Tenor or soprano for adult beginner

Loveiz

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Just wondering what the consensus is for an older guy to start to learn on.
Is it easier on a Tenor given distance between frets and handling size being bigger.
I suppose what l'm asking is do you disadvantage yourself my starting on the smaller Soprano as an older adult?
 
Well, the question is quite subjective IMO. I'm an older adult reaching my mid 50's (almost). I came from classical guitar, which we all know is quite a bit larger than a tenor ukulele, and I play the soprano. I just really love the punchy tone I get from it. Mind you, I still alternate back and forth from ukulele to guitar and have no troubles with the transition. Perhaps it should be said that I have been playing stringed instruments for about 40 years now, but not long ago the ukulele.

Now, having said that, someone new to stringed instruments might be a different situation when it comes to the various ukulele sizes. I say it would be best to visit a music store with some time to spare and play them all. Only you can say which is best for you ;)
 
Just wondering what the consensus is for an older guy to start to learn on.
Is it easier on a Tenor given distance between frets and handling size being bigger.
I suppose what l'm asking is do you disadvantage yourself my starting on the smaller Soprano as an older adult?

This is one of those ‘it all depends questions’. I started on Soprano but, not having the technique needed, struggled with the closeness of the frets - but now I love Soprano. I tried Tenor and found the frets too far apart for some chords. To me Concert is a good (middle) size for adults to learn on so I suggest you look at those instead of the other two. A Concert is what’s by my chair now and I like it a lot. The Concert has a fuller sound than the Soprano but I’m still really missing the Soprano that I lent to a learner. Soprano’s sounds fine too and it’s so easy to leave them lying around ready to pick up and play ........ they fit in the armchair with me easier too.
 
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I suspect this is personal - is there somewhere local to you that you can try out different sizes?

My newbie-on-a-soprano experience is that the tight spacing isn't a big deal for beginner stuff where you're mostly playing low on the neck. Some of the more pretzelly chords are tricky up high on the neck, but a) I haven't seen most of those outside of a chord chart and b) creative barring reduces the need to stuff too many fingers in the same place. Longer stretches may also be easier on the soprano, but don't think I've run into anything there yet.

What did make a huge difference for me was lowering the action at the nut. With the stratospheric stock action I needed a lot of reinforcement from separate fingers. After lowering it I can readily barre chords with fewer fingers: Dm (2210) went from a bear to fit in with three fingers to super easy once I could cover the G and C strings on fret 2 with a single finger tip.

The bigger difference will be to pick the one that sounds best to you: you'll play it more and get better all the faster!

That said, figuring this out is a good excuse to get one of each ;)
 
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I always recommend starting out with a concert, not too big, not too small, a slightly fuller sound than a soprano, & takes a low G string well, so you can experiment whilst learning. :)

(Kala & Ohana are a good starting point.)
 
It's quite subjective like other people have said! I play on a tenor because I like the range it offers (I find it easier to play further up the fretboard), it has a slightly deeper sound and good sustain (better than my concert ukes anyway). Arguably with the increased size it's could be seen as easier to hold but I've never really thought of this so maybe it's not that big of a deal.

The sound on my concert uke is very bright. Being smaller, chords are easier to fret too. I think that may be a good compromise until you find out what you like best? I personally find sopranos a bit too small!
 
I always recommend starting out with a concert, not too big, not too small, a slightly fuller sound than a soprano, & takes a low G string well, so you can experiment whilst learning. :)

(Kala & Ohana are a good starting point.)

Concert is a great place to start. I have pretty large hands and like wider fret boards.

I have now owned 2 dozen ukuleles and the Fluke concert is still my number one.

I started playing 14 months ago and I'm now 55yrs old.


All that said I have almost every size and play them all, soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone.


Tenors have been my least favorite until recently when I got a wide neck Islander with Living Waters strings(amazing)

and restrung another tenor with lower tension dGBE strings,


My buddy loves his tenors in standard tuning, but he likes to finger pick up the neck.


Its all about preferences, and you won't really know till you start.

Good luck in the search.
 
I would also suggest a concert.
 
Thanks for the replies it's appreciated.
I was thinking the Soprano might be restricting my learning,
I am going to visit a shop in a day or two and try some other sizes.
That said I do really like my little Soprano, there is nothing wrong with it.
All my life I convinced myself I could never play an instrument. Now getting a start with this Uke has been great fun and am hopeful of playing some tunes in the future. But it's sloooooooow progress.
 
As you're in the UK, there's probably a uke group nearby (they'll meet in a pub!). Go along and ask to try other people's ukes. You might find all the sizes are equally challenging, as in the end I don't think size is the determining factor - I have fairly large hands and long fingers, and mainly play soprano). In the end, it's mainly down to practice.

The style you want to play in is more important - long melodic runs tend to work best on a tenor, and I find a tenor less good for just strumming chords (but that's just my preference).
 
I agree with those posters above who recommend trying out a few ukuleles to find out what you like. Learn some basic chords and try out some instruments at your local music store or at a local uke meetup. Once you've tried a few you'll have some idea what might work better for you.
 
I started out on a concert, using the Goldilocks principle to guide me. I played nothing but concert size for four years and swore by it. Then I bought a soprano. I play it all the time now. As far as whether it is too cramped, I can not tell the difference. I played around with a tenor at the music store one day, and I couldn't tell the difference with that either. Honestly, I think that when it comes to playing them, the difference is mostly in the head, not in the hands. So I guess that I'm saying that it doesn't make any difference, just play the size that you like the looks of. I also tried a baritone a couple of times, my friend plays one, and that is a whole different animal.
 
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If you hold an uke without a strap the traditional way, your forearm length could be a factor to consider.

For small women the soprano might be in that regard the best, while to most women and smaller men the concert size could be the one. Bigger men might need a tenor even to get the best hold.

About scale, I agree with Rllink, that it does not matter so much. Except if very large fingertips.
 
Play both.

We might all have opinions, but the only thing that Really matters is how You like it.

Iz was a HUGE man and played a soprano.

I'm average size and find a soprano uncomfortable.

We're all different and that's all fine.
 
If you hold an uke without a strap the traditional way, your forearm length could be a factor to consider.

For small women the soprano might be in that regard the best, while to most women and smaller men the concert size could be the one. Bigger men might need a tenor even to get the best hold.

About scale, I agree with Rllink, that it does not matter so much. Except if very large fingertips.

I kinda disagree. I am a woman, 5’ 3” with not large hands. I started with a concert. Then I fell in love with tenors and am now playing a baritone. I love the baritone even though it is a stretch. Maybe I keep at it because I love the tone.
 
Just pick one to start with and go with it. I am an average-sized guy with proportional or even smallish hands and I have always played tenor. Whenever I pick up a soprano, I can't play it hardly at all. However, if I had started with a soprano, I am sure that I would be just as clumsy with a tenor. You get good at what you practice. So, as I said, just pick something and start.
 
I kinda disagree. I am a woman, 5’ 3” with not large hands. I started with a concert. Then I fell in love with tenors and am now playing a baritone. I love the baritone even though it is a stretch. Maybe I keep at it because I love the tone.

There are many ways to support an ukulele. Sitting you can support it more with the lower bout resting on your leg/lap as one way.

I was talking about what is comfortable to hold standing up and without a strap, then it is the forearm length to consider. I don't like to bend my wrist inwards so as to get a into a good strumming position on soprano while same time having a good support to my uke.
 
Play both.

We might all have opinions, but the only thing that Really matters is how You like it.

Iz was a HUGE man and played a soprano.

I'm average size and find a soprano uncomfortable.

We're all different and that's all fine.

I’m pretty sure Iz played a tenor. It just looks like a soprano because he was a massive guy!
 
Man I was having a ball with my soprano when I first started. Then I got to the D chord. So I bought a concert and, again, had a blast until that godforsaken D chord popped up again. UGH!!!! So now with Tenors and while I'm still no fan of the D chord, I can at least get three of my sausage-fingers within one fret. So my two cents...consider your hand size, your actual size (I'm a wide guy who should have started at least with a concert) and your overall agility with your fingers. I can play some complex chrods now but not when attempting to contort my arms and fingers on a small fret board.
 
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