Although as Sarah demonstrates in the lesson, the ukulele was not made to withstand the Low G so it does require an adjustment in your playing. This is similar to standard ukulele tuning except you replace the High G with a Low G.
Another benefit to the tenor uke size is its warmer, larger tone due to the larger body - it’s actually more mellow sounding than the smaller sizes.Īn alternative ukulele tuning you should know about is the Low G Tuning. More frets means more notes to play, and so the tenor ukulele is popular amongst many modern ukulele players like Jake Shimabukuro and Aldrine Guerrero. Also, there’s more frets on the tenor ukulele than the standard 12 on the soprano size. The body is bigger, the neck is longer, and there is a lot more room for your fingers on the fretboard. The 3rd size Sarah demonstrates is the tenor ukulele:Īs you can see it’s much larger than the soprano and concert sizes. It also uses standard ukulele tuning of G C E A. Another advantage of playing the concert uke size is you can get a bigger sound with its slightly larger body. It still has that classic sound of the soprano ukulele, and is a nice in between size if you’re looking for a little more room in between your fingers. The next size of ukulele is known as the concert size, which is a little bigger than the soprano size: Also the 4th fret of the C string should match the open E string. Then if you play the 5th fret of the E string, this should also match the open A string. Assuming your open A string is in tune you can match it to the 2nd fret of the G string. You can also use your ear for tuning ukulele. These are very accurate and probably the best way to stay in tune with other uke players. One method is to use an electronic tuner which can be attached to the instrument. The soprano uke most commonly follows standard ukulele tuning which is: G C E A. Something important to note here is that the top G string is actually higher than the C string below it. This is known as re-entrant tuning, or also “ High G on top.”Īs Sarah demonstrates in the video, there are a couple different ways to go about ukulele tuning. To the locals, that’s what it looked like when they played: fingers moving like jumping fleas over the strings.īut before you start strumming that uke you better know what you’re doing with ukulele tuning. In this lesson from the Beginner curriculum at ArtistWorks, Sarah Maisel takes you on a tour through ukulele land where you’ll learn about the different sizes as well as what you need to know about tuning ukulele.ĭid you know there there are differing ukulele tunings as well as different sizes? As shown in the image below, the soprano ukulele was the original size and the one you would typically associate with that classic old Hawaii sound:
The name itself comes from the Hawaiian words ‘ uku, which means flea, and lele, which means jumping. It later spread to Hawaii when many Madeirans came there to work in the late 1800s. This tiny instrument has a fascinating history. Although most commonly associated with Hawaii, it was actually first invented in Madeira, a tropical island in the Atlantic southeast near Portugal. Welcome to the wonderful world of ukulele.