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ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > Ukulele strings - constant retuning - newbie |
| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| Ukulele strings - constant retuning - newbie - Beginner Questions - Ukulele - Ukulele - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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doowopper Approved
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I just purchased the Ohana Tenor TK-20 ukulele several days ago and I am just starting up with it - complete newbie. It comes with GHS strings. Perhaps this question has been answered here but I couldn't find it. It seems like every few hours I have to retune it. Is this normal? If so, will the necessity for retuning continue or will the strings stabilize at some point so I don't have to retune as often? Thanks. Richard Last edited on Mon May 5th, 2008 02:52 pm by doowopper |
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Will Approved 
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doowopper wrote: I just purchased the Ohana Tenor TK-20 ukulele several days ago and I am just starting up with it - complete newbie. It comes with GHS strings. Perhaps this question has been answered here but I couldn't find it. It seems like every few hours I have to retune it. Is this normal? If so, will the necessity for retuning continue or will the strings stabilize at some point so I don't have to retune as often? It is the inherent nature of nylon strings to take several days (sometimes as long as a week) to stretch out and stabilize. There is nothing you can do to significantly speed this process up except to play the uke often, and re-tune as often as necessary.
____________________ 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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scrooner Approved
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When you're done playing, tune it higher than your regular tuning (a full step higher in the beginning, and then a little less each time). This will speed up the time it takes your strings to settle.
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honu Approved
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Besides what Will had stated about the strings stretching, another factor is the tuners are not holding the string tension. Tighten the tuners, not too tight, but just enough for it to grab or hold the tension of the strings. There is usually a screw at the end of the tuner.
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BartlebysUke Approved 
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Temperature and dramatic temperature changes can also be a factor. But I have found, usually within about two weeks, that the tuning becomes remarkably stable. But at first, yeah, the G string can be out of tune before you have even gotten to to the A string. When you are just getting started this is really frustrating, and I remember feeling like a total failure. By now, of course, you have probably worked this out.
____________________ exegi monumentum aere perennis. |
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Neal Approved 
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Strings can take a few days to settle. One thing to do is play it hard for a "awhile", tune it up, repeat a few times. Leave it alone, come back, repeat step one. Do this a few times your uke will be more inclined to stay in tune. Wake up the next day and repeat. Mine are good in 1 day to play out, with some tweaking here and there, but relatively stable. If you wind your strings around the post like a lot of ex-guitar players do  , you'll have too many winds around the post, and it will take longer for the strings to settle.Do this when changing strings- turn the post so the hole is horizontal, if you had a toothpick in the post hole, it would form a cross with the neck. Attach the string to the bridge, and thread it thru the hole leaving no slack, wind the excess the opposite way around the post and under the string to lock it when you turn the post, you'll figure it out, you want the tension of the string to hold the excess against the post. This will give you the minimum # of winds, your strings will settle faster. The more you play it, the faster they'll settle. A week?! Holy cow, I'd give it up.
____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.youtube.com/nealpaisley http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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PJ Approved
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On the bright side, think of all the tuning practice you're getting! Sometimes I pull my strings away from the body to help stretch them faster. I'm not sure if this is a good practice, but it calms my impatience with new strings. I also tune it a step higher before I put it away, and I play it harder than usual when I'm stretching strings.
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| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > Ukulele strings - constant retuning - newbie | |
