The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Other Musical Instruments

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 11-29-2018, 06:52 PM
bellgamin bellgamin is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 105
Default String tension/down-tuning questions for "sounds better"

BY THE WAY - I realize that every instrument is different. Thus, what works great for tenor uke "A" might be not so good for tenor uke "B", even if both ukes were made by the same luthier using the same woods & structure. Ergo, what I seek in each of the following questions is gut feelings & rule-of-thumb answers, not invariable rules to be carved in stone.

1- Do lower tension strings sound better or is it just my ears? (BACKGROUND: I had a tenor that I wanted to re-string a while back. It had high tension strings tuned GCEA. So I down-tuned it to F B Eb Ab to get an idea of what lower tension strings might do. I liked the sound a lot better. So I switched to lower tension strings. To my ears it does sound fuller and sweeter. It's still plenty loud but the sustain might be a hair less.)

2- Which would *likely* sound better: switching to lower tension strings or down-tuning 1 or more steps? (BACKGROUND: If your answer to question 1 was that it's just my ears, or "a matter of personal taste, then you might want to ignore question 2.)

3- Has anyone ever down-tuned a tenor uke, more-or-less permanently, to "A" tuning ( E A C# F#)? If so, which strings did you use so they wouldn't be flopping around? (BACKGROUND: I love A-tuning because the open chords go better with my vocal range. I tune all my baritone ukes to A-tuning. I would like to do the same for my tenors.)

4- What are the best sounding strings regardless of price?

5- What are the best sounding strings that are *reasonably* priced for the mass market?

i will muchly appreciate any & all answers. Blessings to all!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-30-2018, 10:28 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 10,982
Default

Interesting question. I've played a LOT of ukulele over the years, but always in C (GCEA) or D tuning (ADF#B) or baritone (DGBE) tuning with normal ukulele strings. I have never actually tried tuning down, and not as far as you are proposing. I have dabbled with "slack-key" ukulele, tuned GCEG. My suggestion: try it and see.

In the steel-string guitar world, tuning medium gauge strings down a half-step yields the same overall tension as light gauge strings. I have not investigated the tension of nylon strings to that degree. I do have some guitars that absolutely bloom tonally when tuned down a whole step at D-d. They just seem to like vibrating there.

I have a father-son duo coming for beginner lessons next week. Dad plays baritone and the adult son plays tenor. I have already cautioned them both about needing different "grips" or chord shapes, because the instruments are tuned differently. But a G chord is G chord, even if you need to hold a different shape. I sometimes demonstrate this on standard guitar, Open G tuned guitar, ukulele, baritone ukulele, and piano when students question it. Just be aware that if you play with anyone else, someone will be transposing on the fly.

As for string, the only thing I can suggest is regular light tension classical guitar strings. Being thicker diameter than ukulele strings, they should handle the down-tuning.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-30-2018, 01:12 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Canada Prairies
Posts: 2,957
Default

There are a lot of compound questions in this post. First about strings: Ukulele strings are available in several different materials and each material has very different thickness, hardness, and resulting tone. The original material was gut strings and they are not commonly used anymore. Then nylon strings were developed, and they are common on lower cost ukes but also on some higher end ones such as Kamaka. They are fairly thick and hard, but some professional players prefer the hardness as it allows more precise and fast play. Then Aquila entered the field with their nylgut family - these strings are also thick but tend to be softer than Nylon. I prefer them on Tenors. Another recent development are fluorocarbon strings that are thinner and generally more bright. Some manufacturers offer them as soft and hard versions. I like them on my concert sized ukes. There a few "premium" brands that have expensive strings, but sets from d'addario, aquila, martin, etc are all fairly similar priced regardless of material. They are cheap and you really never have to change them after you find a set you like.

Then about tuning. I have never heard about tuning down an uke. Traditionally, soprano ukuleles were tuned a note higher in D and string sets to accomplish this higher tension and more bright sound can still be found. Otherwise, the only reason to change tuning is if you are very creative and want to develop unique music with special harmonies. Otherwise chords in almost all keys are very easy to play with a C tuned uke, so if a key is not suitable for your vocal range just transpose and learn a couple of more chords if necessary. Many sites have a function where this can be done easily and the right tabs are displayed right along with the vocals.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Other Musical Instruments

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:41 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=