Playing Classical Music-Linear or Re-Entrant, which is best?

I would appreciate opinions from those who play classical music (and I don’t mean Elvis or Chuck Berry) on their Ukes as to which is the preferred string setups.

The ‘you need both’ statement is doubtless correct and I do not question it. However, to my mind, it does not address the original question which, by my very possibly flawed interpretation, asked for a preference (eg. either high g or low g but not both. I don’t know but other suitable stringing options might be available to select as your preferred string setup instead.).

I’m very much at the start of my journey in fingerstyle and ‘classical’ type playing but virtually all the music I find is for hi g. As far as I know the likes of Sam Muir and John King use/used hi g so my inclination and preference is to follow the crowd of expert players and commonly available music. Having said all that I’m minded to have one of my spare Ukes fitted with a low g for occasional use and experimentation, but that’s not choosing between one or the other but rather having the option available to play, as best I can manage, whatever suits the music before me best.
 
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The ‘you need both’ statement is doubtless correct and I do not question it. However, to my mind, it does not address the original question which, by my very possibly flawed interpretation, asked for a preference (eg. either high g or low g but not both. I don’t know but other suitable stringing options might be available to select as your preferred string setup instead.).

I’m very much at the start of my journey in fingerstyle and ‘classical’ type playing but virtually all the music I find is for hi g. As far as I know the likes of Sam Muir and John King use/used hi g so my inclination and preference is to follow the crowd of expert players and commonly available music. Having said all that I’m minded to have one of my spare Ukes fitted with a low g for occasional use and experimentation, but that’s not choosing between one or the other but rather having the option available to play, as best I can manage, whatever suits the music before me best.

You're right. Saying "you need both" technically doesn't answer the question. But, it does correct the question for the questioner.

If your search hasn't found you any linear classical transcriptions or arrangements, you haven't looked very far. Uke Jordi, Chief Noda, and Craig Brandau have lots of stuff. There are many others. I've done a few, myself.
 
You're right. Saying "you need both" technically doesn't answer the question. But, it does correct the question for the questioner.

If your search hasn't found you any linear classical transcriptions or arrangements, you haven't looked very far. Uke Jordi, Chief Noda, and Craig Brandau have lots of stuff. There are many others. I've done a few, myself.

I’m not sure about correcting anyone’s question, after all it may be that it’s my own understanding that’s not quite correct rather than an issue with what they have asked. Having said that I think your interpretation of what the OP actually intended is perfectly reasonable. To me, with my limited knowledge, addressing the point differently might be helpful with members giving some idea of their skill level, the types of music that they play and the rough proportion of music that they play on various string configurations. With that information the OP and others could get a feel for what’s likely to work well for them, but that’s just my particular way of looking at things.

As I said it’s early days for me yet and virtually all the music that I’ve found - ‘virtually’ doesn’t mean ‘absolutely’ it means ‘nearly’ or ‘almost’ - is for high g, but that isn’t meant to imply that there is no low g music out there it’s just reporting my own experience. Like I said I’m on the start of my journey into fingerstyle and classical type stuff, it is to be expected that some others will indeed find that YMMV is the case for them. :) .
 
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Since this thread is starting to spin, I guess a question to be asked is what style of classical? It seems the term classical is not limited to the era of Mozart and Beethoven; maybe it's post-Egyptian to pre-Chuck Berry... lol. I can understand where different styles would be better served with different tunings, and possibly more courses (doubles); to really open up a can of worms.

John
 
Definition from Wikipedia: The major time divisions of classical music up to 1900 are the Early music period, which includes Medieval (500–1400) and Renaissance (1400–1600) eras, and the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (1600–1750), Classical (1750–1820) and Romantic (1810–1910) eras.
I think anyone playing Bach (baroque) through Debussy (late romantic) is playing classical style.
Classic rock is very different from classical. The words are related, but the music isn't.
 
Definition from Wikipedia: The major time divisions of classical music up to 1900 are the Early music period, which includes Medieval (500–1400) and Renaissance (1400–1600) eras, and the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (1600–1750), Classical (1750–1820) and Romantic (1810–1910) eras.
I think anyone playing Bach (baroque) through Debussy (late romantic) is playing classical style.
Classic rock is very different from classical. The words are related, but the music isn't.

Which is why I limited the time frame to Pre-chuck Berry... lol!

John
 
Definition from Wikipedia: The major time divisions of classical music up to 1900 are the Early music period, which includes Medieval (500–1400) and Renaissance (1400–1600) eras, and the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (1600–1750), Classical (1750–1820) and Romantic (1810–1910) eras.
I think anyone playing Bach (baroque) through Debussy (late romantic) is playing classical style.
Classic rock is very different from classical. The words are related, but the music isn't.

That’s a comprehensive definition of what I was thinking when I originally posted. Mainly I am interested in the baroque style and 18th/19th century Scots/Irish, what I call, traditional, as in The Child Ballads. The majority of my playing will still be rock/contemporary but I am looking at expanding my repertoire. Once, 55+ years ago, I played trumpet in my school orchestra. I knew how to read notation but that was before Woodstock and I have recently been taking formal music lessons instead of depending on the ad hoc method I usually use to learn new pieces of music.
Once again the broad range of knowledge of UU members, and their willingness to share, is providing me with the support I was looking for to continue my journey. Thank you all!
 
That’s a comprehensive definition of what I was thinking when I originally posted. Mainly I am interested in the baroque style and 18th/19th century Scots/Irish, what I call, traditional, as in The Child Ballads. The majority of my playing will still be rock/contemporary but I am looking at expanding my repertoire. Once, 55+ years ago, I played trumpet in my school orchestra. I knew how to read notation but that was before Woodstock and I have recently been taking formal music lessons instead of depending on the ad hoc method I usually use to learn new pieces of music.
Once again the broad range of knowledge of UU members, and their willingness to share, is providing me with the support I was looking for to continue my journey. Thank you all!


Hi Hollis

Setting aside vociferous preferences about hi G versus low G, I think it depends on what you want to achieve and the practicalities.

1. Linear low G if you want Baroque and Child Ballads to sound approx as written. Traditional orchestra and string band instruments were tuned linear (yeah yeah a coupla Spanish guitarras for solo performance were re-entant).

2. Re-entrant high G if you want a Ukified or Hawaiified version.

3. What is the range of the songs?

Will the piece as written fit and sound good within the hi G two octave range (G4 to A6ish) or will it benefit from the two and a half octaves available with low G (G3 to A6ish)?

And if the piece needs a two octave range, does it fit exactly within the high G uke range or is it offset?

If offset are you comfortable (or is it worth the effort) to transpose up/down a few notes to fit?

Less musidextrous and fingodextrous folk (like me) would either surrender the outlier notes or use the extended low G range to fit them it.

Really talented folk might go to fifths tuning (C2 G2 D3 A4 viola or G2 D3 A4 E4 violin/mandolin) to get more range.

And what is the give and take if you want to play ensemble?

4. If this is a passing interest just start where you are most comfortable. If it becomes serious you will discover what works best.

Cheers.
 
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BTW, there is a lot of diversity in bluegrass, too, unless you're just focused on traditional bluegrass. Offhand, I can't think of an established bluegrass musician who uses a ukulele for bluegrass, but next time I fall down the YouTube rabbit hole, maybe I'll see if I can find something. Could be fun.

In our area a lot of ukuleles are welcomed at the 'Intro to Bluegrass Jamming' classes at the community centre and the 'Slow Jam for Beginners' sessions at the Bluegrass Society.

In July/Aug the bluegrassers play outdoors evey Monday evening. They usually sort out into 6-8 clusters depending on skill and interests (some branching to old-time and celtic).

My beginners group is half ukulele players having fun playing everything we want.

When uke players start playing with experienced bluegrassers, they need to be loud enough to take their turn leading and soloing.

The simplest is to continue GCEA on a banjo uke or restrung tenor banjo, keeping in mind that banjos sound good played with picking patterns and less good with simple strums (a bit like clattering cooking pots onto a kitchen floor).

Really serious budding bluegrassers who start on ukuleles usually learn a standard instrument.

Fans of professional bluegrass (other than uke enthusiasts) want to hear competent, loud, versatile and traditional sound, and the market is as competitive and unforgiving as any other professional music genre.

The only ukeish instrument I've seen is a Gold Tone baritone banjo uke in a start-up old-time band, and it looked rather twee.


Cheers.
 
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I am not asking this to put anyone on the spot or be judgmental, and I do not want to force anyone to justify themselves, because they do not have to. I'm a believer that people can do whatever they want and that they do not need a reason to do it. The thing that I wonder is why one would choose a ukulele to play classical music, which in all likelihood was not in any way composed with ukuele in mind. Ukulele just isn't a classical instrument. Is it the challenge, the novelty, or that one does not feel confident learning to play an instrument more associated with classical music? Is it that one is called to legitimize the ukuele as an instrument more associated with classical music? I am asking this because I myself am conflicted. I'm becoming more and more interested in bluegrass music, and I am seriously thinking about concentrating on an instrument more associated with bluegrass instead of making a futile attempt to some how make the the ukuele fit into bluegrass. So I ask the question to find out why one would go this route. Perhaps it would help me decide which fork in the road to take in my own journey.

Good question.

I love baroque music and such. I play piano but that is not a portable instrument. I can't sit on my bed or on the porch and play it. I love classical guitar but I am petite and the darn things are just too big for me to hold!

So, I am working on learning to play alto recorder and ukulele. Small, portable and they feel more "personal" than a larger instrument - if that makes sense. I find it's easier to connect with small instrument that you hold.

I love my piano, but I also love the different ways baroque sounds on a different instrument. Lots of variety that way. It's sort of like listening to a song sung by different artists or from vocal to instrumental, etc.
 
To me, music is music, instruments are all tools to make music, and ties between instruments and genres are artificial. Ukuleles, like all stringed instruments, are just soundboxes with strings, in my view.

In answer to the OP, I play a lot of Bach music (which as others have said is baroque rather than classical), and because I tune my ukes in fifths, I can play things I already knew on other instruments without having to teach my left hand to re-think anything. The right hand is enough of a challenge! But in many ways, having multiple fingers with which to play such chordal and contrapuntal pieces, actually facilitates musical expression more than using a bow or a pick does, now that I'm getting the hang of it.

Oh, and of course I use linear fifths tuning. Re-entrant tuning is something I just can't even mentally process. But I've had no exposure to it.

bratsche
 
The Renaissance guitar was a four-course instrument tuned like a ukulele.

Which one? Well, we have surviving music for high-g, low-g, and for the fourth string to be an octave pair.

There are good anthologies transcribed for both tunings.

Go with what inspires you!

I play both
 
I am late to this thread but it is interesting reading. I am new to ukulele, one year now. When I first learned guitar, it was bluegrass all the way. Now on ukulele because my old hand bones will not work anymore for guitar. For anyone who does not think a uke works in bluegrass just try a pick. I flat pick my Tenor Ukulele to bluegrass fiddle tunes all the time for fun. One day you get it on with accompaniment and you will think Bill Monroe's at it - LOL.
 
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