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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
 Posted - 12/07/2004 : 9:39:25 PM
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So, if a guitar player is a guitarist, is a uke player a ukist? Uker? Ukuleleist? I once met a guy who called himself Cool Hand Uke, said he played all over and made a living at it. Anyone know who that might be?
Anyway, I need to sound stupid here for a moment and go way back to the basics; what is the normal tuning (standard) for uke? And, if you tune it in taropatch, what is that string progression? I play guitar as lot,and my wife would like to join in with me sometimes. We bought her a mandolin several years ago, and though she likes it, she plays infrequently enough that her fingertips hurt on the steel strings. I figured perhaps they would be less fatigued by the nylon uke strings, and, since i play mostly slack key now anyway, it would be a better fit for us both. My dad had an in expensive uke and i recently brought it home with me.
So, how you tune dat ting?
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Karl
Frozen North |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2004 : 05:40:50 AM
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hi karl!
i call 'em by the pseudoitalian term "ukista", but maybe it should be ukilist. or maybe an uku picker. hum.
normal tuning is GCEA. sometimes that G is a "high G", other times "low G" (depends on the nut and string). more traditionally, it's high G, so at the second fret on the G string is the same note as that A string on the other side. the chord forms of a guitar work just fine on a uke, although the exact key is transposed. for example, the F shape (3211) is a Bb, and the G shape (0003) is a C.
a baritone uke, though, is usually tuned DGBE like the high four strings of a guitar (some people tune 'em GCEA, like a regular uke).
if you tune the A string down to a G (so it is GCEG), then it's in an open C tuning, and all the chord shapes, parallels, etc for taropatch work (eg, barred at fret 5, the C shape in taropatch, is F). it's also F wahine without the tonic F - that is, you can use the chord shapes, parallels, etc for drop C tuning.
i personally rarely bother slacking the A string because i've learned the parallel thirds and sixths, and the turnarounds, in standard tuning, but it is fun to do.
aloha,
keith |
Edited by - marzullo on 12/08/2004 05:43:50 AM |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2004 : 06:49:32 AM
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Hi Karl,
I prefer "ukester".
I agree with Keith, but Lyle Ritz doesn't. He feels a tenor uke (17" scale length) should be tuned DGBE with the D an octave higher, reentrant.
I have an 8 string tenor, tuned GCEA, with G and C tuned in octaves, E and A in unison as it came from the maker. I'm not sure that's true taropatch uke tuning.
Aloha, |
Pauline |
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Tommy
Akahai
USA
72 Posts |
Posted - 12/08/2004 : 09:46:53 AM
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Karl,
Dan Scanlan is Cool Hand Uke. He's got a web site.
Tommy |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2004 : 3:11:34 PM
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Tommy,
I met Cool Hand Uke in Tommy's music (or guitar) shop in Dover, New Jersey. That might be you? of Tommyhawk fame?
Karl |
Karl
Frozen North |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2004 : 3:27:53 PM
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quote:
I agree with Keith, but Lyle Ritz doesn't. He feels a tenor uke (17" scale length) should be tuned DGBE with the D an octave higher, reentrant.
i learned the term "reentrant" from byron yasui this summer at AMC (blatent ad for AMC - he's going to be there next summer too, and he's one awesome teacher!). reentrant tuning makes descending and ascending arpeggios a lot easier to do, probably other things too.
but, i wanted to point out pauline's observation about ukemeister ritz: ukuleles are just ready made for messin' around. you shouldn't feel at all compelled to stick to any tuning or method of playing because someone else does it that way. i was once told about someone who played his uke with his teeth. apparently this guy came up with this technique because he was so frustrated and started taking his anger out by biting his uke. the rest is history (and a uke with interesting wear patterns).
aloha,
keith
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Auntie Nancy
`Olu`olu
USA
593 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2004 : 5:30:31 PM
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Just make sure you get rid of those uku's.......
n |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2004 : 6:41:21 PM
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Keith,
You reminded me - has this forum had a posting about the shark bite cutaway uke? I think it was displayed at a recent uke expo in Hawaii, so probably yes.
Aloha, |
Pauline |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2004 : 8:55:54 PM
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hi pauline,
i've not seen it, post 'um!
aloha,
keith |
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