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Hi @cloud_cactus. Different people will recommend different strings according to their personal preference. I have tried a few different types, so I’ll put my thoughts below.
Aquila Nylgut Wound Low G – I think this is what Andrew uses. It’s a good place to start. It is quite a rough wound string, so it produces a lot of squeak when you slide your finger up and down it. You can hear it clearly in Andrew’s performance of Lagrima. I personally don’t mind the squeak, but a lot of people find it off-putting. I don’t like this string because of lack of durability, though. It didn’t take long to wear through the wire at the first fret, so I had to replace it pretty quickly.
Fluorocarbon Unwound Low G (including Living Water, PHD, Worth, Oasis, etc.) – This entirely eliminates the issue of squeak. However, if you don’t adjust your nut slot, these strings may be too thick to sit cleanly, and they may cause poor intonation. This was the case for me. I actually widened the slot in my slot bridge in order to try these strings, but I didn’t touch the nut and this resulted in poor intonation. I very quickly replaced the low G string from this set.
Aquila Red Unwound Low G – This string is sold separately and doesn’t come in the set of Low G Red strings. The set includes a wound string. Strummers really like this string and I can see why. Low G strings can overpower the sound of the other strings if you aren’t careful with your attack, and the Red minimises this. It produces an even tone when strumming, but a bit of a muted sound when finger-picking. Overall, I like it, though.
Fremont Soloist Wound Low G – This is what I have on both my low G ukes at the moment (including my concert). It is a wound string, but it is smooth, so it minimises squeak. It is a little bit boomier than the Red string, but it has a clearer sound when fingerpicking.
I hope that helped.
I’ve also been working on Moonlight Sonata for a while so I think I will attempt the whole piece. I think I’ll post regular progress videos like I did with Moon to keep me motivated if that’s OK
Hey Becky – You might like this. I have been enjoying it, and it really helps me with my listening. Also, they feature a Heart song at one point!
I haven’t written my own songs, but I have arranged a few.
I also learn music theory in my own haphazard way. I learned piano and flute as a child and I covered a lot of music theory then, but I have forgotten most of it. Still, learning music theory is usually a matter of relearning it, rather than learning it for the first time. Anyway, I basically look things up as I get interested in them. For instance, we just bought a digital piano, and I have the circle of 5ths printed out and I’ve been practicing scales on it. So far, I can only play C and G, but I’ll get there. That’s just because that’s what piqued my interest, though.
@cloud_cactus – The short answer is no.
If you look at your strings, you will notice that the lower pitched ones are thickest and the higher pitched ones are thinnest. If you take a lower pitched one and try to tune it high, it will be too tight and might snap and if you try to take a higher pitched one and tune it low, then it will be too floppy. Dedicated low G strings are either thicker than C strings or they are wound with metal wire to make them heavier without making them too thick.
If you really don’t want to buy a new string, there is one trick that I’ve heard of but I haven’t tried. It involves taking off all the strings and using your C string as a low G, your E string as a C, your G string as an E, and leaving your A string where it is. It would be a lot of effort, though, and all of your strings would be a little bit floppy.
I am a terrible example. I NEVER practice. I don’t have set times that I sit down with my uke. I don’t have defined goals. I don’t do most of the stuff that Andrew recommends in the learning paths thing. What I do is I work from home and I have my ukes sitting next to my desk so I can pick them up and play them when I need a break. When I want to learn how to do something tricky, I keep trying until I can do it. It’s totally unstructured, though. I suppose the difference for me is that I know I will never be a professional musician and I don’t really want to play for others. It’s all for my own satisfaction, so the only thing that matters is whether I enjoy it. I have also improved a lot since I started, but that is incidental.
Thanks guys. The thumb is already where Andrew describes and it’s good to hear Craig Chee also uses this technique a bit. I played through to the end of theme 4 yesterday, so I think I’m getting there. Fingering gets easier after theme 4.
I would love to learn an accompaniment to vocals for Dock of the Bay. I’m not sure that I would want to learn a fully instrumental version, though.
As much as I would love to see you guys try to do the Mandalorian theme, I’m just not sure that it would work without a bass recorder.
A bit of pain but more weakness. I physically can’t hold the chord enough to get a good tone any more. Keep in mind that this is after a really long section of barre chords, stretch chords, and playing up the neck. It’s not that I can’t do it normally, just that I’m fatigued. Matt talks about this in the La Vie En Rose lesson, and trust me, this is way more tiring than that.
Lol. A cutaway would make it easier, but the real issue is being unable to squeeze the neck that high up because of the thickness, not being unable to access the frets. I can get to the frets, its just a matter of applying pressure.
I’ve brought a uke on tour with me (I’m doing a week-long tour-guiding job), but I actually don’t feel like owning a banjolele. I can see many people do want one, though, so I think I’ll sit out this challenge and practice other stuff for a while. I have plenty to keep me busy. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s entries, though.
My biggest ah ha moment was when I managed to maintain an island strum while singing an entire song. It was a while ago, though.
My favourite uke that I own is my Mele solid mango concert. I definitely prefer to play concert ukes. The best one I have played is probably a Da Silva spruce-top concert, or maybe a Pohaku koa soprano. I didn’t get to play them at the same time so it is hard to compare.
It depends on the uke, but I like Aquila Red strings and PHD strings. For low G, I like Fremont Soloist strings.
