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akahele
Aloha
USA
33 Posts |
 Posted - 02/10/2006 : 7:43:59 PM
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Got a question for all - when you're not playing your uke do you take some tension out of the strings (i.e. detune the uke) or to you just leave it in tune? The reason I ask is that with a guitar, one leaves it in tune (or risks having the neck warp or having other nasty problems occur) but as a kid I remember that after playing a uke and before putting it away in it's case, everyone would always slacken the strings. The reasons given were 1) the uke doesn't stay in tune anyway and 2) it takes the strain off the neck-body joint. Keep in mind that the practice I am refering to is from a while back - like 35 to 40 years ago and maybe construction techniques have changed since then.
Clif
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KoAloha
Akahai
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2006 : 11:00:04 AM
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| I usually don't reccomend slacking the strings, because it's bothersome to tune them back up again. Keeping the instrument tuned up also allows the strings to strech and reach their optimum tone. Like any stringed instrument that isn't played over time, an ukulele will need to be tuned if it's left sitting for a while. Cheap tuners will tend to slip, while quality machines will keep the instrument in tune as much as any guitar. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2006 : 08:32:31 AM
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I find that humidity (or lack thereof) is more the culprit of bad sounding/looking instruments and problems. The inside of the instrument is not finished and will dry out if not humidified. All of my instruments have simple humidifiers in them when I am not playing. When they dry out, I re-wet them and put them back in.
My Worth strings on my two KoAloha ukuleles take a week or so to stretch into their tuning. Their (KoAloha) neck construction has never been a problem and once the new strings settle down, they pretty much stay in tune unless I purposely change the tuning (do alot on my 6-string to play slack key), or I really wail on the strings when playing triple strums, etc.
My nylon string guitar does the same thing. It has been almost a year since I changed my nylon strings (D-Addario). My steel string guitar only takes a day or two for the strings to stretch and settle in (Elixir Nanoweb) . I change them about once every other month due to the oxidation on the strings.
Of note, in the "old days" I understand that many slack-key players would slacken their strings to keep others from discovering their "ohana" tunings and would give other excuses why they did it. I sure am glad almost all Ki Ho'alu players nowadays will teach you their tunings and songs if you are polite and attentive. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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akahele
Aloha
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 11:44:55 AM
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| Thanks for the replies - I think I'll just leave my uke in tune all the time. What prompted this was an incident when I was a kid and we had a uke come apart at the neck/body joint. The opinion was that the uke's strings weren't slackened before putting the uke in its case and that was the cause for the failed joint. At that time it was standard practice to slacken the strings before putting your uke away - with the old peg tuners, it wouldn't stay in tune anyway so it did seem to make sense back then - heck when you're a kid and the adults tell you to do something you just do it! Hopefully I'm older and wiser now. |
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sirqitous
Aloha
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2006 : 11:42:55 AM
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| My feeling is you might as well keep it feeling up to pitch if you're going to be playing it (and you ARE gonna be playing it, right?!) Because compared to a violin, or even to a guitar, the strings aren't strung very tight on a uke. It's already sorta 'slacked'! C6 tuning! |
http://myspace.com/sirqitous
http://youtube.com/sirqitous |
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