5 course modified Guitalele

Hello all,

I got this idea from an article I read several years ago about modifying a classical guitar to function like a Baroque guitar.

I have converted my Guitalele to a 5 course instrument with the 4th course having a low and high G.

The string spacing is wider, and I can play Gaspar Sanz tablature as written.

Tuning is d gG c e a. ( actually a half step down on this instrument.)

It sounds a lot like a 5 or 6 string Uke, but the 5th course ( d ) makes Campanella a bit easier.

I filed some extra slots on the nut, and a few in the saddle also.

Working on some Sanz now.

Interesting. I'd love to hear it. My 5-string was commissioned as a 5-course evenly spaced and I currently have it tuned dGCEA.

Thanks for the comment Jim! I will get a recording done soon.

How has your 5 course worked out?

It's great!
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.co...id-Hanson-5-string-tenor-quot-Caramelele-quot

That’s cool! I thought you looked familiar! Your videos on the Cordoba mini and 1/4 scale Protege were very helpful. Also your terz tuning video.

I have had a mini but traded it a while ago. I did end up with a 1/4 scale protege and loved it. It belongs to one of my sons now.

Jim,

If I understand your instrument correctly, you are using a re entrant tuning?

If so this arrangement of “Espanoleta” from Sanz should fit your instrument perfectly. I imagine you may already have done this if you are into his music. But just in case...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/in5bjdz7mw0o4jt/Espanoleta.pdf?dl=0

The 5th string is reentrant, yes. I am not familiar with Sanz. If I'm reading the chart correctly, that has 2 reentrant strings so probably wouldn't work on the 5 string, but I do have a 6-string where the bottom 3 are all octave up, so it would work with that one. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

Yes, the tabs are meant for re entrant 4th and 5th strings. Sanz was a composer for the Spanish guitar, what we now call the baroque guitar. His preferred tuning was unison pairs, low course to high, aa dd GG BB e. In the range of the ukulele it would be dd gg cc ee a. ( like Lutes the first course was often a single string.

So if your instrument was strung dgcea, you could play all of Sanz’s music as originally written. It would just sound higher in pitch.

Rob MacKillop has transcribed several Sanz pieces for the 4 string re entrant Uke. That is possible because the 5th course notes can all be found on the c or e string of a traditional Uke.

Yes, the guitar with the 3 octave strings would work perfectly!