ukulele fever

[mandosonthemarsh]

Thanks guyes, you came through in a big way!

[Jill McAuley]

Hmm, timely thread as I just saw two nice looking vintage ukes at my local music shop - a Vega and a Harmony, both were baritone ukes. Any baritone uke players out there want to sing their praises - as a complete uke novice (though my dad plays and has an old Martin uke) what makes folks decide between a soprano, tenor or baritone?

Cheers,
Jill

[RichM]

Hmm, timely thread as I just saw two nice looking vintage ukes at my local music shop - a Vega and a Harmony, both were baritone ukes. Any baritone uke players out there want to sing their praises - as a complete uke novice (though my dad plays and has an old Martin uke) what makes folks decide between a soprano, tenor or baritone?

Standard tuning for a soprano, concert, and tenor ukulele is GCEA-- all to the same pitch. So while all three of those ukes will be producing the same notes, the body size, scale length and string type will create very different sounds. The traditional method for stringing these ukes is called "re-entrant" which is a fancy way of saying that the G string is higher than the next string. So instead of the usual fretted instrument string order of Lowest-Higher-Higher-Highest, re-entrant turning is High-Lower-Higher-Higher. IMHO, this tuning gives the uke a lot of its classic tone. Many people do string their ukes (usually tenors) with a low G.

The standard tuning for a baritone is DGBE; if that looks familiar, it's the same as the top 4 strings of a guitar. And, in many ways, a baritone uke is a smaller version of a guitar, albeit with four strings. Most baritones are stung with a low-D; it's rare that they use re-entrant tuning. It's very easy for a guitar player to switch to a baritone uke, since they are tuned exactly the same. It's worth mentioning that other ukes are tuned in the same interval as the guitar, so guitar players can usually pick them up pretty quickly-- just remember you're at a different pitch!

What makes one better than the other? Preference, really. The soprano is the traditional Hawaiian uke, but some people (like me) find the scale length too tight. The concert is slightly larger and has a longer scale length, so it retains much of the small body sound, but provides a bit more room on the fretboard. The tenor has become extremely popular in recent years, because its even longer scale length provides for plenty of fingerstyle tricks, and its larger body size usually provides more volume. Some people don't like the tenor tone because it brings in a bassier sound that's more like a guitar than the classic uke tone. As always, your mileage may vary, depending on which uke exactly you buy, and how you play it.

Bottom line: ukes are fun, you really want to play one!

[Jill McAuley]

Thanks for such a detailed reply Rich - you've answered all my questions and then some!

Cheers,
Jill

[Kay Kirkpatrick]

I'll chime in here for the OP and Jill with my uke experience. In 1964 I got a Roy Smeck plastic fretboard soprano that Allen mentioned. I played it a lot as a kid and even now hardly has a nick on it, it's very sturdy, but it is more like a toy. Because I learned to play it, I was given a Harmony baritone 3 years later and played it a lot. Both have friction tuners with the little tightening screws, and I would advise anyone who can already play an instrument to steer clear of the frictions. I'm sure in 45 years advances have been made, but if you are accustomed to the geared on your other instruments you will want them. Yes, they cost more, so wait a while longer. I ended up recently with a Collings concert (gift from daughter A) and I'm completely happy with it. Now daughter B has to have one and I'm definitely getting her one with geared tuners. (And by "one" I do not mean a Collings!)

Jill, Rich M does indeed provide good info, and he knows way more than I do. I might add that while I am completely happy with my concert, I do suggest you play a lot of tenors and baritones. You do lose a tad bit of the ukulele feel with the tenor (and pretty much completely with the baritone) but since you busk you will want a bit more projection than a soprano or concert can provide, unless you go electrified, but I don't think that is your style. All in all, I highly recommend ukes. They are a ton of fun and quite easy for even a lowly hobbiest to play decently.

[Rodney Riley]

Do a search on Paddle Boat Ukes made in MO. He puts little pegs in the nut to hold the strings in place instead of slots. They play like a dream. The one I played was about $690.00. But I liked it better than the $1,699.00 Santa Cruz that I also played. I have a Mahalo U-320P that only set me back $70.00 8 years ago

[Loretta Callahan]

raises - as a complete uke novice (though my dad plays and has an old Martin uke) what makes folks decide between a soprano, tenor or baritone?

Cheers,
Jill

What Rich and Kay said, but also, I've found that the uke size depends on the size of the person. The larger the person, the smaller the ukulele. The smaller the person, the larger the ukulele.

Hawaii's most beloved, now departed singer, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, accompanied himself mostly with a Tenor Martin uke, but also with a Soprano ... and he weighed about 800 lbs. I noticed this phenomena when I would attend Kanikapila (song and tune get togethers).

As a large lass myself (quite a bit under Iz's weight), I prefer a tiny ukulele. My skinny friends always seemed to gravitate to the Baritone.

Of course, I could change my mind about this tomorrow.

[Tim2723]

Loretta, I've never heard that comparison before! That was great!!

As was said, it's all a matter of personal likes. I love the concert size because it 'feels' like a mandolin fret spacing while being louder than a soprano with more projection. The tenors and baritone seem to sacrifice a lot of their 'ukulele-ness'. Especially the baritone which abandons re-entrant tuning; one of the things that makes a ukulele a ukulele for me. The baritone always strikes me as very guitar-like. See if you can try the different sizes for yourself and decide. Then again, you might get the fever and own a full set, including six and eight string types! Whatever you do, get ready to have a perpetual grin. The ukulele is an instrument you can't pick up without smiling.

BTW, does any one know why the second largest is called a 'concert'? Wouldn't 'alto' be more accurate?

[Ivan Kelsall]

The Uke i had,previously belonged to my Grandfather. When i got it after he passed away,it still had the old 'cat-gut' strings on it,but no bridge. Seeing as i was only 10 years old at the time,it stayed like that,untouched,for the next 8 years,until i met the guy at my place of work who taught me how to play it. I wish i'd kept the old strings,they were as frayed as a tramp's overcoat,
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

The Uke is enjoying a quite striking surge in popularity here in Asia. A couple of years ago I saw a cable TV show about a store in Singapore that only sold ukuleles and that made it clear that the uke was a popular fad down there. Now, Bangkok is undergoing the same ukulele fever; a couple of months ago there was a weekend festival that featured invited artists from Japan, Europe and the Americas. It was the only time I ever went to a gig where the audience arrived toting their own instruments, wearing them like jewellery in expensive gig bags.

A couple of weeks ago I was at a high-end guitar store in Bangkok on a Sunday afternoon, and it was over-run with kids turning up for a ukulele lesson. The store owner told me he had thirty pupils arriving for the lesson, and the piles of new instruments still in their cute little cardboard boxes attested to how good for his business the new trend is.

One of my favourite uke players is Neal Paisley. He has quite a few clips on YouTube. Here is one of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARI6uKkmhVs

ron

[thistle3585]

It's funny this has come up as I spent this past weekend at the Ukulele World Congress in Needmore, IN. Players from all over the world showed up for a weekend of jamming. It was pretty impressive. My wife and son each have a soprano, concert and tenor. My son prefers the concert and my wife the tenor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-itqA8VPTI

[Taylor and Tenor]

I have two ukuleles - both solid spruce top Lanikai models with good quality geared tuners - tenor for $125.00 and a baritone for $149.00. I like the size and scale length of larger ukuleles and have two because they are tuned differently. Good quality strings make a big difference in the quality of the sound and set up is also important.

They are both fun to play and I wouldn't be without a uke ever again. I've gotten some strange looks at sessions but who cares.

[Josh Kaplan]

This is an “on the one hand and on the other hand” situation.

On the one hand, ukuleles need not be expensive to sound good, and a ukulele with terrific sound and good playability costs a fraction of what you’d pay for a guitar or mandolin. Part of the appeal of the ukulele is that it’s modest; in a way, expensive is contrary to the spirit of the instrument. (That said, I played a Rick Turner Compass Rose sycamore tenor at Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz—Wow! Dazzling. I really wanted to buy it.)

On the other hand, if you have been spoiled by higher end acoustics, I don’t think you are going to get what you want under $100 unless you are lucky and find a great deal in a special used instrument. The under-$100 Kala, Makai, and even Lanikai instruments are definitely not junk; they are just fine—some are quite nice--but if you can spend $200-350, you are more likely to find an instrument that will satisfy you. My Mainland mahogany concert is at the low end of that range and I like it a lot, but while in Brown County last weekend for the World Ukulele Congress, I went to Weed Patch Music in Nashville (Indiana) and tried some handmade David Gill’s at the upper end of that price range, that played and sounded superb.

I’d put it this way: a sub-$100 ukulele will make you happy, but if you are fussy about your stringed instruments, $200-350 might make you happier.

-Josh

[Loretta Callahan]

I'm with you on the Baritone, Tim. It's too guitar for me. I don't know if Iz ever played a Baritone. Iz's Tenor looked like a Soprano when he played it. This is what it's all about for me with the ukulele and Hawaiian music. I'm not too interested in the other styles ... but that's just me.



Oh, and remember to stand whenever folks are playing this song. Just sayin'.

[Tim2723]

Thanks for that, Loretta. It was beautiful.

I like Josh's comments. While you can get a playable ukulele for under $100, one of the great things is that a very good ukulele is still affordable compared to so many other instruments. For $300 or $400 you can get something exceptionally nice. For $600 or $800 you can buy an heirloom instrument. There are some out there going for $5,000 and more, but I think that's a bit silly.

[allenhopkins]

Two alternative detours from the straight and narrow:

Polk-A-Lay-Lee



Kazookeylele



I have a Polk-A-Lay-Lee, though mine's a natural top, not orange like Mr. Martino's. I don't think anyone but "crouts0" has a kazookeylele. At least I hope not.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Duff post - Tried to add a YouTube link -failed. Tried to embed' a YouTube clip failed. (What the *&$%)
Go to YouTube - Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Orange Blossom
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

Duff post - Tried to add a YouTube link -failed. Tried to embed' a YouTube clip failed. (What the *&$%)

It's easier than it seems, Ivan. In fact, the site owners just put up a very helpful mini-tutorial to help people like you and me.

ron (who failed to embed a YouTube clip just yesterday)

[Malcolm G.]

Strings make even a bigger difference on ukes than mandos.

I'd suggest getting Nygut by Aquilla.

[Loretta Callahan]

Yup! Aquila Nylguts for me ... always.

Strings make even a bigger difference on ukes than mandos.

I'd suggest getting Nygut by Aquilla.

[Perry]

I got bit in April by the Uke bug. Chord melody stuff lays out really nicely on the uke and there's no shortage of great TABS available. I wish the same could be said for TABS for mandolin chord melody stuff. I had much fun playing songs like Brown Sugar, Kashmir and Crazy on the Uke.

I bought a Lanikai lu-21 but immediately had U.A.S. Luckily that passed and I'm back to hacking on the mandolin.

The Lanikai plays good enough for me and holds tune after continuous tuning for several days.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ron - I've posted dozens YouTube links & embeded more than a few clips on here,but for some reason yesterday it just didn't work whichever way i tried it.Thanks for the 'tuition' link,
Ivan

[herbsandspices]

I love my KoAloha Concert Koa Pikake!



Sounds really amazing with a Schertler Dyn pickup in it.

[Rodney Riley]

Local music store has a Luna High Tide E/A that I love the sound of. Trying to figure out how to purchase it and get it in the house without the wife suspecting anything.

[Tim2723]

The Lanikai plays good enough for me and holds tune after continuous tuning for several days.

I think that comment hearkens back to something said earlier about tuning stability. For anyone new to ukes, know that their nylon strings can take days to settle in, so if your new uke is going out of tune after a song or two, don't worry. Like Perry's experience, my ukes stay in tune very well, but it can take nearly a week for that to happen. Luckily, the strings last a good long time.