Retuning a baritone to GCEA

[GrahamInYork]

I’m thinking of getting a baritone ukulele, and I play in a group. Since it comes as DGBE, what happens if I swap the strings to GDEB, and retune the D to C and B to A? I’m only returning the string by one note. Does this matter, since it will still be GCEA?

 

[EDW]

Maybe try something like these if that doesn't work

AQUILA 23U NEW NYLGUT BARITONE UKE STRING SET, GCEA TUNING, NO WOUND S

High G or gCEA tuning (bass to treble), all plain strings. Gauges, from treble side to bass side, 1st to 4th, are about 025 031 038 027 in thousanths of an inch. Made in Italy from a synthetic material called New Nylgut, a formulation of polymerized plastic mixed with additives and patented by...

www.elderly.com

 

[Spicysteve]

I have strung a couple of Baritones with Aquila Lava gcea strings. To me they are smoother feeling than the other Nylguts.
Quite happy with the sound.
I also use Thomastik-Infeld CF30 for a wound Low G, a Thomastik CF27 for a wound C with Worth Browns for the e and a. Love the combo on a Baritone for "Super Tenor" tuning.

 

[perep]

Nothing wrong with that, I have one custom like that

 

[merlin666]

Baritones are supposed to be low and tuning them like a chirpy soprano is a silly idea. The right way of going gcea on baritone is octave below standard, and strings for that are available. For example

https://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=85

 

[Jim Hanks]

I’m thinking of getting a baritone ukulele, and I play in a group. Since it comes as DGBE, what happens if I swap the strings to GDEB, and retune the D to C and B to A? I’m only returning the string by one note. Does this matter, since it will still be GCEA?

that should work (unless there are issues with the nut slots) but note that you won't end up with a linear tuning by swapping the strings around like that. I'm not saying that's bad, just maybe different than what you are expecting.

There are sets available for a "regular" GCEA tuning if your experiment turns out too weird

 

[gnordenstam]

Ken Middleton (Living Water Strings) has a nice sounding set of Baritone GCEA (low G) for sale. I have them on my Ohana BK035.

 

[Arcy]

that should work (unless there are issues with the nut slots) but note that you won't end up with a linear tuning by swapping the strings around like that. I'm not saying that's bad, just maybe different than what you are expecting.

Great call out.

How much of a difference it makes will depend on what you play. You'll still have the same chords (with different inversions), so if you're just strumming chords it'll sound a bit different but probably fine. If you're deliberate about inversions to emphasize a bass line or if you're trying to include a melodic line you'll need to rearrange for the new tuning.

Green is standard low options vs Yellow for standard high option.
Black is traditional consistent
Red is non-standard low from the string swap.

Assuming your Baritone came in linear (low-G) DGBE tuning it started: D₃G₃B₃E₄ and swaps to G₃C₃E₄A₃ with reentrant low-C and low A strings.

Standard linear GCEA (low-G) tuning is G₃C₄E₄A₄
Standard reentrant gCEA (high-G) tuning is G₄C₄E₄A₄

If your Baritone came in reentrant (high-D) DGBE it started D₄G₃B₃E₄ and ends up closer to a standard low-G tuning, but with a low-A G₃C₄E₄A₃

 

[Pirate Jim]

Baritones are supposed to be low played however you enjoy playing them and tuning them like a chirpy soprano is a silly idea something that so many players do you can buy multiple string sets exactly for this. The right Another way of going gcea on baritone is octave below standard, and strings for that are available too. For example

https://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=85

It's your instrument, play it however you want to. Musical expression has no wrongs or rights, just different tastes. Don't let the gatekeepers tell you otherwise.

 

[Nickie]

Baritones are supposed to be low and tuning them like a chirpy soprano is a silly idea. The right way of going gcea on baritone is octave below standard, and strings for that are available. For example

https://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=85

This looks great! I just borrowed a bari from a veerryy good friend, to see if I can learn to play in DGBE tuning. If it flusters me too badly, I can get one and string it up like you suggested!

 

[Nickie]

Baritones are supposed to be low and tuning them like a chirpy soprano is a silly idea. The right way of going gcea on baritone is octave below standard, and strings for that are available. For example

https://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=85

Au, contrare. I heard a bari strung gCEA once, and it was the prettiest sounding thing with strings I've ever heard. I played it, and coveted it right there on the spot.

 

[Jim Hanks]

If your Baritone came in reentrant (high-D) DGBE it started D₄G₃B₃E₄ and ends up closer to a standard low-G tuning, but with a low-A G₃C₄E₄A₃

by the way, this is called cuatro tuning, also called "low reentrant", and can be a pretty cool option.

 

[cdkrugjr]

PhD and Living Water both make strings for Baritone in “Low G” tuning. My Kala baritone just LOVES that tuning.

I’ve also used Worth Clear light Soprano low G strings, though you lose the “Two changes per set” option. The light gauge tunes up a fourth higher with only moderate tension.

 

[casualmusic]

I’m thinking of getting a baritone ukulele, and I play in a group. Since it comes as DGBE, what happens if I swap the strings to GDEB, and retune the D to C and B to A? I’m only returning the string by one note. Does this matter, since it will still be GCEA?

Why dilute the rich baritone sound by making it sound like yet another regular ukulele?

Baritone is easy if you get a chord chart and learn the I, IV, V baritone major chord family groupings. Add the minor chords ii-m, iv-m, vi-m when needed. Examples:

C scale: C, F, G
D scale: D, G, A
E scale: E, G, B
G scale: G, C, D
A scale: A, D, E.

My advice is to never think “the baritone G chord looks like a standard D” etc because translating is always much much slower than memorizing the new stuff. I’m a baritone player who occasionally demonstrates standard ukulele chords; it was dead simple to memorize fingering for standard ukulele chord families (sometimes verify with a chord chart).

Cheers

 

[mds725]

I have a baritone ukulele tuned octave lower GCEA. It was built for me by Rick Turner when he was developing a baritone-size body, which he told me could also be used for octave mandolins and parlor guitars. I actually got two instruments made from almost identical wood sets -- the other is a steel string baritone. They're both beautiful instruments and they sound wonderful. I believe he used the middle four strings (ADGB) from a regular guitar set to achieve GCEA tuning, and they turned out to be just a tad floppy, although they still sounded good. I think the next one he built (which I saw for sale years ago at Gryphon Stringed Instruments) had a slightly longer scale. I just ordered a set of those Guadalupe octave lower GCEA strings, and I'm looking forward to test driving them. Here's a photo of the steel string baritone. Except for the compensated saddle, the two ukuleles are twins.

 

[rileyismycopilot]

I’m thinking of getting a baritone ukulele, and I play in a group. Since it comes as DGBE, what happens if I swap the strings to GDEB, and retune the D to C and B to A? I’m only returning the string by one note. Does this matter, since it will still be GCEA?

Hi there!

I like the way you think. It's very smart and "outside the box".
Basically, you would end up with a standard re-entrant tuning, only an octave lower, and with the 2nd string an octave up. Like gCeA, an octave down standard soprano tuning. I'd bet this would make any melody work very hard, but strumming chords or picking arpeggios may yield great results. I'm sure there's a bunch of great sounds out of that tuning!

Please try it and let us know