Tone killing string bashing strumming..

jer

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Catchy title huh? :p

I have noticed that a lot of people play the ukulele, especially sopranos, harder than the instrument is really designed to handle. The tone really suffers as a result of this. That's just my opinion. I know there may be some people who like the sound that comes out of an uke that is being played really hard....but to me it just kills it.
People wonder why the guys at HMS can make any uke in their hands from inexpensive to expensive sound really good...I think that a big part of that is because of the touch they play with. They don't play so hard they drive the instrument past its breaking point, so to speak.
I've also heard some complain about sopranos being annoying sounding. For me, a soprano can definitely sound annoying when it's played too hard. When they're played with the right touch, I really like them though.
This kind of thing is true for other instruments too, like guitar...but really guitars have a much bigger body and can stand up to harder strumming better it seems.
It seems like the smaller the instrument, the lighter the touch needed for it to sound good to my ears.
I think another reason some people play so hard is they are trying to get the uke to match the volume of their vocals, which are more powerful than the uke.
Just some thoughts there....I'd like to hear yours too seeing as we all have our own opinions.
 
You are leaning on a very open door.The soprano uke was a percussive rhythmic instrument back in the day.Probably 1900's to the 70's when it disappeared from popularity. And that is how it was played.Strummed and strummed hard to get volume forward in a Music Hall or Vaudeville ....which is why the soprano Banjo Uke was born. For those of you who don't like fast strummed and deliciously stroked fan,triplets, roll, fig of 8 strokes etc etc.there are also many who shake their heads and wonder why you would try and play an over sized ukulele like a guitar. But as you say , we all have our opinions. It (The Soprano original)was called ukulele ...dancing flea.....and it wasn't restricted to playing just Hawaiian music ,but all sorts of genres..And globally...Oh ..and some people DON'T find the sparkly ,barky sound of a well strummed soprano annoying , just sounding like it was meant to.

I don't think you meant to be contentious and neither do I. But to say that you find a soprano strummed hard not to your liking...is fair enough...but it's like a country guitarist dismissing a metal over driven guitar as talentless ...and that ain't true ...or right .....
 
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I don't think it has much to do with the size of the instrument. I hear people pull the same stunt on tenor 'ukuleles and it sounds just as poor there. *Ahem* Especially in a performance setting with a pickup it can get really ugly.

One of the most satisfying things about playing for me is finding that sweet spot where I get the most possible volume without losing tone. I don't often succeed and end up overpowering the instrument, but it's an ever-changing goal. It seems that the better the player, the more they can project well without that thrashy sound.
 
You are leaning on a very open door.The soprano uke was a percussive rhythmic instrument back in the day.Probably 1900's to the 70's when it disappeared from popularity. And that is how it was played.

Not exclusively. There have been soloists from early on. John King's ukulele history book talks about it, 1920-30s instruction books sometimes have chapters on instrumental play, etc. The use as a percussive rhythm instrument was certainly more common (or to accompany ones singing), but using it as a melodic instrument is not just a modern development. Well remembered celebrities of old, especially those who were chiefly comedians using the small instrument as a vehicle for their acts, overshadow that.

I think what Jer meant, though, isn't just strumming, but when people hit the strings so hard that they partially mute them, which results in a dull, washboard like rasping sound. That's fine if it's deliberate, but sometimes the complaints about sopranos imply that it's not intended and just assumed to be a downside of the soprano.

Strumming fast but softly (to get a ringing rather than a rasping sound) is actually pretty difficult, at least for me. For me it takes deliberate, slow practice. The easiest approach is probably to practice alternating between quieter and louder strums while keeping time.
 
Not exclusively. There have been soloists from early on. John King's ukulele history book talks about it, 1920-30s instruction books sometimes have chapters on instrumental play, etc. The use as a percussive rhythm instrument was certainly more common (or to accompany ones singing), but using it as a melodic instrument is not just a modern development. Well remembered celebrities of old, especially those who were chiefly comedians using the small instrument as a vehicle for their acts, overshadow that.

I think what Jer meant, though, isn't just strumming, but when people hit the strings so hard that they partially mute them, which results in a dull, washboard like rasping sound. That's fine if it's deliberate, but sometimes the complaints about sopranos imply that it's not intended and just assumed to be a downside of the soprano.

Strumming fast but softly (to get a ringing rather than a rasping sound) is actually pretty difficult, at least for me. For me it takes deliberate, slow practice. The easiest approach is probably to practice alternating between quieter and louder strums while keeping time.
I've been playing the uke since 1969. I'm still only 58 and pretty feisty in my defence of sporano playing .I have never heard anybody pull any of the stunts of which you speak on a soprano ,except maybe when learning. I am a soprano devotee of the "popular" style.John King and the like are sidebar specialists to folks like me.I am finding that more and more this forum is becoming intolerant of any who play less than a tenor in a "classical guitar " style... Where is the tolerance, the diversity and the fun...you want to kill the uke...? turn it into a classical or pigeonholed instrument. There are less kids on the site than there used to be ...!!

Anyhoo...I am stopping ...it's late in the early morning UK time, two puss cats are claiming that if I am still uop then it's their breakfast/supper/dinner time and are quite vocal about it...catch you later.....Cheers
 
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I don't feel the forum is intolerant of different playstyles. Yes, a lot of people have a preference for tenors, but numerous posters favor the soprano. I don't see the separation, nor the need to create it. The ukulele is a versatile instrument, it works in many settings and with many styles. If anything, the majority of the population still associates the uke with GF and Tiny Tim, and kind of dumps it into this "good for comedy and a bit of strumming, and you can learn it in five minutes!" miniature toy guitar corner where it's been stuck for decades. The forum here is more aware of what else you can do with the instrument. In my view, there is no degradation going on, only an embracing of the full potential the ukulele offers.
 
*Walks past, pauses, looks, walks on...* ;)
 
Hi, jer! I totally agree with you.

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Tadahiro Wakabayashi is world music researcher. He wrote a very nice book (See above).
In his book, he says that ukulele has only 4 strings with low tension and sound is small. Hard strumming is bad. We should strum slowly and softly like Hawaiian songs. I actually strum very slow and soft. ^^
 
Hi, jer! I totally agree with you.


Tadahiro Wakabayashi is world music researcher. He wrote a very nice book (See above).
In his book, he says that ukulele has only 4 strings with low tension and sound is small. Hard strumming is bad. We should strum slowly and softly like Hawaiian songs. I actually strum very slow and soft. ^^
Well, I guess that if one is a follower of Tadahiro one should play softly. But sometimes it is fun to just follow yourself, and shred them.
 
There's the whole dynamics thing too - varying between hard and soft strumming is a relatively simple technique that can add a lot of texture to your playing. So, not only would I say that stating that one way is 'right' and the other way is 'wrong' is an entirely pointless argument, I would suggest that rigidly sticking to one particular approach limits your options.
 
Sometimes, overall, I think I might be playing too softly and the expense is volume. On the other hand, it seems to allow for more nuance and dynamic when playing slower or moderate songs and the sound is good but perhaps I should push the instrument a bit more. There's someone on this site who posts videos fairly frequently who plays their uke like it owes them money. It's not something I normally pay attention to but I took note because the almost angry looking thrashing of the strings was a pretty consistent approach demonstrated in the videos - their approach to playing overall rather than a choice for a certain song here and there. I'll have to listen to them with fresh ears to see if I detect a sacrificed sound from "overplaying" their uke.
 
... plays their uke like it owes them money.
I almost fell off my chair laughing at this, but I was guilty of it myself, back when I was learning guitar. I'd wallop the thing so hard that sometimes the strings would jump out of the nut slots, and then I wondered what was wrong with the instrument. It took me a while to develop some subtlety and a feel for the use of dynamics.

I'm relearning this lesson with the uke, and also learning that different instruments have different dynamic responses. Of the three I have (all tenors), the $40 zebra Caramel is the easiest to get dynamic variation out of (almost too easy); the OU is the hardest, and the Fluke is somewhere in between.

In fact, I was about to give up on the OU as having no dynamic range at all, but it is there; I just have to find a light enough touch to build up from. Of course, that means lower volume, and maybe dynamic range isn't as important a design consideration if you plan on playing it by a campfire with frozen fingers (I haven't asked the folks at OU about this).

Decide how you want to play, then learn how to get the dynamics you want from your instrument.
 
This has been a fun read so far. It's good to see what you folks have to say.

I have noticed that different instruments (depending on wood, build, etc.) do have higher thresholds before things start to break up. I remember someone on an uke board referring to it as "headroom".. I could see how that applies, even though I think it's more of a speaker or audio type term.
I don't have an OU tenor anymore, since I left it with my niece. I played with it on a visit not long ago and did notice it seemed really mellow and quiet to my ears compared to some ukes...and also I could dig in or play pretty hard without the sound falling apart as much. You really do have to take the volume way down on that one to get some dynamics, as mentioned. This was with Worth clear strings.
I also recall that my solid koa Koaloha soprano I used to have had a great amount of projection and the sound didn't seem to fall apart quite as easily with it either.
It seems like maybe things fall apart quicker with laminate ukes, at least to my ears.....You have to play a laminate harder to get the volume up generally...maybe that's part of it....with the exception of SOME laminated..I guess it goes back to build there too. The OXK is pretty loud to my ears, and the Kiwaya laminates are a lot lighter than typical.
I love the extra durability of laminates, but the sound of solid wood instruments normally.

As for pickups: Yeah....I always think they sound bad...or at least not good...even the nicer ones. It's a trade-off.

Hi, jer! I totally agree with you.

Tadahiro Wakabayashi is world music researcher. He wrote a very nice book (See above).
In his book, he says that ukulele has only 4 strings with low tension and sound is small. Hard strumming is bad. We should strum slowly and softly like Hawaiian songs. I actually strum very slow and soft. ^^
For the record, I don't agree that ukes should be used only for soft, slow Hawaiian songs.
I think it should be used for whatever the person wants to play and however they want to play it.. I was just simply saying I personally find a significant loss in quality tone when people play an instrument really hard.
As expected, some others actually like that kind of sound.
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I also don't think there should be any worry of the uke being pigeon-holed as a classical instrument. Not enough people would take it seriously enough for that, or even play it in that style.
Also, I do play uke mostly as a rhythm instrument. I like folk, Americana, singer-songwriter type stuff the best. You can play whatever you want on an uke.
 
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