I received a Concert for Christmas from myself and I just bought a O'Nino today because I have to travel and want to keep learning. What do I do with this Tiny Sopranisimo? Do I keep it in the GCEA tuning to keep consistent with learning chords and play it the same as my concert? I'm seriously on day 3 of playing a Ukulele.
O'Nino NUD but don't know what to do/play!
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Twibbly
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I would keep it the same for now, and play with it more later.
Awesome.......welcome abroad and to the addiction. You can tune it up higher if you want to and play it with the same chord shapes as you are learning on your GCEA concert. You will just be playing in a different key but the progressions will sound recognizable. We do that with the lower tuned baritone, just play it the same way as a concert of tenor. You can tune it to GCEA if it does not sound too dull that way. Definitely stay with the chord shapes and names you are just learning now
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jollyboy
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I think Mim was recommending tuning up to D (A D F# B). You might well get better tone/playability/intonation from doing so. And you can still use all the same chord shapes - you'll just be in a different key 
imperialbari
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I have tuned my new O’Nino to E (B natural-E-G#-C#).
To get the best tuning I tune all strings at the 5th fret by means of the Peterson Strobotuner app on my phone. That gives the notes E, A, C#, and F# at the tuner. I don’t like the beats coming from the fifths within the chords being flat, so I tune the outer string 1 or 2, sometimes 3 cent sharp.
I practice the same chord progressions on the tiny one as on my tenor, but some changes of tight chord shapes are necessary because of the lesser space between the frets. Some 4-fret distances that feel right with index and little finger on the tenor more naturally will call for index and ring finger on the O’Nino.
My O’Nino has a better finish than my SK-21 sopranino from the same maker, Ohana, but acoustically both are equally good. I like the liveliness and the light feel of both.
If I had a wish, then that both of these small bodies came with necks of full soprano length. Maybe even of concert length, which would make them easier to play. As I get the videos with the Uke Orchestra from the UK, these great players use some small bodied ukes with fairly long necks.
To the OP: Plays the same stuff on both ukes, but don‘t despair, if the little one calls for some adjustments in left hand approach. If you are strong in music theory the different keys of the tuning won’t bother you. If you are a beginner, you with time will learn how to apply the differences. As I get the history of George Formby, he liked staying within a fairly narrow selection of keys, fingeringwise. The adaption to the keys needed in his various songs happened by banjo ukes of the relevant tunings lying ready for him around the film studio, where and when he would need them.
Klaus
To get the best tuning I tune all strings at the 5th fret by means of the Peterson Strobotuner app on my phone. That gives the notes E, A, C#, and F# at the tuner. I don’t like the beats coming from the fifths within the chords being flat, so I tune the outer string 1 or 2, sometimes 3 cent sharp.
I practice the same chord progressions on the tiny one as on my tenor, but some changes of tight chord shapes are necessary because of the lesser space between the frets. Some 4-fret distances that feel right with index and little finger on the tenor more naturally will call for index and ring finger on the O’Nino.
My O’Nino has a better finish than my SK-21 sopranino from the same maker, Ohana, but acoustically both are equally good. I like the liveliness and the light feel of both.
If I had a wish, then that both of these small bodies came with necks of full soprano length. Maybe even of concert length, which would make them easier to play. As I get the videos with the Uke Orchestra from the UK, these great players use some small bodied ukes with fairly long necks.
To the OP: Plays the same stuff on both ukes, but don‘t despair, if the little one calls for some adjustments in left hand approach. If you are strong in music theory the different keys of the tuning won’t bother you. If you are a beginner, you with time will learn how to apply the differences. As I get the history of George Formby, he liked staying within a fairly narrow selection of keys, fingeringwise. The adaption to the keys needed in his various songs happened by banjo ukes of the relevant tunings lying ready for him around the film studio, where and when he would need them.
Klaus
