Aquila Tenor string: just too tight

Has anyone else found this at all with Aquila strings? I restrung the other day, using Aquila string with a low g for a tenor uke. I had a first go, and no matter what stretching I did, none would get anywhere near the right note. I thought maybe that Aquila don't provide too much excess so on the retry, I hardly left anything to be clipped. After a great deal of stretching and winding, I finally got there, but to be honest I thought every string would break well before getting there, but they survived. However, the strings are so incredibly tight I am wondering if this is a known issue? Or am I over-worrying? Cheers.

Tenor ukuleles in general are over tensioned at G,C,E, A but that's just the fashion at the moment. I tune my Tenors either E,A,C#,F# or F,A#,D,G. 3 or 2 semitones lower.
Historically, only Concert ukuleles were native to g,C,E,A pitch which probably has at least something to do with the popularity of Concert ukuleles. Soprano's were tuned up 2 semitones to (a,D,F#,B) and the first Tenors were tuned lower than g,C,E,A.
Someone somewhere along the line thought that it would be a good idea to tune Soprano's, Concerts and Tenors at the same pitch to make group playing easier and its stuck. Sure the inter-playability is a good thing but as you have found, Tenors have a huge amount of tension at g,C,E,A.

Not just Aquila. Yes, it's a known issue of tenors. You can try other brands of strings, but some of us have found happiness using concert strings on our tenor 'ukuleles.

Thanks for this folks, next restring, Concert it is. Just thought though, when using a different tuning, are the chord shapes different? Cheers.

IWANNABEGEORGE said:

Thanks for this folks, next restring, Concert it is. Just thought though, when using a different tuning, are the chord shapes different? Cheers.

Click to expand...

Nope...........

I shall try that tomorrow.

IWANNABEGEORGE said:

when using a different tuning, are the chord shapes different?

Click to expand...

Of course they are.
Chords consist of defined notes (e.g. C major contains C, E, G) - depending on how your individual strings are tuned you will need different finger positions to "achieve" these notes.

E.g. C major chord shapes in various tunings (re-entrant or linear doesn't matter):
GCEA = 0003
ADF#B = 3211
DGBE = 2010

IWANNABEGEORGE said:

Thanks for this folks, next restring, Concert it is. Just thought though, when using a different tuning, are the chord shapes different? Cheers.

Click to expand...

The answer is both yes and no. You use the same shapes, but each shape is a different chord. So if you tune your instrument down a step, every chord is a step lower. A C-chord shape becomes a Bb, an A-chord shape becomes a G, a D-chord shape becomes a C, etc.... So you don't need to learn new shapes but a given song/tune in a given/key would be played differently if you want to play it in the key in which it is written. If you are playing solo though you can just play it the same. It will sound the same just lower. It's good to know and undestand that you are technically playing different chords (and why they are different), but you don't need to transpose things. In fact one could argue that one advantage of a different tuning is to allow you to play in different keys using chord voicings that you can't achieve when playing in that key in your typical tuning.

IWANNABEGEORGE said:

Thanks for this folks, next restring, Concert it is.

Click to expand...

Check string gauges among the strings you're considering - for some brands, there are no differences between some sets of concert vs tenor strings, or only some of the 4 strings will be different. It would be a shame to swap to concert, expecting different tension across the board, only to find that was the case.

There are some string makers marketing some string sets specifically as "low tension" which may be what you're after.

IWANNABEGEORGE said:

Thanks for this folks, next restring, Concert it is. Just thought though, when using a different tuning, are the chord shapes different? Cheers.

Click to expand...

You are replying to two different recommendations. You can lower the tuning to reduce tension, and yes, the chord shapes will be the same, but you'll actually be playing different chords. This is fine if you're playing by yourself.

You can put concert strings on a tenor, tune it GCEA, and the chord shapes will be the same, you'll be tuned like others you may play along with, and it will be easier to fret the strings. Yes, you should make certain that the manufacturer is not selling one set of strings for both concert and tenor--which is why the "tension" problem arises in the first place. Yes, you can search for tenor sets which are advertised as low tension as another solution.

Thanks for all the tips and explanations, they are very helpful. I did try the different tuning, but I found I didn't like it so went back to the standard, or, the modern standard to be precise. As for tensions, well all I can say is, the strings are so tight that I reckon there's a good chance I was sent soprano strings by accident. I'll stick with them until one or more breaks then I'll be more cautious and less of a cheapskate when buying new ones. I am still glad I went for the low G though, I am just as much a picker-out of melodies as a strummer, so it's a very definite advantage for me.