Uke player questions

[MC5C]

I have a tenor Uke, I picked it up the other day and had a blast with it. I'm thinking of making one for fun. I bought my tenor Kala when I said I would teach a neighbour how to play.

Question one - other than strumming chords, what is the point of reentrant tuning. I go to play single note runs and run out of notes... Seriously, I believe it's traditional for chord work, but do single note players use a low G?

Question two - if I'm going to make one, I can make any size I feel like, within reason. I am a big guy, I find the tenor almost too small to handle, but I can play chords on it, and rarely drop it... If you were going to have a go-to size Uke, what size would it be? Baritone would be tuned like a guitar, but is it too big to retain it's essential Uke-ness?

Question three - pineapple vs waist - any preference?

Question four - wood. I was thinking of curly sinker redwood, because I have some, and spalted maple, ditto. What are good woods for a ukelele?

Thanks, Brian

[DungBeatle]

There are grand tenor ukes that have the 4th string tuned an octave lower than normal. I have one for the very reason that I use fingerstyle quite a bit.

https://www.romerocreations.com/grand-tenor

~Bob

[Kupuna50]

1) Use a regular G string
2) Anything larger than a tenor makes it NOT a uke (tonally). Suggest nothing larger than a tenor.
3) 'Waist' offers a better tone. That is why 'pineapple's' aren't a big seller.
4) Suggest Maple, Mahogany, Koa, Mango. Redwood commonly takes the 'zing' out of the tone - not ukulele=ish tone.

Hope this helps!

[Earl49]

^^ Everything that Kupuna said. I am a big guy and mostly a guitar player, with uke as a side instrument. Anything smaller than tenor uke is physically too small for me, even though I CAN play them. A baritone is cool in its own way, but it ends up being more a limited guitar in actual use. Probably 97% of my play time is on tenor with a Low G string. High G or re-entrant tuning has some appeal and gives a more "traditional" ukulele sound, but I miss having the low notes.

I mostly strum using a felt pick for extra volume when leading a jam group. At home I finger pick with bare nails and strum using my index finger. Finger picking almost requires the low G to sound good, and a boom-chuck country strum also benefits from it. I keep one ukulele in high G (just in case) but the ones that I really use are all low G strung. My primary instrument these days is a composite Blackbird Farallon tenor. I still have others like an eight-string, a resonator uke, and a banjo uke but they do not get much play time.

Where I recommend a baritone is when someone wants their young child to learn "guitar". Baritone has the advantage of using the same tuning and chord shapes as guitar, plus being small enough and simpler for little child hands. You can also get a way better baritone uke for ~$100-150 than in the guitar world.

[ocarolan]

The re-entrant string works well with fingerpicking provided that you accept the limitations of not having a low 4th string! It permits certain fingerpicked runs using open strings that would not otherwise be possible, or at least would not ring on as well. It allows easier access to some harmonised notes too. It does require some rethinking, but it can be worth it. The interval between the 4th and 1st strings on a re-entrant tuned uke is the same as the "interesting" interval in DADGAD between 3rd and 2nd strings - opens up new creative possibilities.

Some of these possibilites can be heard here -



Keith

[merlin666]

For playing out I have a six string tenor in re-entrant for strumming and a linear tenor for picking and strumming some of the more modern songs. For playing at home I prefer a concert size which I think still is quite comfortable to play below fret 5 and sounds more like a uke than a tenor. I also have a cheap long neck soprano with the same scale as a concert that I mainly use for traveling as it is the smallest. As for using a low or high G it really depends on what you want to play. I love Hawaiian music and old tin pan alley stuff, i.e. music that was written with uke in mind and it requires a high G to sound right. But more modern pop or country songs tend to be great with a low G.

[jimmy bookout]

It's a conspiracy!
Re-entrant tuning throws converted guitar players for a loop and makes them buy ANOTHER ukulele to keep in linear (low G) tuning!!!

[blue]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

It's a conspiracy!
Re-entrant tuning throws converted guitar players for a loop and makes them buy ANOTHER ukulele to keep in linear (low G) tuning!!!

And then after that getting a 5 string with both a low G and high G!

[jimmy bookout]

^^^^
Yep, you'd think that would cure it but then you've got the "Does the octave string go above the low string (like an acoustic guitar 12 string) or BELOW the low string (like a Rickenbacker 12 string electric)?"

See? THAT'S how they get you!

[blue]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

^^^^
Yep, you'd think that would cure it but then you've got the "Does the octave string go above the low string (like an acoustic guitar 12 string) or BELOW the low string (like a Rickenbacker 12 string electric)?"

See? THAT'S how they get you!

Like Roseanne Rosannadanna's dad used to say "It's always something"

[icuker]

Nice video Keith! Excellent playing! Reminds me of campenella (sp?) style?

[blue]

Originally Posted by ocarolan

Some of these possibilites can be heard here -



Keith

yikes! Your recording game is on point! I've rarely heard anything through my laptop speaker that sounds remotely as good as that clip.

[ocarolan]

Originally Posted by icuker

Nice video Keith! Excellent playing! Reminds me of campenella (sp?) style?

Kind of you to say so, thank you! There are a couple of campanella runs in there.

Keith

[ocarolan]

Originally Posted by blue

yikes! Your recording game is on point! I've rarely heard anything through my laptop speaker that sounds remotely as good as that clip.

Thank you so much. My recording setup couldn't be simpler, just a cheap webcam but with audio from my Zoom H2n. My recording software is the very first edition of Cakewalk Guitar Tracks, which I have used for many years - it was designed for Win 95 I think.

I used to do much more gear-heavy recordings with multiple microphones and mixers and stuff, but the extra effort and expense just wasn't justified in the results I achieved. Many folk are much better at getting the most from complex setups, but it wasn't for me. The little Zooms fit my cost/results ratio perfectly!

Keith

[blue]

Originally Posted by ocarolan

Thank you so much. My recording setup couldn't be simpler, just a cheap webcam but with audio from my Zoom H2n. My recording software is the very first edition of Cakewalk Guitar Tracks, which I have used for many years - it was designed for Win 95 I think.

I used to do much more gear-heavy recordings with multiple microphones and mixers and stuff, but the extra effort and expense just wasn't justified in the results I achieved. Many folk are much better at getting the most from complex setups, but it wasn't for me. The little Zooms fit my cost/results ratio perfectly!

Keith

Wow. You're the second person who's surprised me with crazy results from the H2n. I may not be clever but I can spot a trend! I think I'm going to have to look into one of those when non-essential stuff opens up.