Recent content by kypfer

I initially took up ukulele 'cos I read one could play 'banjo-like' claw-hammer on it ... and you can! It just seemed easier to use the guitar chord-shapes I was already familiar with rather than come to grips with banjo tuning! Subsequent to that I have got to grips with a 5-string banjo and...

Firstly ... widening a nut slot is never a problem. The slot can be refilled using the "baking powder and superglue" trick that you'll find plenty of reference to. Once that rehardens, usually no more than a minute or two, you can recut the slot to suit. Repeat as required ;) I use Aquila "reds"...

Suggestion ... fit a capo and use an easier set of chord shapes?

In my experience ... stuff learned is stuff learned :) I may need a little prompting (from sheet/book) if I haven't played a piece for a while, but once I've been through it once or twice, it's back (more or less), though the more "tricky" passages may need a little practice. I'm...

Another vote for the Aquila set https://www.elderly.com/products/aquila-30u-soprano-uke-set?variant=26854150668352 Two provisos :- i). The G string is wound ... expect it to wear and need replacement rather sooner than the rest of the set. I use the D string from a conventional guitar set...

I'd still try the talc ... at least once. Alternatively, have you tried abrading the callus smooth, with a nail file or fine sandpaper perhaps?

I've used a touch of talc on the tips of sticky fingers in the past ... just wipe the strings down with a damp rag when you're finished playing ;)

From my time when I first learnt to play the guitar ... circa 1964 ... start with a song you REALLY want to play, then you've got some real impetus to practice! All the nursey rhymes and camp-fire songs are all very well, but if they don't hold your interest, they very soon get boring!

I'm with Mike $ ... if they haven't broken or frayed they're still good ;) I have met a couple of sets of strings that were so deformed from long-term playing that they were difficult to play "up the neck", but mostly they do seem to last for a very long time unless you're particularly...

I've got "reds" on three of my ukuleles. Having ensured that the nut slots weren't too tight I've treated them just as "normal" ... no problems :)

I've "fiddled" with this tune over the years (pun intended) ... this arrangement for the Mountain Dulcimer might be adaptable to the ukelele, though you may need to re-tune.

My take on the pineapple shape is the improved bass response for a soprano-sized instrument. I have two soprano pineapples, a "generic" tuned low-G with Aquila "reds" and a Mahalo with a set of Aquila "5th's" strings, tuned like a mandolin, GDAE, so both have the same bass note and both have...

I've got Aquila "reds" on three of my ukuleles, low-G on my Kala concert and a 'generic' pineapple soprano and the banjolele-specific hi-G set on my John Grey banjolele. The strings were fitted some while ago, all instruments are used fairly regularly and I've yet to experience a breakage on any...

My 4-string Grafton with a 20" scale is tuned GDAE (as is my baritone uke') ... if I wanted it GCEA I'd drop the third string a tone, move the second string to the first then find "something" to fit in between the first and third. If the third string ended up a bit slack I'd try few thou' heavier.

I keep my baritone tuned GDAE, an octave down from a violin/mandolin (same as my 4-string banjo) Were you anticipating tuning above or below this?