So, this Low G thing...what's it all about?

bennyhana22

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Hi guys

After years as a sop-only player, I decided I wanted to explore the size of a tenor and playing with a Low G.

I now have a beautiful walnut Weasley Wharf hand-made tenor. I'm really enjoying the size, scale and volume, but I am already feeling a little 'lost' with the Low G, having only ever previously played re-entrant. It sounds weird not having that higher note at the 'bottom'!

I like fingerstyle and am reasonably competent, having nailed Aaron Klein's book and regularly working through Ukulele Aerobics, but I am really struggling to understand how to adapt finger picking to Low G.

Questions
- Is Low G really 'ukulele?!
- Is it just trying to be a bit 'too guitar'?
- Should I stick with it (I'd quite like to be able to play both)
- If yes, what resources are good for Low G playing/picking?

I know that there is an unbelievable amount of knowledge and expertise on here, so hopefully some of you will be able to guide me...

Take care

Ben
 
As a strumming instrument, re entrant is OK, but why waste a string, low G gives you more notes to finger pick. :D

Well yes, but I pick the high G too!

There are some lovely picking patterns that use the 4th string and, being strange and re-entrant, it creates what is, for me, the unique sound of the uke (OK, the banjo kind of does it too!).

And so many fingerstyle tabs seem to be written for high G, or am I just not finding the Low G stuff...?

Thanks for replying!

Ben
 
I don't understand, if you prefer high G get it restrung.
 
Some of the listed questions won't get a definite answer. I think the only valid question is 'Should I stick with it?' You've given the reply yourself: yes, you should.

As for resources there are many available in the public domain. Some material and music is for advanced players. Check out the links and suggestions folks here provide and keep some handy for when you get bored or need inspiration.
Roger Ruthen has a varied website with tabs for many instruments, tunings, styles etc.:
https://pdfminstrel.wordpress.com/

The following link is also quite interesting if you like early music:
https://renaissance-ukukele.blogspot.com/

You can also try out different fingerstyle patterns and make it work for bossa nova and similar genres.
 
I think you missed the point of my post, Counter!

I could happily restring it in 5 minutes!

the question I was asking was of Low G players and, particularly those who play high and low.

I've ever played high. I was interested in exploring low G. I'm finding it a bit odd and not very 'ukulele', to me at least.

So I was looking for insight into the virtues of Low G voicing and whether or not I should stick with it as a new venture.

Ben
 
I don't think that is a question anyone can answer but you. Try it for a month or two and see how it goes. As someone who exclusively plays Low G I wouldn't ask someone who exclusively plays High G what they like about it. It's a bit of an odd question.
 
First off low G tuning on ukulele has been around since the early to mid 1900s so it is not a new fade.

I started playing reentrant only but loved the sound of low G when listening to someone else play it. When I first restrung my tenor to low G it sounded too weird to my “reentrant conditioned ears”. So I went back to reentrant, then tried low G again and again and again. It finally stuck and now I much prefer low G.

It is a personal choice, there is no right or wrong. Give it time.......if you like....or not.
 
Seems to me that you're a bit of a traditionalist, similar to myself. For the longest time, I only played sopranos with re-entrant tuning as well. I wanted to try something new and different and got a baritone. If you think a low G tenor is too close to a guitar, think again. :)

I think it's ok to be a traditionalist but not a purist. I don't think anyone can nor should say that an ukulele is less of an ukulele if you deviate from the standard even slightly. I think diversity is something that makes the uke (and any other instrument really) even more fun and interesting. I would encourage you to stick with the new tuning. I bet you'll eventually begin to appreciate the different sound and wider range of low G tuning. :)
 
I too don't think most of the questions can be answered as they are subjective (apart from the 'should I stick with it' one - yes - why not?)

Low G / re-entrant G is just a choice thing. They are not mutually exclusive and there are fans and uses for both. I actually play both - have some ukes strung low G, some high G. If i was pushed on a preference I would say I prefer re-entrant more myself as I think it sounds more traditional, but that is NOT a slur on low G which I also really enjoy.

Try both, play both, enjoy both. Neither is right or wrong.
 
A fair few of the tunes that I like start below middle C, so having the low G allows me to play them in the right octave.

It will sound quite different when strumming, you will like it........or not. :)

Don't forget, the soprano was originally tuned in D, not C..........check out some old sheet music for uke to see that.

These days, anything goes, there's no right way or wrong way, just the way you like, it's all good. :)
 
the question I was asking was of Low G players and, particularly those who play high and low.

A friend has all his ukes strung with low-G. I could never do that. I like variety, and low-G provides that. I'm more of a strummer than a picker, and I like the different sound of low-G. I also like the sound of high-G, and I wouldn't want to be without that. My suggestion is to get yourself a decent tenor uke with the traditional strings and keep you low-G tenor.
 
Why using low G is a valid question. Some of the answers may include:

- More range, extra notes
- Extra depth, more complexity, less parallel notes
- Probably a little more guitar-like, not just in sound, but in playing
- Linear tuning is more common in instruments, so it may be easier or more logical to many people including myself (not only most stringed instruments, but also keyboards, xylophones, flutes, clarinettes and saxophones are moving the notes up in a "linear" way)

When switching over from playing exclusively high G, the low notes might sound somewhat overpowering, booming or droning. If you are sticking with it, this sensation will usually disappear. For one, your ears will adjust over time to those low notes being included in your chords. And your playing should adapt, hitting that fourth string somewhat lighter to make it fit in better with the other strings. Of course, you'll also have to play chord/melody a little different, as the melody will not include the fourth string anymore.
 
"Why low-G" is simply "why not low-G" or any other tuning? Since our ancestors made the first drum, musicians have sought to get greater range and more versatility out of instruments. Tinkering with musical "on-the-shelf" stuff is inherent in the human spirit. Because of that tinkering, horn players now have a variety of mutes to expand a horn's range; drummers have tip mutes, brushes and heads to create different sounds; and guitarists have everything from capos to stompboxes for effects. Why shouldn't the ukulete experience a musician's attempt to make it grow beyond the basic?

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot to be said and appreciated for tradition when it comes to music, especially with instruments that have a significant history. Those who keep tradition alive deserve respect and gratitude, otherwise a piece of history is lost. That said, musical progess isn't a bad thing either. As a quick example, there would be no tenor guitar had not there had been a desire to create a supportive orchestral sound different than what came from the tenor banjo. All wind instruments - from flutes to tubas - are a derivative of another. When musical experiments happen, sometimes remarkable things occur. The variety of ukukele scale lengths, body shapes and string types show that the ukulele "growth" has not been stagnant.

Musical tradition is great, but so is progressive experimentation. There's a nostalgic place and creative need for both.
 
Questions
- Is Low G really 'ukulele?!
- Is it just trying to be a bit 'too guitar'?
- Should I stick with it (I'd quite like to be able to play both)
- If yes, what resources are good for Low G playing/picking?

1) I think that would be a small yes from me, as it is now well established for many players.
2) I think that would be a bit bigger yes than 1.
3) Definitely YES.
4) You are the best resource. You already learned a lot, so just play everything on both ukes and it will become clear what sounds better and is more fun on re-entrant, and what sounds better on the linear uke.

I came to uke from guitar, so I learned with the low G and started to love the uke. But as I played more with other uke players I learned to appreciate the re-entrant sound more and gradually shifted. Now I only play the low-G tenor for a few songs that don't sound good with re-entrant, typically the more modern songs. But also my playing interests shifted away from adapting pop/rock/country to ukulele toward traditional Hawaiian music and Tin-pan-alley songs that were basically written for uke comping, with implied re-entrant tuning.
 
It never gets old. ;)
 
"Is Low G really 'ukulele?!"

Possibly not. But then I've never cared about being "authentic", as I use straps and picks too. It's an instrument, not a cult.


"Is it just trying to be a bit 'too guitar'?"

Probably, but so what?
 
Isn't this much ado about nothing? I personally play low G because it sounds better and less toy-like. Four linear strings give me more scales to play.

However, I do play both linear and re-entrant and there's no difference...aside from the difference in pitch. You play the same chords, you finger pick the same patterns. As I said before, the only difference is the pitch. Embrace the difference. Or, if you don't want to, re-read your Aaron Keim books; he changes patterns slightly based on the tuning.
 
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