Jerryc41
Well-known member
I play fingerstyle on the soprano because I like the way it sounds best. Who else here is partial to the soprano?
I'm partial to ukulele. The size is irrelevant.
I play fingerstyle on the soprano because I like the way it sounds best. Who else here is partial to the soprano?
I’ve tried all the three main sizes in standard tuning and currently play the Soprano as my size of choice. Each size has its pro’s and con’s but for me the Soprano has the best balance of pluses and minuses for my use. That said I’ve found that, to my ears, some Sopranos are overly cutting or shrill whilst others others sing.
Others might think Sopranos should be jangly or cutting but I want something more balanced and melodic from my instruments, over the past few years I’ve tried and then passed on several Sopranos that didn’t quite hit the spot for me and retained two that do - neither were expensive so it’s not all about paying a lot. How you accurately identify a sweet sounding instrument from its design alone I don’t know and hence, for me, its been a process of case of buying them, setting them up and playing them to see what’s what. Any suggestions on an improved initial purchase selection process criteria would be appreciated, at the moment mine’s - rather too simplistically - down to go for a single piece top (so no stiffening along butt joint support piece) and a large lower bout.
TLDNR. Some Sopranos sing and some cut through, pick what works for you.
I play fingerstyle on the soprano because I like the way it sounds best. Who else here is partial to the soprano?
Graham Greeburg I think would like a 20 year old Larivee.
Graham Greeburg I think would like a 20 year old Larivee.
I know what you are talking about. Some of my chords sounded outright awful before somehow figuring (and fingering) it out.Soprano with standard Am7 tuning can be so floppy, depending of the strings of course. So one must have a really good technique to not over bend them with fingering.
Some chords are also easier to play with larger scales, depending of course also of the spacing of strings. Just my thoughts.
I like the sound of my son's soprano, but I find it a bit cramped. D and E is a tight squeeze for my piano hands. Is that a given with sopranos?
See I fancy a makala shark sop but I've no idea what they're like to play
As far as I know the Sharks and Dolphins are the same as each other bar their bridges. Dolphins make a nice beater and I’d have thought noticeably better than what your son’s Uke is (Spongebob Squarepants Pineapple). The Sharks don’t seem to be widely available in the U.K. but the (original and much older) Dolphins are. String spacing makes a massive difference to ease of use with thicker adult type fingers. Even with a 35 mm wide nut a custom version can have 30 mm over the strings. Fit a bone saddle and Martin 600 strings to a Dolphin and it’s much improved, fine to practice on and take to a Uke Club, and ideal for outdoors. A Kala KA-S is nicer sounding, a quite noticeable step up, but you can make music on a well set up Dolphin too - loads of cheap second hand ones on eBay so why not treat yourself.
A soprano tuned up a whole tone to "a D F# B" is my uke heaven. It sounds great, feels nice and snappy, and intonates accurately. I love my Martin S-0.