guitar player wanting to learn uke - need some advice

Hi!

I'm quite interested to start playing the Ukulele, because I love its sound, and am thinking of buying myself one.
I'm otherwise a guitar player (acoustic steel-string, and electric), I'm playing guitar for around 4 years now. I know Ukulele is quite different from a guitar, so I have a few questions.

1. What is the transition from the guitar to Ukulele like? Is it easy/challenging?

2. Did anybody experience any problems playing both a guitar and an uke (different tunings, etc)? Did switching from one to the other feel natural to you? Did playing one help you with playing the other, or is it a totally different technique?

3. What size of Ukulele should I get? Is it better to start with a Baritone, or go straight to Soprano? I really don't know much about sizes. Have thought about Soprano or Concert though.

4. How to go about learning the chords, any good website/information/video lessons, because there isn't any teacher in my area as Ukulele is quite rare thing to find.

5. Any advice on what Ukes are good to buy for an entry level instrument, and what to look for? I don't mean something way too expensive though. The reasonable price in that moment would be as cheap as possible, but I would also be willing to spend around $200-$300 for a quality instrument if it would be needed.

Thank you very much!

I was a guitarist,and since finding the uke I have
got rid of all my guitars,they have no interest for
me any more.
The chords you would know as a guitarist will all
transfer across to the uke,but be differently named
as they will be in a different key.Otherwise you have
nothing to lose by giving it a shot!

I played guitar for 25 years before playing uke. My opinion is that the tenor fit better for me. It's bigger then a soprano and concert which just felt better for me. The big difference between playing guitar and uke is strumming. With the uke it's wrist action vs arm and not using a pick. I felt playing the guitar already was a big advantage when starting the uke and it was much easier to learn due to that. For fingerpicking I just applied what I knew from guitar to the uke and it's been a breeze. The biggest challenge for me was and is the difference in strumming technique. I will say this is that it has been a fun transition.
Good luck and I'm sure you'll find much enjoyment with it.

1.
Fun.

2.
You'll reuse a great deal of what you already know.

3.
Pick the size with the sound you are looking for.
Very big difference between the sound of a Soprano and a Baritone. Pick what you want it to sound like.

4.
Tons of great resources online. My two favorite sites are
http://www.ezfolk.com/baritone-uke/chords/
http://www.ukulele-tabs.com/famous-ukulele-songs.html

5.
You'll get plenty of advice here.
I happen to think the Riptides are super fun, unique looking, and very affordable.

Almost everything you've learned on guitar will help with uke.

If you have ever used a capo on your guitar, then you'll understand that playing standard uke tuning is just like having the guitar capoed at the fifth fret, and without the lower (fatter) two strings. So instead of strings EADGBE, the D becomes G, G becomes C, B becomes E, and E becomes A - so the Uke is GCEA.
So instead of "Eat A Damn Good Breakfast Everyday" you tune the uke to "Great Care Ensures Accuracy".

Your chord fingerings work the same but 5 halfnotes higher- ignoring the lowest two strings, what you played for a D chord on guitar is a G on Uke; guitar G is uke C, guitar A is uke D, guitar E is A, etc. With four strings for four fingers, the uke is easy and fun.

Now on that Uke's G string, standard Uke tuning has that an octave higher, which is called "re-entrant" tuning - it is the same note as the third fret on the E.

But, many uke players, especially on the Tenor size, prefer keeping the "low G" tuning. I'd recommend this if you ever play leads or scales where you want to get down to the lowest string, or even if you play bas note then chord like many guitarists. Special string sets for Low-G tuning are readily available for Tenor, and with many ukes you don't need to file a bigger slot for this lower string because the low G if its a metal-wound string will be about the same diameter as the non-wound nylon high-G string.

I'd recommend a tenor uke unless you have pretty small hands. Or a baritone.

Baritones are the largest uke size and most often come with strings for tuning DGBE - exactly the same as the guitar's upper four strings. With this, your chords will be the same as you are used to.
The baritone has a deeper voice and sounds less like a uke, so if that sound is what you want, go with the tenor.

If you like to sing, the tenor uke compliments the guitar because it makes it easy to play a song in your choice of two different keys, so you can now sing many songs that had low notes you couldn't hit. Just play it the same as you did on a guitar - and you're instantly transposed.

For entry level ukes, I like Ohana.

In traditional uke playing, there is a much stronger emphasis on the strumming hand, which you should think of as your drum. We practice plenty with no notes, just strumming out rhythms on deadened strings. But there's no law that says you have to play that way - play it how you like.


Have fun,
Vinnie in Juneau

that's very nice if you like guitar and you like its sound but my friend i am not know about it only i listen its sound in some videos....

I transitioned from guitar to uke, although I still play both.

I agree with Markr1 that a tenor may be the best fit for a guitarist learning ukulele; I started with a Pono concert but I found a tenor scale to be more comfortable and soon upgraded in quality in a tenor scale uke.

I think coming from a guitar background that you are more likely to stick with ukulele, so buy the best you can afford; keep an eye on the marketplace section of the forum for a good value in a used ukulele for the most bang for your buck or you can save some money on a new uke by purchasing a new ukulele with a cosmetic blemish. My 2 cents.
IMHO / YMMV

1. It's easy just walk towards the light
2. No, Yes, yes and sorta! (But everyone's different)
3. Try some out and see what feels good.
4. Loads of good sites. recommend the links on here and ukulelehunt.
5. That'll be plenty and you'll get sound advice on here if you ask for it!

Blue_Sea said:

1. What is the transition from the guitar to Ukulele like? Is it easy/challenging?

Click to expand...

The hardest thing is to unlearn guitar habits. Like trying to do bass runs on the fifth and sixth strings. And over-reaching: finding your pinky hits the seventh fret, not just the fifth...

Blue_Sea said:

2. Did anybody experience any problems playing both a guitar and an uke (different tunings, etc)? Did switching from one to the other feel natural to you? Did playing one help you with playing the other, or is it a totally different technique?

Click to expand...

Mostly getting guitarists to respect me afterwards.
Really, once you start playing, it will be automatic and easy.
I found it so nice I dropped guitars for several years and sold all mine so I could buy mores ukes (I've since bought two tenor guitars, though).

Blue_Sea said:

3. What size of Ukulele should I get? Is it better to start with a Baritone, or go straight to Soprano? I really don't know much about sizes. Have thought about Soprano or Concert though.

Click to expand...

As a guitar player for 45-years, I found tenor was the nicest fit and easiest to get used to.

I've played and owned all sizes, but tend to play tenor or (more recently) baritone. I find smaller sizes too small for my fingers and find their fretboards a tad cramped. It's just a personal taste which size you like.

Blue_Sea said:

4. How to go about learning the chords, any good website/information/video lessons, because there isn't any teacher in my area as Ukulele is quite rare thing to find.

Click to expand...

You already know them. They're the same as the guitar, just pitched up five frets. Play the shapes and change the pitch name (i.e. your D shape is called G on the uke).

Blue_Sea said:

5. Any advice on what Ukes are good to buy for an entry level instrument, and what to look for? I don't mean something way too expensive though. The reasonable price in that moment would be as cheap as possible, but I would also be willing to spend around $200-$300 for a quality instrument if it would be needed.

Click to expand...

Many in that price range. Mainland, Kala, Ohana, Lanikai all make good ukes in that range. Consider a Fluke, too. Do some surfing for reviews and user comments. I recommend a solid top, not laminate, and geared tuners. Check the marketplace here and on Flea Market Music. A used uke might be a good idea.

I played guitar 45 years as well. I agree you may miss the bass runs. But...

Pick up a Baritone. You'll like the same chording and key.

Then try a soprano. Different key, but you can always use the same chord shapes. (Heck, in my head I'm still thinking the old guitar names of chords. I have to will myself to think in uke tuning, but it doesn't matter at all.)

Being a fret instrument player, you'll have no problem making the transition.

BTW, my '66 Martin acoustic went to my son. I play uke now.

For price but good quality--Ohana. many like Pono. The Mexican built Martins are nice but +$300. Ohana I found to be the least expensive but quality instrument. The SK, CK, TK or BK 35 are wonderful and affordable instruments.

A google search for "ukulele for guitar players/guitarists will yield many results such as these. Try the one at top first. There's also a book out by that title.

https://www.google.com/#q=ukulele+for+guitar+players

I go back and forth. I'll play my baritone ukulele exclusively for a few days then find that I miss the more resonant sound of my steel 6 string and then concentrate on that instrument and vice-a versa, with my Telecaster thrown in for good measure

Your experience with the guitar will serve you well. I like the advice that I read from the lead guitar player for Z Z Top for beginners. He said to "practice (play) what you want to hear." Pick the size that sounds best to you. I started with a soprano, found rather quickly that I really wasn't fond of the sound and found - and have stuck with, the baritone.

I play both classical guitar and ukulele and have no problems maintaining my skills on each.

For me, I see them as two distinct instruments and treat them as such. And because classical guitar is so demanding on its own, I only use guitar for that, and leave the Uke for some classical but mainly for strumming, singing etc..

It works quite well and I seem to share techniques and skills between the two as well which I find quote useful.

Hello Blue Sea!

well, there's no telling where you'll end up-

just got started with ukes here and probably could best be classified as an intermediate classical guitar player myself, although I like steel strings and even play a little banjo and fiddle now too.

As I have a degree in education, I've always approached it all logically and systematically as possible,
trying for the MOST immediate gain in my limiited and spread-too-thin on instruments time

Not being a guitar master- I've found there is some "cross talk" interference in terms of chords- as I've spent time with the uke, I find myself at times second guessing about what chord form i'm looking for when I pick up my guitar and play again- so I think it's good to start with the basics:

this is what I've posted in the beginners section about learnig the uke chords fastest,
using the Circle of Fifths and first learning the major I, IV and V cords,
then systematically moving to the minor chords and then the others:



The best systematic way is to use the Circle of Fifths:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...lele-Circle-of-Fifths&highlight=circle+fifths

Right click and print the chart

start first with the major chords
play the first-root- chord-
then the fourth -"IV" chord on the one side ,
then the 5th "V" chord on the other side, using the 7th chord for that
and resolve back to the root- the "I" chord
start with the C chord and the major whole note chords first

This will have you playing the I, IV and V chords in every key

Don't be confused by the three chord forms under every letter- you only use one from each at a time!
so start with C maj,
then the 4th- F maj
then the 5th using the 7th chord- in this case G7
and back to C major


then do it for the minor keys- with the flattened third note of the scale- I think the fifth "V chord" is still usually played with the 7th chord
thus: C min, F min, G7, and back to C min

Do this every day- just takes a few minutes- soon you'll know all the major and minor keys, and their 7th form

you could progress systematically with the 6th, the second, augmented, diminished etc, as you like
but also play and expand a reportoire of songs, and you'll get to know the ones used most frequently naturally along the way

right click and print these chord charts- and you can reference mostr other chords from them:
http://huimusic.com/free-ukulele-chord-chart-or-ukulele-cords-ukulele-kords/

I also recommend Chordie.com for songs and lyrics, and you can click for ukulele and even transpose the chords on computer:
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/w...1944-06-06=always&url=&transpose=&tuning=GCEA

the chord formations are usually to the right



good luck otherwise

I'm finding I really like the sound and size of the soprano and part of that may be that I'm old and tired
It's so pleasantly UNSTRESSFUL to me!
but I've also now a concert sized
and just picked up a guitarlele I'm still wondering if I should return
I basically want a smaller sized guitar, and while I LOVE the uke sound, it may be just too small for me otherwise
I'll probably eventually want an entry level uike of every size and go from there

After playing ukuleles a couple of months, one thing I hadn't realized until I got the guitarlele is that you're actually playing in 5th position-

it's just the top 4 guitar strings on a uke- and the high g tuning makes that string different by an octave I guess

but on the guitarlele, it's TOTALLY 5th position
I can use the guitar chord forms, and everything is then actually the IV chord of whatever guitar chord form I'm using:
you can see it easily with D on guitar being G on Uke
the C formation on the guitarlele is then really F, in the higher tuning, and so on.

So I thought I could maybe just have another whole set of chord forms up there- but of course many then have to be barred when going back to guitar 5th position,

unless they already block all the strings or you play the strings selectively strumming, plucking, or as an open chord. Still should be of great use-

Many guitar players get stuck for awhile at the peg end of the neck,
and the uke starts getting the 5th position notes into your head, because they are then the first position on a uke.