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Ukuleles are tuned differently than guitars primarily as a result of their small size and their evolutionary history. Why Ukuleles Are Tuned Differently Than Guitars Linear Low G tuning is less common, and really works best on tenor ukuleles as their longer scale lengths and bigger bodies really bring out the deeper tones of the lower tuning. Reentrant tuning also gives ukes some of their most unique qualities, like closely-harmonizing chords that seem to ring out forever, and even allows them to be played clawhammer style. The higher pitches and thinner strings perfectly fit the small body and short scale length of the ukulele and produce the cheerful mid-to-treble range “jumping flea” sound it is known for. High G tuning keeps all the pitches (and string gauges) close together and results in a more balanced experience both in tone and feel.
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This reentrant tuning gives the ukulele its characteristic bright and lively voice and is closest to the original tuning of the instrument. If you tune a standard ukulele G string that low it will be too loose. To use Low G tuning, you’ll need to buy a special set of strings where the G string is either thicker or wound. For this reason, tuning a uke to low G is a good way to start transitioning to guitar. In fact, if you capo a guitar at the 5 th fret, the top four strings (closest to the floor if you’re holding the guitar) will be tuned like a ukulele in Low G tuning and the same chord shapes can be used. Low G tuning allows you to use the same chord shapes as you do in High G, but gives you a greater range (5 additional bass notes) resulting in chords that sound fuller, deeper, and more guitar-like. It is notated with the all-uppercase letters GCEA. The notation for Low G tuning uses a capital “G,” but is otherwise the same as standard ukulele tuning. This puts the string pitches (and gauges) in order and adds more bass tones. Rather than tuning the bottom G string an octave higher, you tune it down an octave so that it is deeper in pitch than the C of the 3 rd string next to it.
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Low G tuning is a type of linear tuning that can be used on the ukulele. This is the standard tuning of the guitar, where the pitches progress in a linear fashion, that is, in the same order as the strings. The opposite of reentrant tuning is linear tuning, which you are probably more familiar with. This means that a “re-entry” into the octave has occurred between the 3 rd string (C) and the 4 th string (g), hence the term “re-entrant.” Low G Tuning
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Rather than being the lowest pitch, as you would expect, the bottom G string (closest to your head when you are holding the uke) is the second highest in pitch (and second thinnest in diameter). “Dog,” “has,” and “FLEAS” go in order of pitch, so it’s really that first “MY” that is the odd one out. The sound produced by plucking each of the four strings forms the phrase “MY dog has FLEAS,” with the “MY” and “FLEAS” strings being higher in pitch than the middle “dog” and “has” strings. top to bottom) rather than progressing in the same order as the strings. Reentrant sounds complicated, but it really just means that the string pitches are mixed up when you play the strings in order (e.g. Other instruments, like the five-string banjo, also use reentrant tunings. High G tuning is a type of reentrant tuning. This is to demonstrate that the g is different than the other three strings – it is tuned up an octave higher than what you would expect. This is also called standard tuning and is notated by the mixed case letters gCEA. The most common ukulele tuning is High G tuning. While there are many different tunings for ukuleles, the two most commonly encountered are High G and Low G. Ukuleles can also be tuned linearly to Low G (GCEA) using a specialized G string. This tuning uses a higher octave G which optimizes string pitch and gauge for a smaller instrument, gives the ukulele its unique bright voice, and simplifies chord shapes. Most ukuleles are tuned to the reentrant tuning of High G (gCEA). Why Ukuleles Are Tuned the Way They Are (With Reentrant Tuning)
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