First off, a Happy Diwali to everyone who celebrates,and also a Happy Halloween and Day of The Dead to everyone also!
So- how many of you have wanted to explore the low G tuning? It's fantastic for country style or any style when you want to use bass runs when changing chords. It also works for blues. Many of you probably know this already but you either have to purchase a uke string set made for low G tuning (the 4th string will be different,possibly wound with metal like a classical guitar string) and definately thicker than the G string for "regular" tuning with the G being high.
This being said,a word of warning here: due to the thickness of the low G string,if your uke has a bridge with slots in it,in other words if you have to tie a knot in the end of the string and slide it into a slot,do not try low G tuning as the string will be too thick and won't work.
If on the other hand,you have the type of bridge that requires you to lace the string around the bridge as you would on a classical guitar,then you get a green light- the low G string will fit on your ukulele.
You can also get a low G string as a single string,which is what I did and wound up using my Kahua tenor uke as my Donner tenor didn't have the right bridge. On my Kahua I decided to try the Aquila Red Series low G string that isn't wound so I wouldn't make a squeaking noise if I did a slide.
Now- the first thing I noticed about the Aquila string is it stretches forever- I got enough windings on the machine head that I know at some point I'll need to remove the string from the post and place it back on so it has less windings.
However,aside from that the string has a rich tone and make chords sound much fuller than the high G string. If you read music,the low G is the G below middle C...the same as on a mandolin. This really opens up the range for melody playing.
But what if you want to play a high G? Simple. Hit the 3rd fret of your 2nd string,and your high G is right there. So you haven't lost anything by placing a lower tuned string on.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the Aquila string I'm using doesn't have a smooth finish like your usual uke strings. It has a matte finish,and the texture isn't what I'd call rough,but you'll find your finger having more traction on it.
So if you're wanting to do those cool Johnny Cash bass runs on your uke,this is the way to be able to do that! Enjoy.
So- how many of you have wanted to explore the low G tuning? It's fantastic for country style or any style when you want to use bass runs when changing chords. It also works for blues. Many of you probably know this already but you either have to purchase a uke string set made for low G tuning (the 4th string will be different,possibly wound with metal like a classical guitar string) and definately thicker than the G string for "regular" tuning with the G being high.
This being said,a word of warning here: due to the thickness of the low G string,if your uke has a bridge with slots in it,in other words if you have to tie a knot in the end of the string and slide it into a slot,do not try low G tuning as the string will be too thick and won't work.
If on the other hand,you have the type of bridge that requires you to lace the string around the bridge as you would on a classical guitar,then you get a green light- the low G string will fit on your ukulele.
You can also get a low G string as a single string,which is what I did and wound up using my Kahua tenor uke as my Donner tenor didn't have the right bridge. On my Kahua I decided to try the Aquila Red Series low G string that isn't wound so I wouldn't make a squeaking noise if I did a slide.
Now- the first thing I noticed about the Aquila string is it stretches forever- I got enough windings on the machine head that I know at some point I'll need to remove the string from the post and place it back on so it has less windings.
However,aside from that the string has a rich tone and make chords sound much fuller than the high G string. If you read music,the low G is the G below middle C...the same as on a mandolin. This really opens up the range for melody playing.
But what if you want to play a high G? Simple. Hit the 3rd fret of your 2nd string,and your high G is right there. So you haven't lost anything by placing a lower tuned string on.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the Aquila string I'm using doesn't have a smooth finish like your usual uke strings. It has a matte finish,and the texture isn't what I'd call rough,but you'll find your finger having more traction on it.
So if you're wanting to do those cool Johnny Cash bass runs on your uke,this is the way to be able to do that! Enjoy.
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