Confused about sizes

If one person has one size of uke, and another person has a different size, and they play the same chords in the same place, they'd be in harmony, right?

The second player wouldn't necessarily have to play something different to sound good with the first person?

I know that's probably a stupid question, but I get SO confused by keys and transposition and all that. *blush*:wallbash:

soprano, concert, tenor, super tenor (baritone bout with tenor neck), would be the same. Baritone would be different tuning

Correct, assuming they're both using the same tuning, and are playing a soprano, concert, or tenor uke. Most players use gCEA or "C" tuning these days. Of course, it's also assuming both ukes are in tune.

An exception would be if one of them is playing a baritone, which uses a different tuning.

I'm sure there are more complicated answers, but this is generally true.

Jason

Thanks guys, that's what I wanted to check!

[/GEEK on] Technically, they'd be playing in unison, since they would be playing the same notes at the same pitch. [/GEEK off]

But yeah, it's all gonna sound good

RichM said:

[/GEEK on] Technically, they'd be playing in unison, since they would be playing the same notes at the same pitch. [/GEEK off]

But yeah, it's all gonna sound good

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Told ya that aspect of it confuses me beyond belief!

You're not alone, that is confusing to me too. In other instruments, the "soprano" and "tenor" versions don't have the same range! I guess ukes are just different that way?

Baritone is tuned DGBE like the top 4 strings of a guitar. And I agree, I don't know of other examples of stringed instruments where instruments of different sizes are tuned to the same pitch!

RichM said:

....I don't know of other examples of stringed instruments where instruments of different sizes are tuned to the same pitch!

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Ohhhhhhhhhhh, that must be why my guitar-playing friend expected he'd have to play differently on a tenor to match my sound on a concert.

Are the soprano-labeled strings different (diameter? weight?) than the concert-labeled strings, or just sold in a 2" longer package?

Considering how oversized they are, it seemed surprising to have different part numbers for Soprano/Concert, so I have to think it's something that gets the same pitch for a different nut-saddle distance?

Hey, didn't new where to write, so I do it here I'm a guitar player, but I want ukulele, but don't know what to choose: concert, tenor or guitalele. What do you guys think I should choose?

K0TRYNA said:

Hey, didn't new where to write, so I do it here I'm a guitar player, but I want ukulele, but don't know what to choose: concert, tenor or guitalele. What do you guys think I should choose?

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IMHO, it depends on the size of your hands, lenght of your fingers, and what kind of tone you prefer.

Well, my hands are not big at all, plus I've played violin for 8 years, and now I'm playing with full sized guitar. I just don't know what tone i like the most, thats why I'm writing here

Ground Loop said:

Are the soprano-labeled strings different (diameter? weight?) than the concert-labeled strings, or just sold in a 2" longer package?

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Some types have slightly different diameters for soprano and concert strings, and others ( Worth, and Martin for example) package their strings soprano/concert. I use concert strings on most of my sopranos as they seem to drive the soundboard a wee bit harder and increase the sound.

K0TRYNA said:

Well, my hands are not big at all, plus I've played violin for 8 years, and now I'm playing with full sized guitar. I just don't know what tone i like the most, thats why I'm writing here

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I think it depends on if you want a "ukey" sounding instrument or one that is less so... the baritone is the bottom four strings of a guitar in it's traditional tuning. I like that best... but I've never played guitar. My uncle, who is a professional musician, has no interest in a bari tuned like that. He likes the linear C tuning on a baritone the best (that's gCEA). If you want an easy transition, a "traditionally" tuned baritone might be the way to go. If you want those high "ukey notes" a tenor or concert size (if you're comfortable with it) might be right for you.

Just my $0.02.

K0TRYNA said:

Well, my hands are not big at all, plus I've played violin for 8 years, and now I'm playing with full sized guitar. I just don't know what tone i like the most, thats why I'm writing here

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To be honest, hand size really doesn't have as much to do with playing as some would have you believe. (It's kind of one of those beginner myths that get perpetuated by repetition. See also: "graduating to tenor") Your own manual dexterity is going to be much more important. If you can already play a tiny violin neck and on a regular guitar hand size is not an issue. I've got really large hands with long fingers and about all that really means is that I can sometimes stretch out an extra fret on a soprano a little easier than some people.

As someone pointed out previously, size is more dependent on your own preference as far as the sound. Soprano is the traditional sound that you associate with the uke. With a concert it gets a bit fuller with the increased scale and body, but still holds some of the "plink", Tenor expands on that but still definitely not a guitar. What I might suggest is going onto the Youtubes and watch and listen to some videos and see what appeals. I might suggest looking at some of Musicguymic's or Ken Middleton's reviews since they'll be consistent in terms of recording quality and player and just listen to the overall sound. (Though your mileage will vary against MGM's since he's demoed some really super sweet high end ukes.)
Chances are that if you do get hooked by the ukulele that you'll end up with at least one of every scale in pretty short order anyway, so I'd fret less about where to start than when you can get started. Work out your budget and get yourself something decent to start with. I started with a concert, but I switch around between soprano, sopranino & tenor almost entirely based on which is closer to hand when I feel like playing...

The Soprano-Concert-and Tenor Ukulele use the same fingering when tuning G-C-E-A. Their only difference is in oveall size where the Soprano is the smallest. Many players move-up in size because the large size gives then more space between the strings and easier to "chord" for players with "bigger" fingers. In addition the larger acoustic body will tend to produce a larger "sound" when played properly.
The Baritone Uke is the larges of the four Ukuleles and is tuned E-B-G-D like the first four strings of a standard guitar. The Tenor Ukulele can also acept tuning of E-B-G-D if you place baritone strings on it.

There are many books about learning basic musical concepts and keys at your local book store that you can buy for less than $15.00. Remeber that there are 7 recognized notes in western music -
they are:A-B-C-D-E-F-G. The Ukulele fret board is a chromatic set up board meaning that each fret is a half tone apart from each other. That is where the Sharps or Flats come into action.

When you go up the fret board- going up means going closer to the "hole" of the instrument - you are increasing the previous fret note sound by 1/2 step - and going "down" the fret board means moving away from the hole and closer to the Neck of the instrument you are decreasing the previous fret note sound by 1/2 a tone. There are Half tones between the "A" to "B" , "C" to "D", "D" to "E", "F" to "G", "G" to "A" There are NO Half Tones between:" B to "C"; or "E" to "F".