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Hey @marianne, I just realised that it was you who was saying they didn’t have a low G at the beginning of the month. You can play low G arrangements on the baritone, but they will be in a different key, which doesn’t matter as long as you aren’t playing with other people, so this worked out perfectly!
Congratulations @marianne 🙂
I know there is a difference between strings that FEEL low tension and strings that actually are low tension. I don’t know about strings that actually are low tension, but Aquila Reds feel low tension to me.
As for the tuning, just tune your strings to F Bb D G instead of G C E A. You can always change back if you don’t like it. All chord shapes are the same.
I’d be interested in what you hear. I definitely hear more brightness and sustain in the new strings.
Hi @June2020
I might be able to help with your low G question.
Yes, it’s a common issue. Because the string is heavier than the others, it is louder. There are a few ways to mitigate this.
1. Some strings are louder and boomier than others. Wound strings are particularly loud, especially Aquila wound strings. A way to mitigate this is to get an unwound low G string. The issue with this is that often unwound strings don’t sit cleanly in the nut slot and create intonation issues. A good compromise is to use the Aquila red unwound single low G string (AQ72U), which will sit in most nut slots but is not as boomy as wound strings. Note: I do not use this string. I mostly use option 2 and I use Fremont Soloist wound low G strings.
2. Adjust your strumming attack. The attack means the angle at which you hit the strings. If you hit all of the strings at the same angle and with the same force, the G string will be loudest. It will be even louder if it is the first string you hit. A way around this is to strike the strings at an angle so that your finger barely brushes the G string and hits the other 3 harder. This isn’t easy. If you are fingerpicking, you would just make sure that you don’t pluck the G string as hard as the other strings.
Another thing to pay attention to is that using a low G affects the voicing of chords. Voicing means the order in which notes are stacked on top of each other. For example E minor comprises the notes, E, G, and B. Put those notes in any order and it will still be an E minor chord, but the voicing will be different. On the Ukulele, the standard way of playing E minor is 0432. With a high G string, in order of lowest note to highest note, this is EGGB (the G is doubled and it is at the same pitch). If you play the same chord with a low G, it will be GEGB. This is still an E minor chord, so you don’t need to change anything, but the lowest note is now a G, so the voicing is different and might sound a bit odd.
I hope that helped.
Robin
My tenor also has higher-tension strings. That’s one of the reasons I keep it tuned down to Bb tuning. I makes the string tension more like my concert.
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
Hi everyone. I did Sleepwalk a few years ago when it was one of the options and I thought I would revisit it. To be honest I don’t think I could do it much better than I did the first time. I was pretty happy with it. This time, the pacing is about the same, but I tried to add a bit of vibrato in a few places. Also, I’m using a different uke because I bought a new one and gave away the old one since the first video.
Please note, the last time this song was an option was for a Halloween challenge and there was an extra prize if you performed in the best costume (I didn’t have the best costume, though).
Old version:
New version:
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
I was really busy this month so I picked one of the easier ones. I hope you like the few extra bars I added at the beginning. Also, I hope it’s OK that I used a low G uke. I don’t think it made a huge difference to the sound, but the wider string spacing made it easier to switch between picking and strumming.
Thanks to Matt’s live lesson on barre chords, I had already practiced playing the Dm chord this way, which was a huge help. I decided not to use Matt’s thumb picking, although I practiced it both ways.
Thanks Stephen. I think I will listen to a metronome through headphones next time I collaborate. I just didn’t think of it this time. A rubato feel is fine if that’s what you are aiming for, but in my case, I was trying to play as slow as possible so that Lyndall didn’t have to rush, but I kept speeding up because my fingers hurt.
This is a submission for both me and @lyndallk.
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
@LYNDALLK IS A PREMIUM MEMBERThanks to @tiff27 for the vocal assist.
I played my part on my jumbo electric steel-string 6-string baritone ukulele.
I realise I had timing issues. I kept speeding up because my thumb felt like it was going to drop off, which made it hard for Lyndall. We should have played to a click track. Oh well. Also, where the harmonies sound off, I think it’s because I was singing a bit flat rather than because the harmony was wrong.
Wow @kirpuff! Not only did you do both parts, but you played the violin too! I’m amazed!
Wow @brettboy – You managed all the pieces! I’m barely managing with a small fraction of that. Well done! Love the drumming at the end too.
