New Uke player with some general AND specific questions!

Hey all!

I am a somewhat new ukulele player. I have been playing guitar for a while, but I just started on the uke. I own two different ukuleles, but I am confused over some terms.

What is the difference between a Concert and a Tenor ukulele? I own an Oscar Schmidt OU-5 Concert Uke, and a Cordoba 25ck. They both call themselves "Concert" models, but the Cordoba is bigger than the Oscar. Is this normal? Is one a concert and the other a tenor?

This issue leads to my next question, which is about tuning. The smaller OU-5 is tuned in the standard (I assume) tuning, GCEA. The Cordoba though is tuned much lower, to DGBE. I was going to try tuning the Cordoba up to a higher tuning, but there is no way the strings will tune that high. It felt like I was going to break them to even get them close to GCEA. These are the strings the Ukulele had on them originally, and I figure they are supposed to be tuned that low.

Can I get strings for the larger Cordoba that I can tune to GCEA? Or are larger Ukuleles just supposed to be tuned lower? I am thinking about replacing the strings on both Ukes, but I am not sure which gauges to get.

Thanks for any and all help, and I appreciate the time. This is a great set of boards!

Concert ukuleles are typically about 24-25 inches in length.Tenor ukes are about 27-28.The bigger uke you describe is tuned like a Baritone(DGBE),are you sure it's not a baritone?

Welcome! :cheers:

Check out Wikipedia's information on uke sizes.

Your Oscar Schmidt is definitely a "concert" sized ukulele. I own one myself.

I've never seen a Cordoba in person, but from your description, it sounds like you've got yourself a Baritone.

JJ

On the strings, Aquila has a baritone set for standard tuning (GCEA). I know these are available at Elderly.

Thanks for the answers

Thanks for the replies.

I thought baritones were a lot bigger than my Cordoba, but it's very possible. The product info for the Cordoba 25ck seems to call it a concert as well, but they may be using the term in a different way. I am going to measure my ukes and see if they match the sizes on the wiki.

If it is a baritone, and my other is a concert (which it sounds like it is), then it looks like I get to buy a tenor too!

There is some variation in uke size from brand to brand. To complicate matters, you sometimes see a tenor neck on a concert body for example. Measuring the total length of the uke, as HoosierHiver suggested, will get you close, but the scale length is generally what you should be measuring. The scale length, btw, is the length of the playable string, from nut to bridge. Generally speaking, sopranos have a scale length of about 13", concerts around 15", tenors 17", and baritones 19". Again, this can vary with brands.

With regards to your strings, if you want to tune the cordoba GCEA, you'll have to buy appropriate strings. But why change? With two ukes in different tunings, you have more options. I have five ukes and they're all tuned differently!

Thanks

Good call on the idea of different tunings. I guess I didn't really think about the idea that it is better to have the different ukes produce different tones and tunings.

I guess I feel like my large uke is a little too low in tone, like it sounds closer to a guitar. I am wondering, maybe I can buy a set of stings that allow me to tune a little higher than DGBE, but not quite up to GCEA. I still need to find out if my Cordoba is a true Baritone, or if it's a Tenor.

Thanks for the help and ideas, you guys are great!

Here's a plan: Keep your baritone tuned to DGBE, but add a capo in the fifth fret. I'm just a beginner myself, but unless I'm shouted down by more expert guys... putting a capo on the DGBE baritone converts the tuning into a GCEA soprano style tuning.

Thats how I play my baritone a lot of the time. The bigger instrument has a corespondingly bigger sound -- or fuller -- but you can play using the "standard" uke tuning. As if anything about ukes is standard.

I have a few cheap sopranos, but prefer the sound of my baritone with capo.

dave alexander said:

unless I'm shouted down by more expert guys... putting a capo on the DGBE baritone converts the tuning into a GCEA soprano style tuning.

Click to expand...

I'm neither an expert guy nor shouting but...

You wouldn't quite have the standard tuning with the capo, because you'd have a low-G (instead of the traditional "reentrant" tuning with a high G that falls between the E and the A strings in pitch).

JJ

I stand corrected.