How do frets affect playability?

[modwitch]

I have two very nice luthier-made sopranos. One I’ve had about two months, the other a few days.

I’m new to ukulele, but I can feel distinct fretting hand playability differences. Not better/worse (I think setup is great on both), just noticeably different. I think it’s the frets? One has wider, taller frets, and it’s way less picky about where my fingers land. I actually get better tone if I back off the frets some. There’s definitely more distance to travel to get string to fingerboard, though. The other has narrower, shorter frets and it wants my fingers right behind the frets. Feels super easy to play in terms of light finger action, but I also have to be more precise or tone fuzzes.

Am I guessing right, is this because of the difference in the frets? Are there playing tricks I don’t know about yet? Other impacts frets have? Fret type preferences for fingerstyle vs chording or for different genres?

Basically, I’m a violinist, frets are mysterious, tell me their ways

 

[Jan D]

Others will likely chime in on your fret questions. I just wanted to comment on your statement “more distance to travel to get string to fingerboard.” Perhaps you misspoke and already know this, but will share it just in case…
You don’t need to press the string to the fingerboard. The string only needs to reach the fret. Any pressure applied beyond that point is just finger callus calisthenics.

 

[PTRarch.]

Others will likely chime in on your fret questions. I just wanted to comment on your statement “more distance to travel to get string to fingerboard.” Perhaps you misspoke and already know this, but will share it just in case…
You don’t need to press the string to the fingerboard. The string only needs to reach the fret. Any pressure applied beyond that point is just finger callus calisthenics.

... and a possible source for intonation issues.

 

[dancephoto]

Others will likely chime in on your fret questions. I just wanted to comment on your statement “more distance to travel to get string to fingerboard.” Perhaps you misspoke and already know this, but will share it just in case…
You don’t need to press the string to the fingerboard. The string only needs to reach the fret. Any pressure applied beyond that point is just finger callus calisthenics.

Thank you for your comment, Jan. I'm coming up on 60 years of playing fretted instruments (folk guitar, classical guitar, lute, viols, ukulele) and I never heard that said before.

 

[modwitch]

Others will likely chime in on your fret questions. I just wanted to comment on your statement “more distance to travel to get string to fingerboard.” Perhaps you misspoke and already know this, but will share it just in case…
You don’t need to press the string to the fingerboard. The string only needs to reach the fret. Any pressure applied beyond that point is just finger callus calisthenics.

... and a possible source for intonation issues.

Yup (and thank you!), I wasn’t precise enough. “Enough pressure to get to good tone” is more accurate to what I meant. On violin, that’s not all the way to the fingerboard either, but the dynamics are different because of no frets. The idea of using minimum necessary pressure for good tone seems to be a left hand skill that transfers fairly well, though.

But back to my two ukes, I don’t think the distance from string to fret is greater, but it takes more work from my fingers to get good tone on the one with tall, fat frets. Does fret height and width affect that? Or maybe it’s because this uke seems to prefer that my fingers land further back from the frets? (Basically, I know what I’m feeling but I’m not sure of the cause).

 

[PTRarch.]

Same type of strings on both?

 

[badhabits]

My experience as well...bigger frets, easier to fret, easier to play

 

[modwitch]

Same type of strings on both?

No, and that’s definitely a possible factor. There don’t seem to be easily found string tension charts for uke strings? But the range of uke string tension is pretty small, and I’m used to way higher tension strings, so I’m guessing that’s not the cause. Will science it as soon as I can get back to the music store for more strings, though.

 

[modwitch]

My experience as well...bigger frets, easier to fret, easier to play

Easier in some ways for me, less easy in others!

 

[Doc Ivory]

Ive always been a fan of larger frets on my guitars. Playing blues required lots of bending and bend holding which with larger frets, made it a bit easier for me. Takes a little more "muscle" to use them though and that in itself would steer me away from larger frets in a ukulele.
I absolutely love the light touch i need to finger pick or strum my tenor uke.

I will say though, that regardless of fret size, a good set up trumps all.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Neil_O]

... and a possible source for intonation issues.

...pulling the note sharp, to elaborate.

 

[Neil_O]

Takes a little more "muscle" to use them though and that in itself would steer me away from larger frets in a ukulele.

I think it takes less muscle/grip. All my tall fretted instruments require a lighter touch, especially the guitars. (i only have 2 ukes with taller frets, a Kala and a Clara.)

 

[Doc Ivory]

I understand.
A bunch of my friends enjoy the smallest frets they can find.
On of my friends even tried "8s" on his PRS, which i kinda thought was cheating. LOL!

 

[Ukelori]

No, and that’s definitely a possible factor. There don’t seem to be easily found string tension charts for uke strings? But the range of uke string tension is pretty small, and I’m used to way higher tension strings, so I’m guessing that’s not the cause. Will science it as soon as I can get back to the music store for more strings, though.

From another thread here on UUF.

 

[modwitch]

Ive always been a fan of larger frets on my guitars. Playing blues required lots of bending and bend holding which with larger frets, made it a bit easier for me. Takes a little more "muscle" to use them though and that in itself would steer me away from larger frets in a ukulele.

Bending is a thing I’m just starting to learn about. I’m used to staying carefully in string lanes on a violin, lol. Big frets seem reasonable on a guitar, but on a soprano uke they take up a lot of real estate.

...pulling the note sharp, to elaborate.

Yes, I pulled out my tuner app to see if I was doing that, thanks! I played a friend’s cheap concert with really high frets and you could hear the intonation skew sharp.

I think it takes less muscle/grip. All my tall fretted instruments require a lighter touch, especially the guitars. (i only have 2 ukes with taller frets, a Kala and a Clara.)

Huh. I wonder if there are different ways to play the high frets.

From another thread here on UUF.

Thank you!!