Tenors - Variation in ease of fretting?

They say that there are no stupid questions, which I generally take as a challenge:

Typically I play soprano. I have one concert, a Kiwaya, which is lovely but the longer scale makes it difficult for me to stretch my fingers and quickly form, say, an Fm chord. It's not a huge problem and I expect that I shall improve with time, but this has always been my primary concern with tenor scale instruments, the thought that the extra length will require me to stretch my little finger further out than it usually goes. When I bend my little finger it curls inward, pointing across the palm towards the base of the thumb, which means that on the concert uke I sometimes end up having to use the side of the finger rather than the pad to press down on the string.

After that preamble, all I'm wondering is whether tenor instruments will invariably be alike in terms of stretching to form chords. It seems as though they should be, simply based on the numbers, but I thought I'd ask more experienced members here if there are other factors which may make a difference.

As far a distance between frets a tenor is a tenor is a tenor, it will always be the same distance to stretch. Having the action set up as low as possible helps, but you still have to make that stretch. If you want it bad enough you will put in the practice, lots of it over a long time frame to acquire the skill.

There are loads of finger exercises available online. When I started playing the uke, getting my fingers into the right positions was a real challenge. Now it's automatic.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...hUKEwj0-viAgcjsAhUrmeAKHYcZC3YQ4dUDCA0&uact=5

All tenors will effectively be the same in terms of scale length - the distance from fret X to fret Y will be the same. But there are a handful of things you can consider that will make a particular instrument feel different (and, to you, maybe "easier") in terms of fretting effort:

1) Action - a lower action means less distance to displace the string, and most people will consider a lower action easier to fret. This can relieve some of the stress around having to stretch your fingers so far. The downside is that a lower action requires cleaner technique (especially with your strumming) to prevent buzz. A lot of people with higher actions tend to develop more aggressive or sloppier strumming/picking, which you can't do with low action.
2) String choice - lower-tension strings will feel softer and contribute to an easier-to-fret feel. Similar to action though, there's a potential downside - lower tension strings tend to move more when they're vibrating so you need cleaner/less aggressive strumming and picking technique.
3) Neck profile - when you start talking about how your pinky moves relative to the rest of your hand, a lot of those mechanics are dependent on how "open" your hand is while you're fretting. A thin, narrow neck profile sometimes leads some people to close their hand down more, which can make it feel like it's harder to stretch as far. It sounds counter-intuitive, but sometimes a thicker profile can feel easier to handle since it helps you keep your hand more open. Try stretching your fingers as wide as you can with your hand totally flat. Then slowly curve your fingers down towards your palm, trying to keep them spread apart. As you get your fingers closer to your palm, they will naturally start to move together - if you try a fuller profile neck, it may help you keep your hand more open and thus easier to get your fingers stretched. Conversely, some people will find a thinner or narrower neck feels "faster" and that makes it easier to fret. Try wider necks and narrower necks, as well as thicker profiles and thinner ones - see what feels easiest to you.
4) Fretboard radius - most ukuleles are traditionally built with flat fretboards. Some makers offer a radiused fretboard. Radiused fretboards can help with people that have finger mechanic challenges - the curved shape may more naturally fit the shape your hand wants to be in.

At the end of the day though, your fingers will just need to learn to stretch, and unless you have medical issues, it is definitely something you can accomplish! Just think of all those poor saps out there playing electric basses with 34" scales and a 17" tenor won't seem so intimidating!

Thank you all. Much as I thought, but that gives me a few things to look into and work at.

I'd say, start by getting comfortable with your concert first. Work on that stretch until you feel good about it. Then shoot for the tenor if you want to. Baby steps instead of a giant leap.

BigJackBrass said:

When I bend my little finger it curls inward, pointing across the palm towards the base of the thumb, which means that on the concert uke I sometimes end up having to use the side of the finger rather than the pad to press down on the string.

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My little finger does this to...very much so. Sometimes with big stretches I do endup with the side my finger. What I have found though, is that small tweaks in had position and even just muscle/muscle memory development are improving this over time. I think you'll be suprised by the ways you'll find to work around or improve this issue. It's still something I work on, but you probably can to some extent train it to stay more upright. Sometimes it's something I just live with and if I'm getting a good tone I may just use the side of my pinky. But again, it is very much something that is imporve on. Don't let it stop you from playing the instrument you want to play.