What's wrong with a ukulele sounding like a ukulele?

[oldjazznut]

To me, gCEA is a ukulele. Something else is not a ukulele.

Low G is still the same note, just an octave lower. Sounds more like a guitar. Issues with type of string, matching tone to other strings, nut and saddle mods. Only plus I see is a slightly wider range.

D tuning is at least equally higher, but more "plinky". And again, you have high A and low A.

Lots of alternate tunings and open tunings to get different "sounds".

I'm a casual target shooter, and I run into the same thing on those forums. People get a new gun, and before they fire one shot, they take it apart and modify everything. They'll never know, maybe those things were great out of the box? Same thing with car forums. Buy a new one, and change it!

I guess some people just have to tinker ...... ??? I like all of my stuff the way it was designed and engineered to be. ...

 

[Mike $]

I imagine you wouldn't consider Cliff Edwards a Ukulele player. I know some purists that only consider a soprano uke a real ukulele. I am up in the air about it and wouldn't be upset no matter how most people would name it if it went to a vote.

 

[ripock]

Ukuleles are still ukuleles. They have just evolved to a more general instrument rather than a niche instrument that is limited by the plink. But there is no need to choose. There are still plinky ukes out there as well as modern ukes. Just play what you like and like what you play

 

[rhiggie]

Cool "can of worms" you've opened! First, I don't think many players don't try out their new uke before making changes. And mostly changes are due to personal preferences, which are by nature... personal. Some like a warm sound, some bright. Changing strings to get that personal sound is a lot easier than changing ukes (not that changing ukes isn't fun too!). Kind of like why not eat the your "beans" (fill in anything here) the way they come out of the can, why add seasoning. Why not have all white shirts, they will go with everything. Speaking for myself only, when I make changes to my ukes it's because, to me I like the uke better that way. How boring would it be in Uke Jam if every uke sounded exactly the same?
Not right or wrong, just different strokes...

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Somebody better call Kimo Hussey, Herb Ota Jr, Corey Fujimoto etc. and tell them all to stop! They aren't playing uke the right way!

All playful jesting aside, I've played high G for a while and low G. I tend to go through phases. They are just different to me with neither being right or better

 

[ploverwing]

I can't play the music I want to play on a reentrant, but I can with linear tuning. I have a reentrant that I use to play the music suited to it (although by some definitions, not ukulele music). I enjoy Hawaiian music, but I don't want to play it. I enjoy Tin Pan Alley music, but I don't want to play it. I admire jazz & blues, but they're not the style of music I'm likely to play. I don't want to play a guitar. I can't play a mandolin (I've tried) and I can no longer play my violin. An ukulele shaped instrument tuned with low G (or a functional equivalent - one of my tenors is detuned a full tone because that particular instrument sounds better that way) fits the bill nicely for me.

 

[jimavery]

To me the key thing is can you expect, having learned to play ukulele, to pick up the instrument in question and play it? If the answer is "no" then clearly it shouldn't be called a ukulele without some clarification about why it's not playable by a ukulele player.

 

[Neil_O]

To me, gCEA is a ukulele. Something else is not a ukulele.

Low G is still the same note, just an octave lower. Sounds more like a guitar. Issues with type of string, matching tone to other strings, nut and saddle mods. Only plus I see is a slightly wider range.

D tuning is at least equally higher, but more "plinky". And again, you have high A and low A.

Lots of alternate tunings and open tunings to get different "sounds".

I'm a casual target shooter, and I run into the same thing on those forums. People get a new gun, and before they fire one shot, they take it apart and modify everything. They'll never know, maybe those things were great out of the box? Same thing with car forums. Buy a new one, and change it!

I guess some people just have to tinker ...... ??? I like all of my stuff the way it was designed and engineered to be. ...

A real purist would only play in D tuning instead of the new fangled gCEA, as there is only OneTrueUke!

 

[don_b]

To me the key thing is can you expect, having learned to play ukulele, to pick up the instrument in question and play it? If the answer is "no" then clearly it shouldn't be called a ukulele without some clarification about why it's not playable by a ukulele player.

This reminds me of a mental game I used to play with myself.

The idea was generally “if I am going around telling people that I play ukulele, I should be able to play an ukulele when somebody hands me one.” And because I was playing a Low G tenor ukulele with a strap, I would think to myself, “it’s annoying to think that in most circumstances, the ukulele I am likely to be handed would be a re-entrant soprano without a strap. Because I am used to the linear tuning, a larger instrument, and a strap, I am not in a good position to play my best ukulele when that more common ukulele is handed to me.” And I hated the idea of having to explain that I am only really good at a specific type of ukulele.

I struggled with it for kind of a while. I allowed it to dictate some purchases and some practice time. Eventually I realized that nobody is handing me ukuleles to play for them. Nobody is even asking me to play my own ukulele for them. I got over it.

 

[Kenn2018]

There is nothing wrong with a ukulele sounding like a ukulele. If you mean re-entrant tuning gCEA on a soprano scale uke with Nylon strings.

I think of that configuration on a Kamaka Koa soprano as the archetypical "Ukulele" sound.

If that's your thing, play it.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a ukulele that is a larger scale, with linear tuning GCEA or any other tuning, with Fluorocarbon strings. If that allows you to play the music you wish to play in the manner you want. Heck, increase the number of strings or put the strings onto a banjo body.

There is no right or wrong here. There is history and president that has established a sound that we recognize and can relate to in context. But it wasn't the only way the instruments were played.

The range and versatility of the ukulele as an instrument has grown with change over the years. And I'm sure new innovations will expand it even more. Music evolves. Just as language has. It doesn't devalue what has gone before. It only adds to the panoply of our experiences and options for expressing ourselves.

 

[Wiggy]

"The first thing you should do with any new stringed instrument is replace the factory strings!"
(Have you ever heard that advice?)

 

[KohanMike]

When I took up the tenor ukulele in mid 2013 after playing guitar for almost 50 years, I was completely taken in by reentrant tuning and never touched my guitars again, gave them away. My thought is if, if I want to play linear, I would go back to guitar.

Then in mid 2014 I took up bass uke, settling recently on one style that is most comfortable for me with neck spinal cord nerve damage. After using them for a short while, I found a much better piezo bridge, tuning machines and flatwound strings, and for each new bass uke I buy (up to 8 now), I immediately have those added.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

To me, gCEA is a ukulele. Something else is not a ukulele.

Low G is still the same note, just an octave lower. Sounds more like a guitar. Issues with type of string, matching tone to other strings, nut and saddle mods. Only plus I see is a slightly wider range.

D tuning is at least equally higher, but more "plinky". And again, you have high A and low A.

Lots of alternate tunings and open tunings to get different "sounds".

I'm a casual target shooter, and I run into the same thing on those forums. People get a new gun, and before they fire one shot, they take it apart and modify everything. They'll never know, maybe those things were great out of the box? Same thing with car forums. Buy a new one, and change it!

I guess some people just have to tinker ...... ??? I like all of my stuff the way it was designed and engineered to be. ...

Perhaps it was a couple of years back now but I suggested that Ukes are just another part of the larger guitar family; I can’t quite fully remember how it went down but IIRC there was some ‘discussion’. What’s a Ukulele? Well to my purist mind a true Uke, as originated on Hawaii, is a gCEA tuned Soprano - which it what I mostly play - and the rest are other forms of four string guitar that are afforded the name of Uke. Historically the very early guitars had four strings or four courses of strings too.

Does it really matter what we call our four string instruments? Can’t say that I think it does matter much, certainly no point in falling out with other folk over such details, use what you find works for you and the folk that you interact with.

 

[ukudancer]

I'm happy playing my non-ukulele. I don't care what you wish to call it, I'm having fun.

 

[Bibs]

I suppose it depends how picky a person is. Most things straight out of a box are made for Joe/Jane Average or the 'casual' user , and manufacturing/marketing budgets.
As far as what it sounds like, i'm only interested in how it sounds to me, not what it's called. Other than that, to me, 'Ukulele' is just just a term to identify a type/class of instrument.
I don't particularly care for re-entrant for myself [I loaned my only one to my brother]. I don't care particularly for diatonic dulcimers either. The fact that other folks do is fine with me, like has been said, different strokes for different folks makes the world an interesting place.

 

[oldjazznut]

Thank you, thank you. I'm getting justifications and opinions as to why people like the various tunings, etc. Helps me understand it, even if I'm happy with gCEA. Nothing wrong with any of them, just different. Just my preference, if I buy something and feel a need to change it, I must not like it, I bought the wrong thing. But with ukes, a different thing is often not an option except DIY.

The worst uke offenders get a new uke and change the strings before they play it; never giving the originals a chance. ..

 

[EDW]

The worst uke offenders get a new uke and change the strings before they play it; never giving the originals a chance. ..

"All we are say--ing, is give strings a chance"

 

[oldjazznut]

"All we are say--ing, is give strings a chance"

All of my wood ukes came with GHS black nylon (except my cheap Hilo, all I know is they're black). I like them, so I'll stay with them.

The Gold Tones came with house brand Nylgut clones. I don't like their feel, hard and stiff. But I'll leave them until they need replacement, then GHS.

 

[DuckyI]

Rather than thinking of ukuleles as a totally separate category, why not consider as part of the guitar family? You can think of how a re-entrant soprano is the furthest away from a guitar, and a baritone the closest relative to a guitar. Makes perfect sense.

I don't think there is a person on this board who would disagree with the statement that a re-entrant soprano ukulele is the most 'classic' uke - doesn't make the other ones not ukuleles.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

All of my wood ukes came with GHS black nylon (except my cheap Hilo, all I know is they're black). I like them, so I'll stay with them.

The Gold Tones came with house brand Nylgut clones. I don't like their feel, hard and stiff. But I'll leave them until they need replacement, then GHS.

Ah, why wait? Nylgut can last a decade before it’s worn. Fit what you like and enjoy it now, a pack of GHS strings is relatively affordable.

For what it’s worth I’m normally quite tight fisted with money.