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ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > Four uke sizes, which to choose for first one? |
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| Four uke sizes, which to choose for first one? - Beginner Questions - Ukulele - Ukulele - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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Ukefin Approved
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Hello to all, im learning uke player, and ive ordered my first uke from internet. After thinking, i choosed concert sized model. Is that better for beginners than soprano, which is quite small? My second question is, that could anybody give me the easy and "all a round" fingerpicking pattern for chord picking? Is it better to start with chords, or picking? I guess there is no proper picking, every chord can be picked million ways, right??? Thanks! 
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Yoik Approved 
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Concert is fine. Soprano is a little tight for my big fingers, but either is fine, IMO. Fingerpicking depends on your preferences and how your uke is tuned. Don't worry, once you get it in your hands you can watch some YouTube videos and see lots of finger picking patterns, also there are web pages of free finger picking lessons. You will probably want to start by strumming a few simple songs until you get a few chords under your fingers. Then if you want to start finger picking, those same songs can be what you practice new patterns on. I use "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for testing strum and picking patterns all the time.
____________________ __Ukulele Villian__ My other instrument is a pipe My homemade ceramic pipes A forum about simple flutes |
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Will Approved 
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Concert size is fine. Learn to play chords, so that you can learn to play accompaniement to a wide variety of songs. The fingerpicking skills can be learned later. Chord melody style works well as a solo style on a uke, where you play chords in such a way that the melody can also be heard along with the chords.
____________________ 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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geelinus Approved
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If you're moving to uke from guitar, you might consider concert or tenor size. Soprano is fun, but you might find yourself a bit cramped. That said, you will get used to any size uke after a short adjustment period.
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Neal Approved 
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Learn chords, concert is fine, you'll have fun. Fingerstyle comes later... much later for most. The concert and soprano sizes are excellent for chord solos, and you can span 6 or 7 frets. Try that on a tenor or a guitar.
____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.youtube.com/nealpaisley http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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mahalo111 Approved 
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Didn't your wife ever tell you size dosen't matter Well it's even more true with ukuleles. The size of instrument you choose is more about the sound you want to create than anything else. Yes, a soprano is good for a young child because of the smaller fret spacing and equally difficult for those of us with fat fingers. But then again, look at IZ who had fingers the size of my wrist and played a soprano beautifully. My personal favorites are Tenor and concert. When I travel I always take a concert because of the size. I also like how they keep a real "ukulele" sound which unlike tenors that have a bit more sustain and projection due to the size of the body. Whenever I play classical pieces or have challenging fingering, I prefer the tenor due to the wider fret spacing. Sopranos are too small and limited, Baritones are basically a miniature 4 string guitar so if you play guitar, I wouldn't bother. Hope this helps!
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HowlinHobbit Approved 
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mahalo111 wrote: Sopranos are too small and limited, Bunk. I'm not even going to bother with the long list. Just go here and watch some vids.
____________________ Howlin' Hobbit Got Uke? MySpace ezFolk UkeLand |
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Kiwi Mark Approved 
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I am also insterested in hearing what you seasoned uke players have to say, as I'll be ordering a first nice uke within the next week or so. (When I say "nice"... I mean one to replace my $20 Mahalo.) Up until now, I've been pretty sure that I should get a tenor size, but from what a couple of you have just mentioned, it seems that a tenor may have more of a "guitar sound" than a standard "ukulele sound". Is this true? Would anyone like to throw out a recommendation to what I should buy? (I'd like to spend between $300 and $400.) Cheers, Mark
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ezmember Approved
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----- A tenor Uke doesn't sound like a guitar. It sounds like a Uke. Go to ebay and look at the musicguymic auctions. He'll help you get the right one. I have all size ukes and if it were possible for me to only have one, I'd have a Concert size, but I can also see why you might like a Tenor. It's really an individual thing. There's a really big guy around here somewhere that LOVES Sopranos. Go figger.
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ichadwick Approved 
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Really depends on your personal preference and background. I came from 40+ years of guitar and other stringed instruments. For me, soprano is too small a fretboard for comfort. Even concert is a bit limited to me. I much prefer tenor because my big fingers feel less crowded. Tenor is still a small instrument compared to a guitar. It's not like you're choosing between a bloated Hummer and a svelte Smart Car: the differences in size are not quite that dramatic. As much as I like to tease soprano players, they are equally wonderful instruments in the hands of a skilled player. Just like the charango or saxophone: the size isn't what matters, it's your personal enjoyment and talent and the sound you prefer to create. However, I also believe the larger soundboard of the tenor uke creates a different and richer sound: more low end, more subtle harmonics. No, it doesn't sound anything like a guitar, although some solid-body electric ukes and the Applause are more guitar-like because of their design and amplification. But that's another thread... See if you can find a music store where you can try out a few and determine which size you like. But - mark my words - once bitten, you will end up with more than one. Don't think of this as just a purchase, think of it as the start of a journey into new and creative ways to spend money and clutter your living quarters. PS. Get a digital tuner while you're at it.
____________________ Ian ------------------------------------------- Ukulele reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/ukuleles.htm Harmonica reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/harmonicas.htm |
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scrooner Approved
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mahalo111 wrote: look at IZ who had fingers the size of my wrist and played a soprano beautifully Did he play a soprano, or does it just look like it from the pictures? My understanding is that he mainly played a Martin tenor... My vote is for concert size, if you're only going to play one.
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sano Approved 
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It seems like the concert size is becoming the new standard. I play soprano 95% of the time. I pick up my tenor only occasionally. I might have taken to a concert myself but soprano was the one I picked up, and after a few minutes I was smitten. I'm not even aware of the size unless I see myself playing in pictures (my wife is some kind of paparazzo). I find nothing lacking in the soprano in terms of sound or ehem.. performance. I'm also entering the world of the beloved banjouke, and they really only come in one size (loud!  ). I wonder, are people's hands getting bigger or what? My father had huge hands and played the mandolin quite well, but I often hear folks saying their hands are too big for the soprano. When did concerts come on the scene anyway? I understand that Godfrey fellow popularised the baritone and maybe the tenor back in the 50s but I never see any prewar ukes other than sopranos. And to my knowledge the cavaquino only comes in one size.... So, I'm wondering, is the concert, tenor, baritone phenom really all aboout the N. American way of supersizing everything from cars, hamburgers and droopy pants? (Hey I live here too so can say this, and I do have an oversized hoodie) I'd really like to know what our British and other European friends have to say about this. I'm really curious, now that I'm staring at my room full of sopranos! Cheers, PS: Didn't mean to exclude our friends in Asia, Oceana, Down Under (we canadians don't say that perjoratively, as you can easily flip the planet the other way) And do we have any players from Africa? I'd be really interested in knowing about African uke culture. PSS: Gee, missed Central and South America. OK, I'd like to hear from the whole freakin planet!  Last edited on Sat Aug 30th, 2008 06:26 pm by sano ____________________ sano |
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scrooner Approved
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I love sopranos, and think they are better for strumming tunes. It's also easier to reach down the fretboard. But for me a concert is a little easier to hold because of the extra space on the lower bout (on sopranos my forearm touches the bridge occasionally). Also, I play a lot of fingerstyle and like to have a little extra sustain. It's definitely good to have ukes in different sizes for different things, but if I could only have one uke, I'd make it a concert.
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Yoik Approved
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I don't see it as "supersizing" anything, but as providing variety. Some times and cultures could not afford to provide variety, others can. When variety is provided, people will make wider choices, when selection is limited, people will try to enjoy what they can. From a distance it's easy to impart a sense of pride in making do when really there was no option. For instance I still remember the story of Abraham Lincoln doing his school work on the back of a shovel by candle light, presented as showing his dedication, but if a laptop and a good desk lamp had been available, there is no doubt he would have used them.
____________________ __Ukulele Villian__ My other instrument is a pipe My homemade ceramic pipes A forum about simple flutes |
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sano Approved
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Well, I'm not about to quarrel with Abe Lincoln. I hear what you're saying and agree from that angle. I've got nothing against the other sizes. I'm just curious when the concert and all came about and whether the bigger sizes are just as popular elsewhere. I know non-players sometimes smirk at little ukes, and I just like sticking up for them! btw, I think candlelight is still the best for some activities, though perhaps not for doing homework... Last edited on Sat Aug 30th, 2008 10:37 pm by sano ____________________ sano |
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Yoik Approved
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I've tried a tenor briefly and like it, but so far I'm more than happy to noodle on my cheap soprano by monitor light.
____________________ __Ukulele Villian__ My other instrument is a pipe My homemade ceramic pipes A forum about simple flutes |
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Will Approved
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Concert ukes had their origins back in the early part of the 20th century. Originally, the concert-sized body was used for an 8-string (4 unison-tuned pairs) ukulele known as the taropatch; with the 4 paired strings, the larger body and longer neck was perhaps selected as a better choice than the standard soprano. Taropatches were introduced by C.F. Martin in 1918, but by the mid-1920's, the taropatches had become very slow selling, and C.F. Martin decided to convert many of their taropatches to 4-string ukes, and the concert uke was born. According to this article, the concert uke was first produced by C. F. Martin in 1925, and the tenor uke in 1928: http://www.geocities.com/~ukulele/martin2.html Last edited on Sun Aug 31st, 2008 04:04 am 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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sano Approved
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There you go. Will, you've shone a light into a dark corner of my understanding. As I've said, I likely would have gone with a concert had one been available, but as it was, a soprano came to me first, then came another,and then another.... Now I'm almost afraid that if I fell for a concert, I might neglect the others, and that wouldn't do. But as for tenors and baritones, as fine sounding as they can be, and I acknowledge that they are indeed ukes and not small guitars, I still think some guys just don't like small instruments. But I don't like, ah, small dogs as much as big ones, and the sound preference and comfort issue are of course legitimate.
____________________ sano |
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leakydesk Approved
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I'm not sure about everyone else, but the first uke I got was a concert and the concert size is what feels the most comfortable to me to this day (I have since bought tenor, soprano, and another concert). I say that not to claim the concert is the best, just that it was my first and I wonder if that's why it's the favorite size for me. If that holds true with most players (I'm curious to hear from others) then perhaps a soprano should be the first uke since it is generally the cheapest offered by each manufacturer. Especially with high end, custom built ukes, the saving can be significant. The logic being if the odds are your first uke size becomes your favorite uke size regardless of hand size, then why not save yourself some money down the road? I may be over thinking this. I have a little time to kill today...
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freedive135 Approved
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I'm a Soprano and Tenor guy... I started on a Soprano and now have 4 I got a "good" deal on a Tenor from a friend that need $$$ to get his Pono Concert and that introduced me to Tenors. I don't really care either way about Concerts... If I want finger room to figure something out or volume I pick up a Tenor other wise I'm with Hobbit on this... Soprano's are where it's at !!!! Last edited on Tue Sep 30th, 2008 08:36 pm by freedive135 |
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| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > Four uke sizes, which to choose for first one? | |
