Baritone ukulele tuned for tenor guitar

[bsfloyd]

Hello gang! I am wondering if a baritone ukulele can be tuned as a tenor guitar standard tuning. I'm thinking yes with the suitable gage strings (nylon of course), but wanted to know if anyone here has tried this and what their results were. I admit to liking nylon strings better than steel but would like to use the fifths tuning system.

Thanks!

[Seter]

It can be done, but I think tenor ukuleles are better for mandola CGDA. Baritone ukeleles seem to be best at octave mandolin GDAE, or with the right set even mandocello CDGA. Soprano ukuleles work for mandolin GDAE. I like the sound of nylon too, I have one baritone in GDAE and one in ukecello CDGA, I play them like small classical guitars though.

[fox]

Sure you can, I much prefer GDAE but CGDA is quite good too, based on a 20" scale...


E4 .028" Nylon p
A3 .022" NylW
D3 .036" NylW .
G4 .050" NyW.


A4 .021" Nylon p
D4 .030" Nylon p
G3 .030" NylW
C3 .040" NylW

The weak links are the high A as it is quite tight & the A3 as the string must be near the limit. You can try an .40p for the A3 but it doesn't sound as good as a wound .22

[bsfloyd]

Thanks for the replies and comparisons! I don't mind GDAE at all - still fifths. Heck, this gives me a reason for a tenor uke now too (for the CGDA tuning)

[bsfloyd]

E4 .028" Nylon p
A3 .022" NylW
D3 .036" NylW .
G4 .050" NyW.


A4 .021" Nylon p
D4 .030" Nylon p
G3 .030" NylW
C3 .040" NylW

The weak links are the high A as it is quite tight.

Ah, I think I am a bit confused here... I thought the CGDA tuning of the tenor guitar was tuned lower than the GDAE tuning. I thought the two tenor guitar tunings above relationship was similar to the violin / viola relationship, no?

[pheffernan]

Ah, I think I am a bit confused here... I thought the CGDA tuning of the tenor guitar was tuned lower than the GDAE tuning. I thought the two tenor guitar tunings above relationship was similar to the violin / viola relationship, no?

A tenor guitar tuned GDAE is an octave below a violin or mandolin, so the relationship would be similar to the mandola / octave mandolin.

[Seter]

Ah, I think I am a bit confused here... I thought the CGDA tuning of the tenor guitar was tuned lower than the GDAE tuning. I thought the two tenor guitar tunings above relationship was similar to the violin / viola relationship, no?

The CGDA below octave mandolin GDAE is mandocello/cello tuning. From highest to lowest you have:

GDAE: violin, mandolin
CGDA: viola, mandola, tenor guitar
GDAE: tenor violin (rare), octave mandolin, tenor guitar (Irish tuning)
CGDA: cello, mandocello

[bsfloyd]

I understand, thanks! The standard to Irish tenor tunings were throwing me off.

[bsfloyd]

Ok, gang - wanting to purchase some tune books. I like when books show both notation and tab, but if only one choice then tab it would be. I like plectrum style playing so no fingerstyle. Also, I like Celtic / Irish music, so in that style please.

If I wanted to use GDAE tuning would it be best to look at mandolin and fiddle tune books? If I were to use CGDA tuning would it be best to look at irish tenor banjo books? Another other instrumentation books I should look at?

Thanks!!

[Seter]

There is a fairly large collection of free tabs right here on Mandolin Cafe, good for seeing what songs/styles appeal to you: https://www.mandolincafe.com/tabarc.html

Thanks to that I've only had to buy a few mandolin books yet though there are several more I have my eye on.

[bsfloyd]

That's a great resource, Seter - thanks for showing this to me! I didn't know it was there (though I admit to not researching the site very thorough). I do however like to have sound files of the tunes, which is another reason I like books (those that come with sound files that is). I find them helpful if I'm not familiar with the tune. I do see myself getting lost for hours though with the tab here on the forum

[fox]

Quite a few suitable books out there, tenor banjo & mandolin books work & there is this one too ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hal-Leonard...der_1495028879

[MikeyG]

If I wanted to use GDAE tuning would it be best to look at mandolin and fiddle tune books? If I were to use CGDA tuning would it be best to look at irish tenor banjo books? Another other instrumentation books I should look at?

Thanks!!

Most Irish tenor banjo players use the GDAE tuning - NOT THE CGDA tuning. I recommend the first volume of Enda Scahill's Irish Banjo Tutor. It comes with two cd's. You can order directly from the author here:

http://www.endascahill.com/the-tutors.html

Delivery to the USA is quick.

Sully's Irish Banjo Book (volume 1) is also excellent.

MikeyG

[Cary Fagan]

I've owned 5 tenor guitars and have sold them all but I still have my baritone uke (a Kala) tuned gdae. In the end I liked playing it the best and think it actually sounds best due to the resonance which fills out the sound. (Of course I'm not a real tenor guitar player--they can do wonders on the instrument.)

[bsfloyd]

Thanks for the replies, links, and suggestions everyone!! I will add these to my list.

[bsfloyd]

Another great source for celtic, irish, medieval, and renaissance music in GDAE mandolin tuning in both notation and tab with CD recordings:

http://guitarandlute.com/book-cd.html

I actually forgot about Allan Alexander's site. I play classical guitar and have used many of his books and find them to be very well done!!

[Seter]

Another great source for celtic, irish, medieval, and renaissance music in GDAE mandolin tuning in both notation and tab with CD recordings:

http://guitarandlute.com/book-cd.html

I actually forgot about Allan Alexander's site. I play classical guitar and have used many of his books and find them to be very well done!!

I have been pondering getting some his books as well for guitar and/or mandolin, do you have any recommendations for his classical guitar books? I'm mostly interested in his medieval/renaissance books. He has such a wide assortment of books and some seem to overlap, it's difficult to know where to start.

[bruce.b]

If you want to play Irish trad tunes on tenor guitar I’d go with Enda Scahill’s tutor too. GDAE.

[bsfloyd]

I have been pondering getting some his books as well for guitar and/or mandolin, do you have any recommendations for his classical guitar books? I'm mostly interested in his medieval/renaissance books. He has such a wide assortment of books and some seem to overlap, it's difficult to know where to start.

Well, I am a plectrum player and do so on classical guitar. I know, this is taboo to many classical players, but I am not a formally trained classical guitarist so I tend to break rules from time to time Heck, if Willie can do it....

I have both his Flatpicking Medieval Music and Flatpicking Celtic Music books from his Flatpicking Guitar Series. These are the two I have experience with and can recommend them both. The Celtic book does have a renaissance flare to it so you might like both - that is if you are a flatpicker like me. Sorry, but I do not have any experience with his fingerstyle guitar books.

I do agree about the overlapping from book to book, as I have noticed the same when looking through his mandolin collection.

[bsfloyd]

If you want to play Irish trad tunes on tenor guitar I’d go with Enda Scahill’s tutor too. GDAE.

Thanks, bruce.b - this is on my list! It was also recommended by MikeyG above.

[Hypoxia]

My two ultra-cheap Harmonia 19-inch scale instruments are a baritone 'uke (much too quiet) and a mandola that I find adequate. The mandola, tuned CGDA, makes some chords a bit of a stretch even for my large hands. I've no impulse to tune the baritone the same; why bother? I've been reading of old baroque guitar and cittern tunings. I think I'll experiment: tune the baritone to AGDE or BGDE. That makes a sort of stepped pentatonic scale to play across the neck rather than up and down the frets.

In other words, there are more ways to torture an instrument.

[mpduggan]

What string gauges do you use for the Baritone Uke tuned GDAE?> Thanks!

[John Lloyd]

[...] based on a 20" scale...


E4 .028" Nylon p
A3 .022" NylW
D3 .036" NylW .
G4 .050" NyW.


The weak links are the high A as it is quite tight & the A3 as the string must be near the limit. You can try an .40p for the A3 but it doesn't sound as good as a wound .22

That's very interesting; thank you! I'm currently experimenting with tuning a baritone uke to octave mando, and this could help a lot. A couple of admittedly ignorant questions, if you don't mind:

1) Do you think these gauges would work reasonably well with a 19" scale, or might you suggest going one notch heavier?
2) I notice the A3 is thinner than the E4. Is that due to a difference in tension between wound and plain strings?

[fox]

!9" scale will be slightly lower tension but the suggested gauges will still work fine.
Yes that is the issue with a wound nylon A, it sounds great but feels a little strange - to start with anyway.
However a plain .40 is the opposite as it is pretty thick.. so it is a compromise either way.

I based the total string tension on a standard D'Addario baritone set which is 56lb on a 20" scale, so I would guess you will be around 50lb total on your shorter scale.
Generally speaking nylon is more forgiving than steel but you may want to try a .29 plain for the E on a 19"scale & a .24w for the A.

To be honest I don't know exactly how accurate the string tension guides are but I have been using .28p .22w .36w .50w for 3 years on my 1950s Harmony 20" scale.
I have broken the .22w a few times but apart from that it sounds really great.
I did start off with a .40p for the A but I never liked the effect but you may well prefer the sound.
I have also been using the same set on a 21" scale small body tenor guitar that I managed to sand down the bracing & remove the soundboard finish. That has also lasted well, I just tuned it F A#D# G#

[blaise.douros]

What string gauges do you use for the Baritone Uke tuned GDAE?> Thanks!

I've done a similar setup on a baritone uke, 20" scale, with the following gauges:

E4 .032 nylon
A3 .026 silver-plated copper wound nylon
D3 .032 silver-plated copper wound nylon
G2 .045 silver-plated copper wound nylon

This puts about 14 lbs of tension per string, which falls right in the guidelines of baritone uke max tension. I'm thinking about dropping down to .029 nylon and .024 SPCWN for the E and A, as it feels like it lacks a bit of sustain at the high end.

It sounds really nice, though. I used a cheapie Caramel brand from Amazon, had a local luthier do a setup for me, and it's my favorite instrument I own at the moment.