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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| 8 String and 6 String Uke Tuning | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Nov 6th, 2005 08:49 pm |
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1st Post |
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Ukulele Approved 
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On the internet I have seen that Lanikai makes 8 String and 6 String ukes. First off. Does anyone have one of these? Second. The tuning for an 8 string uke would be G C E A with octaves right? So it would have the same Chorus effect that a 12 String guitar has. Third. When looking at the pictures of the 6 String Uke It looks like the C String and A String is doubled. Why is this? You can see the pictures here - 8 String http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/LU8E.htm 6 String http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/LU6.htm Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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| Posted: Mon Nov 7th, 2005 03:59 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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I have seen and played an 8-string Kamaka uke, but I haven't personally seen nor played a 6-string uke. These instruments nowadays are mostly tenor or baritone sized (8-string baritones are more rare, and use DGBE tuning). On an 8-string uke, each of the 4 courses of strings are paired, but the G and C string are an octave apart, while the E and A strings are "doubled" (a pair of identical strings). This tuning is analogous to a 12-string guitar, which has 4 pairs of octave-tuned strings, while the 2 highest pitched strings are doubled. 8-string concert-sized ukes were once made by Martin way back during the 1920's, and were known as "taropatches." The concert uke supposedly originated when Martin reconfigured some of their slow-selling taropatches into 4-string versions. I'm not sure about the tuning of the taropatches; from what I've seen from photos, the strings appear to be all doubled (4 pairs of the same gauge, similar to the doubled strings on a mandolin). http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/dennis.taylor/Page_023_martin_ukuleles.htm On a 6-string uke, only the C and A strings are octave-tuned. As with the 12-string guitar, these types of ukuleles with doubled or octave-tuned strings must be kept in perfect tune, or they won't sound good. Last edited on Mon Nov 7th, 2005 10:31 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 7th, 2005 09:34 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Ukulele Approved
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Very cool! I have always wondered what the point of an 8 string was. So the 8 string uke is tuned with a low G, the G and C are tuned to octaves and E and A are doubled. Did the 8 string Kamaka have a cool sound? And, do you know what the point of a 6 string uke is?
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| Posted: Mon Nov 7th, 2005 10:39 pm |
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4th Post |
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Will Approved
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Both the 8-string and 6-string ukes, if tuned properly, will give a louder, richer sound because not only are more strings sounding, but because of the 2 low octave strings, the range of notes is wider; unlike the 8-string, the 6-string lacks the doubled E and A high strings. I only got to play a friend's Kamaka 8-string for a few minutes during a uke club meeting last year, and then the owner several months later sold the instrument, so I couldn't really test it, because it wasn't quite in tune. It's probably best to try to play one of these instruments in person at a local music store to see if you personally like the sound. I auditioned 4 different 12-string guitars before I bought my Seagull S12+. Last edited on Mon Nov 7th, 2005 10:40 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 8th, 2005 04:07 pm |
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5th Post |
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Ukulele Approved
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I would love to try one out, but Music stores with ukes are hard to come by in my area. I guess for now pictures will have to do. Thanks for the info.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 8th, 2005 08:53 pm |
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6th Post |
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Will Approved
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I've had the same problem in the Chicago area. Music stores either don't carry ukes at all, or they have just 1 or 2 sizes (soprano and/or baritone). Tenors are rare; I've only seem them at 2 stores. I bought most of my ukes via mail order, and only 2 in the local area.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 9th, 2005 02:25 am |
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7th Post |
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JohnB Approved 
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Not quite right about the 6 string uke. Kamaka's Lili 'U, named after the Hawaiian queen, is a Tenor and has the C & A strings paired with octives in the GCEA tuning. It may seem odd, but on the 6 string uke the high A is paired with a wound low A string, not doubled with another plain high A string. The C string is as you would expect, is paired with a plain high C. If you are aware of the effect of re-entrant tuning of the (high G) GCEA uke; the 6 string with it's A string paired with a low A gives off an inverted like re-entrant effect. No other uke compares to it. I wouldn't even put it in the same class as the 8 string. Due to it's odd mechanics, the 6 string uke is unusual and unique, it's something I had to see & play to really appreciate. I own & play a Kamaka Lili 'U, and it's wonderful.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 9th, 2005 02:42 pm |
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8th Post |
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davebough Approved 
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Will.. About a month ago, SafetyRx from Chicago, who posts in the Mandolin thread, and some of his friends made a safari to Elderly in Lansing. You should e-mail him and see if they are planning another. You'd have a great time. dave
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| Posted: Wed Nov 9th, 2005 04:06 pm |
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9th Post |
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Will Approved
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I've been to Elderly Instruments in person, back in 1999. I had a business meeting in downtown Lansing, and my flight back to Chicago was scheduled to be nearly 4 hours after the meeting, so drove the rental car about a mile up the street and hung out at Elderly for nearly 3 hours. I brought my used Chromaharp with me, intending to trade it in while shopping for a new autoharp. Elderly's autoharps and fiddles were kept in the same room. While I was trying out some of the 20 models that they carried, a group of Irish tourists came into the room to try out some of the fiddles. I ended up selecting the retro-30's style Oscar Schmidt OS73C, and I bought the special grey padded case made for it. I even got $100 trade-in for the used Chromaharp, so it was a sweet deal all around.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10th, 2005 05:14 pm |
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10th Post |
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Ukulele Approved
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Im really interested in getting ahold of a 6 string uke. The only one I have seen that doesn't cost a fortune is the Lanikai. I guess I will just have to buy it.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 05:06 am |
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11th Post |
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b-uke Approved
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QUESTION: Would it HURT the structure of a Bariton Uke to tune it to the GCAE with the proper strings you think? Comments anyone ?
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 05:49 am |
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12th Post |
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Will Approved
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b-uke wrote: QUESTION: Would it HURT the structure of a Bariton Uke to tune it to the GCAE with the proper strings you think? Comments anyone ? I think you meant GCEA tuning; as long as you get strings specifically sized for this purpose, the tension will be tolerated by the baritone uke. These "C-tuned for baritone" strings typically come with a re-entrant high-G. If you want low-G, you will need to swap out the re-entrant string with the regular G from the baritone set. Aquila and Hilo make these special strings.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 7th, 2009 03:37 am |
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13th Post |
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nevc*ernamed Approved 
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What should a newbie like me do to learn how to tune his 8 string? I'm familiar with the regular 4 string uke tuning method. Last edited on Tue Apr 7th, 2009 03:37 am by nevc*ernamed ____________________ -- Cheers http://www.csethna.com |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 7th, 2009 02:35 pm |
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14th Post |
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Will Approved
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nevc*ernamed wrote: What should a newbie like me do to learn how to tune his 8 string? The 8 string tenor uke is not that different from the 4-string as far as tuning goes. The main difference is that the 8 string uke has 2 "high" (octave) strings, each paired with the low G and low C; the high strings E and A have doubled (duplicate, same tuning) strings: gG-cC-EE-AA 1. Tune the low-G, low C, 2nd E and 2nd A strings first. 2. Tune the high-G, high C, first E and 2nd A strings next. 3. Fine tune all of the strings again using an electronic tuner, because some strings go out of tune as you tune others. Doubled (paired) strings are tricky to tune; if they are not exactly in tune with each other, they will sound "blurred." It is often better to tune one string with the electronic tuner and tune the second of the pair by ear. The octave strings, especially the high-C, take longer to stretch out and stablize their tuning, so you will have to be patient and keep retuning until the tuning holds (and careful - don't snap the high C because it is more difficult to replace than the other strings). Enjoy your 8-string uke.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 7th, 2009 08:30 pm |
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15th Post |
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ichadwick Approved 
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Aside from what Will already said: get a guitar pick to pluck the single strings as you tune. It's a pain to do it with a fingertip because you're going to pluck two at once most of the time. I have a Lanikai 8 and it's a nice sounding instrument.
____________________ Ian ------------------------------------------- Ukulele reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/ukuleles.htm Harmonica reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/harmonicas.htm |
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27th, 2009 06:40 pm |
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16th Post |
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rossjr Approved 
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I just picked up a 6 string concert and opted for the g-cC-e-AA tuning. That is the low G, high and low C, E and dual tuned A strings. You can do it with the same string set just swap the wound A string with the nylon high G string. For me it sounds a lot better....
____________________ Sorry I'm a geek so I have to do this.... 
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