Radius versus flat fretboards for fingerpicking, clawhammer, hammering and bending?

Strumaround

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I know that radius fretboards can make barre chording easier, but I'm usually fine with that. Unless I play for a long time with high tension strings, especially on bigger scale ukes.

But I've heard some reporst of people 'missing' strings or having other issues when 'picking' with radius fretboards.

So, I wanted to ask whether anyone has any picking or clawhammer issues with radius fretboards?

Also, as regards the fretting hand, are there any 'hammering' on and off, or string bending issues compared to flat fretboards?

Thanks for any feedback.
 
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I find going from one uke to another is more of an issue than radiused/no-radius fretboards. It always takes a little time to adjust. In general though, the fretboard shape normally makes no difference...…...even barring chords. I do play a lot of blues and jazz lead parts for which I like very low action. I use my Pegasus tenor for this. It has low action and happens to have a radiused fretboard. If you've ever played guitar, its' feel is very similar to a pre-1990's American made Fender Stratocaster...….....very fast/slick with a thinnish neck.
 
I have ukes with and without radius. To me neck shape, string tension and string height are much
more important than radius or non radius.
 
The difference a radius or flat fretboard makes on an ukulele is subtle at best, and mostly hype.

An ukulele's fretboard is narrow, with less strings compared to a guitar with 6 strings.
It will make a negligible difference on barre chords or anything for that matter.

What would actually make a bigger difference is the profile of your saddle.
A saddle's top edge height can be slanted (a bit higher at the 4th string and lower at the 1st string) like a classical guitar.. it can be convex (as though following the contour of the radius fretboard), straight and everything in between.

I generally prefer a slightly slanted saddle giving about 2.5mm height at the 4th string and about 2mm at the first string.

The reason why some people report "missing" some strings on a radius fretboard may be because they would come with a saddle that has a convex curve at the top (like on an acoustic guitar) which is different to what they're used to (ukuleles more commonly come with a slanted or straight saddle, like on a classical guitar).

Take a look at an acoustic guitar's saddle. Notice how the convex curvature at the top of the saddle is actually a bit complex, with it slightly lower at the 6th (low E) end.. then raises and then lowers again in a non-linear fashion again to the 1st string end (high E). This additional irregularity is designed to match the radiused fretboard and make barre chords easier (especially on higher tension, steel stringed instruments). The "hump" of the saddle is not symmetrical either, to cater for the different string widths (eg: fatter wound strings are given more height). It doesn't inherently aid fingerpicking styles.

Fingerpicking feels a bit more natural and intuitive on a flat fretboard and a straighter topped saddle because it is easier to predict where the strings will be.

Of course, the competent player adapts and overcomes such challenges, which is why we see amazing fingerpickers regardless of fretboard and saddle styles of instruments.
 
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I have two Tenors I go in-between a lot, one flat and one radius. I can play all notes equally well on both of them. But for the first minute or two I switch from flat to radius I feel more comfortable with radius. Then I just don't notice. But this may be because I am mainly a folk guitar player, so I am very used to radius.
 
Ask Mark Knofler about how tough it is to play radius fretboards and saddles. Someone brought up his name in another thread about radius fretboards and I thought it was appropriate to repeat it here.

John

Edit Added: Pretty cool video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG__SwkV3wg
 
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I jump between radius fretboards and non-radius fretboards on my guitars and ukuleles and it doesn't have any impact on my sound or technique. The action and size of the fingerboard and, to a lessor extent, neck shape are much more important and where I consciously must adjust my touch.
 
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