am pleased.

The J65 strings are labeled ADF#B on the package so that's what prompted me to give it a try.

Since I sing bass it's a bit strange as it seems much higher. I find myself singing an octave lower.
 
I keep my flat black Bruko tuned in D and the rest of my sopranos tuned in C. I can't really finger pick in D and the flat black model doesn't have fret markers so it is a win win.
 
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