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Ukupau
Aloha
USA
24 Posts |
 Posted - 05/15/2005 : 05:27:51 AM
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So here I am just starting down this road to Ukulele pearls of knowlege and have hit upon a cross road. I am just learning the chords and how to position the fingers to reflect what I see on the sheet music. After attending the Daniel Ho and Uncle George Uke workshop and concert(way awesome) here and San Diego I was inspired to proceed with a Low G setup. Hopefully I am not creating a hardship on myself by doing so?
The Kamaka Lili'u (70's model) Tenor 6 string is up as thus:
6th top string: is High G
5th. string:(or the octive string) is a (high C)
4th. string: is- C
3rd. string: is- E
2ndh. string: (or base/octive string) is tuned low- A
1st. string: is regular- A
I am using the ST-6 string set as provided by Kamaka (which sells with a High G 6th string). I was looking for a low G string set (e.g. Ko'olau Gold which I have on my Lanikai Tenor) but did not see anything available to date.
I am looking for guidance as to "should I start with Low G at an early stage of learning" and "where do I find a Low G string set for the Kamaka Lili'u Tenor?
Thank you in advance, JohnF
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Pops
Lokahi
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 05:49:08 AM
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John,
Try elderly.com in Michigan. They have about everything. Also, and I'm not sure about this, but do your bridge and nut need to be changed, etc. to handle low-G tuning?
Best wishes. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 07:14:37 AM
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Hey Ukupau,
It seems like a Lili'u rings with the low A quite strongly, so adding a low G might give the whole setup an overall bass-y sound. But you'd have the low G for thumping a pseudo guitar bass string. Lili'u ukes are loved for their strummed sound, but they can be a little clumsy for picking, so if you're after a Troy Fernandez/Jake Shimabukuro pickin'-like-a-crazy-man sound, you might consider adding a four-string axe to your lineup.
Also many guys have the low A string as the first string in a Lili'u set up.
On the other question, whether to start low G or wait, my answer is "no mattah!" I like low G if you're going to play from sheet music because you're less likely to hit the "wall" as you go down the scale.
Jesse Tinsley |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2005 : 07:47:46 AM
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John,
Don't know about the doubled string sets in your 6-string with low G. I have a four string Tenor that I have chosen to string with a low G. Since I also play ki ho'alu guitar, I find it more comfortable (actually easier) to go back and forth between the two instruments and maintain a better understanding of the fretboard. The lower notes on the G sound more natural to me in relation to the guitar. Especially when I think of the ukulele as just a guitar with the capo at the fifth fret with the lowest two strings missing.
It does make it difficult sometimes to follow some ukulele tab because most of it is written for a high-G ukulele. When this happens I have to think extra hard and often give it up as too difficult a path to pursue at the moment. There is music written for the low-G just not as much of it. Daniel Ho plays a low G and there are some tabs of his fingerstyle music out there. Jake Shimabukuro, on the other hand, plays a high-G normally and his fingerstyle and strumming are top-notch. There is some tabs of his music to be found as well.
When I play with others in our Encinitas kanikapila I find the lower notes from my tenor add a nice synchronicity to the rest of the group with standard and soprano ukuleles. In a large group like that it is OK to be different.
There are several good sources on the internet to order strings. A search on this web site will list several for you. Giacoletti's Music and Buffalo Brothers (both in Carlsbad) usually have a good assortment of ukulele strings. Blue Guitar just south of Old Town has a good assortment as well. I would call them first to make sure they have what you are looking for before making the long drive from Santee.
Some day I'll learn the fingerstyle ukulele version of a few songs to complement some of our slackers and really jam. Right now I am probably making the learning process slower by attempting two things at once -- but hey, it allows me to keep the age-activated attention deficit disorder (AAADD) at low simmer. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Ukupau
Aloha
USA
24 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2005 : 11:18:25 AM
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Lots of good information here. Thank you.
I did stop by Blue Guitar (they are now at 5959 Mission Gorge road) and they do carry Ko'olua gold strings for a 6 string tenor. The only real difference is that the A's are doubled at the same octave. Where as the Lili'u the second A is one octave lower.
I also contacted Alternate Tunings up the coast and Mike sent me a complete list of available strings.
Being that I am in a basic guitar class, the low G gets me a little closer to the rest of the class ;-) Picking is a real challange for me and am still learning the basic's (darn fingers don't always do what they are supposed to do). I think the D chord is going to be my challange of the year.
Best wishes to all, JohnF |
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5thumbs
Aloha
6 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2005 : 11:02:59 AM
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I use a low G on a 6 string tenor. The following information was taken from Kawika Hurd's website.
I use Savarez Alliance standard tensions (red card) for my soprano, concert and tenor treble strings : 541R for the A, 542R for the E and 543R for the C. I use D'Addario Pro Arte Light D strings (J4304) for both the low G and low A bass strings.
For 6 string
Low G
See above.
For octave higher C use Kawika's black string
For unison pair A use 541E
For High G
Savarez High Tension E for high G string (it is thicker and lower)
String the C strings as unison pairs with the 543R
String the Octave lowever A with the D'Addario Pro Arte light D (strung to an A) |
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