Can You Tune a Tiple like a Ukulele (GCEA) ?
 

Hi,

Can you tune a 10-string tiple like a ukulele and use the same chord shapes?

Thanks!

Depends on what kind of tiple it is. If it's a new Ohana then you're in luck:

Martin tiples were tuned one note higher in D like soprano ukuleles were supposed to be tuned historically. Other tiples use different tuning, and putting together string sets can be fun.

My tiple is a Regal, built in Chicago. I tune it gG-cCc-eEe-AA.

That’s how they’re tuned.

Wiki tells us:
U.S./American/Martin tiple
The tiple was redesigned in 1919 by the American guitar company C.F. Martin & Co. for the William J. Smith Co. in New York and was most popular through the 1920s-40s ukulele craze. This tiple is close in length to a tenor ukulele, but with a deeper body. Unlike a ukulele, it has ten steel strings in four mixed-octave courses of 2, 3, 3, and 2 strings. Manufactured for a half century, the Martin tiple was used in jazz, blues and old-time country bands, and as a louder-volume ukulele. It was tuned similarly to a D-tuned ukulele:

A4 A3 • D4 D3 D4 • F#4 F#3 F#4 • B3 B3. (Wound octave-lower strings are indicated A3, D3 and F#3.) A more recent manufacturer of similar instruments recommends tuning a full tone lower, as mentioned below, similar to contemporary ukuleles.

Martin produced mahogany and rosewood bodied tiples, following a model-identification system similar to its guitars: T-15 and T-17, mahogany top, back and sides; T-18, spruce top, mahogany back and sides; T-28, spruce top, rosewood back and sides; T-45, spruce top, rosewood back and sides, fancy abalone inlay. Martin's tiple production continued off-and-on into the 1970s. [1]


Martin tiple
Similar instruments were made by Regal, D'Angelico and other companies during the early decades of Martin production.

In the 21st century, the Ohana ukulele company began manufacturing an all-mahogany tiple similar to the Martin, but calling it "a vintage ukulele inspired by the Columbian Tiple." The company recommended tuning with the lowest note a C, like contemporary ukuleles. (G3 G4 – C4 C3 C4 – E4 E3 E4 – A4 A4) [2]

Tiple strings and tuning: Guitar-style metal strings are used, and in addition to the original ukulele-style tuning (above) used, the American tiple is reportedly sometimes tuned like the upper four courses of the guitar, presumably with special sets of strings.

So I'm not the only one who couldn't resist that jangle, eh?? I never really found my way around my tiple but a buddy of mine who's a much better `ukulele player than me was able to get some music out of my tiple:



We shot this before I had the neck reset done on the tiple so the tuning is a bit compromised but I think the tune comes through OK.

Oh, we found that we got better results with a D6 tuning rather than the more usual (today) C6, so the tiple is tuned A D F# B instead of G C E A.

Fran

Mahalo nui loa! This was wonderful for my lunch break.

Nope. Can't be done.

Your buddy did a fine job. I'm a big Led fan.

What brand of tiple is yours?

The tiple is a 1949 Martin T-18. I did a blog post with some pics and discussion: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2013/...-martin-tiple/

Fran

Figured it out
 

In fact yeah the Martin Tiple is a 10 steel string Tenor Ukulele which uses Standard Ukulele Tuning. The Colombian Tiple is tuned like a Baritone Ukulele (D, G, B, E) but it's triple strung. The top course is in unison & the bottom 3 are in octaves (Wound Fundamental String in the Middle & Plain Steel Octave Strings on the sides) & when you strum on it, it sounds very much like a 12 string Guitar but w/ a bit more Jangle because of the High B4 String which is a step above the High A on the Tenor Guitar. These have a shorter scale length to keep the tension down.