Alternate Tunings for Ukulele

The latest entry on Samantha Muir's blog is also devoted to alternate tunings. I only keep one instrument perpetually in an alternate tuning. My cigar box is always in open D. But now I'm wondering why I do that. My default mode is the aiolian. I'm always playing either with pentatonics or harmonic minor. Why don't I have my cigar box tuned to open D minor? I think I'm going to map out the fret board in that tuning and see what chords naturally pop up and see how the pentatonic notes are clustered. Thanks for the inspiration.

What about, before I go, parallel tunings? Are they considered alternative? It has been years since I've actually played in GCEA. I typically play in EAC#F# or a half step lower sometimes. I do it merely because I like the feel of the strings at that tension. However, it isn't really an alternative tuning because I don't have to re-think my chords or anything like that.
 
The latest entry on Samantha Muir's blog is also devoted to alternate tunings. I only keep one instrument perpetually in an alternate tuning. My cigar box is always in open D. But now I'm wondering why I do that. My default mode is the aiolian. I'm always playing either with pentatonics or harmonic minor. Why don't I have my cigar box tuned to open D minor? I think I'm going to map out the fret board in that tuning and see what chords naturally pop up and see how the pentatonic notes are clustered. Thanks for the inspiration.

What about, before I go, parallel tunings? Are they considered alternative? It has been years since I've actually played in GCEA. I typically play in EAC#F# or a half step lower sometimes. I do it merely because I like the feel of the strings at that tension. However, it isn't really an alternative tuning because I don't have to re-think my chords or anything like that.

Thanks very much for pointing out Samantha Muir's article on alternate tunings! Very informative indeed.

Good question regarding parallel tunings. I don't really know, but Sam Muir includes them in her article. I often detune my instruments by half a step for the same reason you mention. It also gives a slightly darker or bluer sound. I find the brightness of standard re-entrant tuning irritating at times, depending on my mood.
 
I like the tone you get when you tune a soprano to old tuning, ADF#B
 
Rob MacKillop demonstrates DDDDAD tuning for guitar. I found this also works really well for baritone ukulele tuned DDAD. Makes so many things sound lovely and all Celtic-like. Thanks Rob!


 
For a soprano uke, music from the early 20th century was often marked up for tuning GCEA, ADF#B or BbEbGC. On a soprano, you can use the same set of strings for all those tunings, especially if you use a lighter weight set like GHS soprano ukulele nylon strings for hawaiian D tuning, or Worth brown lightweight

So you could use the GHS or light Worth browns for GCEA? Without snapping the A? Because I have some Worths and I want to try that.
 
For playing lead, I love fifths tuning. In a group, with so many already playing rhythm, it’s nice to be able to do some melodic fill to break up all that strumming. Fifths tuning lends itself to that and gets you quickly out of first position, without relying on bar chords.
 
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