Are ukes made to sound best when pressed against the body?

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MarkF786

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I got a new Kanilea soprano uke for Christmas, and when I was playing it at first, with the way I was holding it the back of the ukulele could freely move - and it sounded peaky, with some dead notes or wolf tones. But I noticed that when I held it against my body, the sound was much more even and the dead notes largely disappeared.

I then experimented some with my Kanilea tenor, and though it's less noticeable, it too sounded peaky when not played against my body.

Is this by design?

With acoustic guitars, they tend to send good regardless of if the back is pressed against the body, but maybe this is a common trait of ukuleles.

Mark
 
Hi Mark, I've wondered about that too. And although I'm not so sure it's specifically by design, my ukes invariably sound "tighter" and nicer to my ear when they're nestled close against my chest.
 
I suspect you'll find that the answer varies by ukulele. My Romero Creations XS Soprano benefits from being held away from the chest, whereas my Kiwaya concert sounds its best when held more closely to the body. Having seen articles and videos where Daniel Ho discusses holding the ukulele in the classical guitar manner I believe that the Romero is a deliberate design choice.
 
If I hold it too tight then it sounds a little muffled. Near the body but not too snug seems to be the sweet spot for me.
 
Good ideas. I usually keep it away from the body when I need to maximize resonance and volume but I never thought about it in terms of tone. But as player I can't really hear what it sounds like to the audience anyway and they don't usually care much. Have you tried to record with different body closeness positions?
 
All of mine sound best held off the body, allowing the back to vibrate freely. More volume and better tone. It's less obvious with my Kale Elite, Kremona and Kanile'a designs but really obvious with Romero Creation designs. RC are the extreme example since the back is designed like a secondary soundboard (hence fan-like bracing and thinner thickness). I use a strap and a small spacer between chest and instrument back.
 
Concerning body contact I find that my right arm contacting the top has a much bigger effect than the back touching my belly. I can find a position where I lean the uke on my leg almost upright that allows playing with very little body or arm contact. That provides most volume for sure.
 
Congrats on the Kanile'a. They are wonderful instruments!
 
I don't know if they sound best this way, but I like the vibrations.
 
I play 75+ years old sopranos. They are light, you can't hold them tight. The vibration of the entire instrument literally adds to the feel of the music.
 
Never thought about this, now I'll have to experiment. The big challenge will be not touching my body and still being able to play it. Sounds like a New Years resolution in the making.
 
With some ukes, the difference in sound is dramatic. I think the greatest change is the increase in volume when I move the uke away from my body. That varies tremendously from uke to uke. Many ukes transmit a strong vibration right into me.
 
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