LowG Soprano Poll

Do you use a lowG soprano?

  • Yes

    Votes: 22 27.5%

  • No

    Votes: 47 58.8%

  • Might

    Votes: 11 13.8%
  • Total voters
    80
I see by today the results are more where I was expecting to see them, a small percentage are thinking about it, & the split is now about half as many as use re entrant.

Thanks for taking part. :)
 
I see little point in linear tuning on ukuleles (I'd get a tenor guitar) in general, at least outside of bariones, and I think the small body size of the soprano makes it a tad unsuited for a low-G string. But horses for courses. :)
 
My own personal use of low G is for the extra low notes for finger/thumb picking melody lines. Whilst I have been using re entrant ukes, I tend not to use the high G string at all.

Knowing that Ohta San (& John King?) used a low G soprano got me to experimenting, & I quite like it.

Likely I would only use re entrant if I were to be strumming, & that is what most uke players seem to do.

:cool:

Edit: Don't remember where I read JK used lowG, but seems, by others comments, that he didn't; but it was an aside as to why I was trying lowG on a soprano in the first place. :)
 
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The high-g gives you a second melody string. You just can't play it like a guitar. ;)

I have never heard or seen John King play a linear tuned ukulele. What's your source? Wouldn't mind watching a video of him doing that. :)
 
Mivo said:
The high-g gives you a second melody string. You just can't play it like a guitar.
Click to expand...

"Low G" is the note G3 on the piano, and the same as the G string on a guitar. I think you'll have a hard time convincing any guitar player that their G string is not a 'melody string'.
 
Mivo said:
The high-g gives you a second melody string. You just can't play it like a guitar. ;)
)
Click to expand...

As usual, I agree w Mivo. I play high G because those players that I enjoy, particularly Jake, Kalei, and Aldrine, play high G exclusively.

Uuer Gerald Ross describes and demonstrates the magic of high G well in this video at 2:15 minutes.
 
I have a low G concert but no sopranos low G. I might try it one day, but I love the jaunty classic high G sound on a soprano. Low G is great too, and it's a great excuse to buy a new uke. I don't own any tenors or baritones or guitars of any kind, so having one uke with linear tuning is fun for me.
 
Low G is also good - nay essential - for the Daily Ukulele and Leap Year arrangements. The melodies dip down to that G below middle C.

So I don't have to use low G on a soprano to play them, but I just like sopranos. I find the 0XK with its robust construction and warm tone makes a nice sounding linear instrument.

I agree with the magic of reentrant sopranos though. I wouldn't put low G on a lightly built or vintage or Hawaiian sop. Maybe a Kanilea could handle it, hm, I don't know.
 
uke1950 said:
My own personal use of low G is for the extra low notes for finger/thumb picking melody lines. Whilst I have been using re entrant ukes, I tend not to use the high G string at all.

Knowing that Ohta San (& John King?) used a low G soprano got me to experimenting, & I quite like it.

Likely I would only use re entrant if I were to be strumming, & that is what most uke players seem to do.

:cool:
Click to expand...

John King used a style called Campanella. Basically, this involves passing the melody notes between the G & A strings on a reentrant tuned ukulele allowing the strings to ring on after you've plucked them (You do use the other strings as well). It gives a harp or bell like effect (hence campanella - little bell). It also makes melody work easier as it reduces the amount you move you fingers along the fretboard. I've been trying out fiddle tunes on my soprano and they are much easier to play this way than playing the melody mostly on one string. Search for campanella on the forum or on Google to find out more.

Here's a nice little demo of the technique. https://youtu.be/9zIuazqDhKU
 
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I have a low G concert, a high G concert, and a high G soprano. I'd never think of going low G on my soprano because I have my concert, so there's no need. My soprano has such a happy, Hawaiian sound, a little punch, rings like a happy bell. I think a low G string would be a change for the worse.

Edited to add: if I only played sopranos, I might string one with a low G, just so I would have it available because playing with a low G is a ton of fun and I definitely wouldn't want to give that up.
 
As it happens, my cheap old soprano-scale banjo ukulele is obviously designed to take a low G (as the hole for that string is wider than the rest, and the tuner even is larger than the other three too). I suppose I should try it with a low G sometime, but I'm left-handed so the low G would be in the wrong place on this uke anyway. Otherwise, I have to say, I have no desire to put a low G on a soprano.
 
Think outside of the box.....tune your soprano[ g C E a ]. put another low [g] string in the place of the[ A], and tighten it up to be a low [A] only one whole tone above the low [g]. It will put a whole new sound on it, and people will coming to you asking what you are playing, and why does it sound so much different from other small things with strings. YUP ! another reason for another uke, if you only have two.
 
TheCraftedCow said:
Think outside of the box.....tune your soprano[ g C E a ]. put another low [g] string in the place of the[ A], and tighten it up to be a low [A] only one whole tone above the low [g]. It will put a whole new sound on it, and people will coming to you asking what you are playing, and why does it sound so much different from other small things with strings. YUP ! another reason for another uke, if you only have two.
Click to expand...

Or, how about tuning to major thirds? G3 B3 D#4 G4
Then you have the entire chromatic scale every four frets.
 
I'm not familiar with setting up these polls, but one qualification that would have been interesting to me is to somehow know how many of those who say they use this tuning do it amplified as opposed to acoustic.
 
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