I tuned my ukulele like a violin!
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- [ Re-upload because of some extra editing and because the first upload appeared to be at a very lousy time so hardly anyone saw it. ]
Hey everyone! So I found out there are ukulele strings that have violin (and viola) tuning! They are manufactured by Aquila and in this video I'm trying them on my ukulele and play a little duet with my violin.
(I play on a Luna Tattoo Concert Ukulele.)
-Marijke
Instagram: @marijke.violin
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S T R I N G S
Aquila U30 strings with violin tuning (G-D-A-E) for soprano ukuleles:
www.thomann.de/nl/aquila_30u_...
Aquila U31 strings with viola tuning (C-G-D-A) for concert ukuleles:
www.thomann.de/nl/aquila_new_...
M U S I C
Ukulele song // UA-cam audio library
Happy Mandolin // UA-cam audio library
M Y G E A R
• Acoustic violin // Roderich Paesold, 2017
• Acoustic strings // Warchal Amber
• Electric violin // Yamaha SV-200 (brown)
• Electric strings // D'Addario Zyex (silver D) + Helicore E
• Bow // carbon fiber bow "Presto" (by Zlata from Violin Lounge)
• Chin rest // Teka model by GEWA
• Shoulder rest // Wolf - Forte Secondo
• Violin case // GEWA Pure (grey)
#ukulele #violin #review
I'm thinking of writing a song for violin and ukulele. How about a songwriting progress video?
I will watch that, definitely. I play the ukulele and I am also learning how to play the violin, so this will be interesting to me ❤❤❤
OMG YES!!!!
The idea just suddenly came out of my mind and search it here on youtube, I though this doesn't exist but surprisingly it does, I'm really curious about how will it sound😕
I hope this video gives you an idea of how it sounds. 🙂
Lmfao ME TOO
Me too! 😂
Ive just done this with a tenor and some classical guitar strings and it has transformed an otherwise pretty naff sounding uke into an amazing new instrument.
I'm finding it opens up so many new possibilities. The creativity has been pouring out.
I really recommend trying it out.
:-)
as a violinist i’m definitely gonna try this! Also, you’ve probably figured this out by now, but the chords would all be the same as mandolin so you could use a mandolin chord chart to learn any chord for that tuning :)
Nice, I was wondering how you'd do this! Thank you
Danbluedeer is a UA-camr who plays cello pieces with a uke tuned in fifths. He plays at a very high level and gets a great sound. I personally love the re-entrant ukulele tuning, and I play it with my treble voice students because it fits so well with their range. Thanks for the video.
I was curious about this, I put a low G-string on my uke and I love it, the extra range is nice, even if it is only giving me 5 extra notes although it does lose some of it's "sweetness" I just felt frustrated I had an entire string that has not one note on it that can't be played elsewhere already and felt that many chords lacked depth because of it, A minor for example just having the same A played twice, it resonates better, I play a bit of mandolin and I'm learning the violin so I know the tuning well, but as guitar is the first instrument I learned, G-C-E-A makes a lot of sense to me even if it has that weird 3rd in it, which is definitely a weird quirk on guitars and ukes! Ukulele is just such a fun instrument, I love playing music in general and the violin is my favourite instrument but the ukulele is just so easy to pick up and strum a few chords on!
Yes, a low G on a uke sounds great! I have regular strings with a low G now and I really like it!
I absolutely had to know how this would sound. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like a mandolin/mandola should be your next instrument :P
Tuned more like a Viola, I thought 👌 that would probably explain why it sounds warmer
Viola is CGDA.
Thank you for this! It really does sound like it has much more depth :)
high quality information
You can play it like a tenor banjo which opens you up to chord melody playing
I love that alto fifth tuned ukulele.
Thank you! 💟💟💟
Tune all strings one step up. You will get a punchier sound and probably get rid of the buzz.
As a mandolin/violin player this intrigues me. As I'm working at banjo, it also intrigues me that the strange (from a violin/mandolin view) standard tuning of a ukelele puts them into the frame work of a five string banjo with their high fifth string, making claw hammer/frailing or even Scruggs style possible. Crossing boundaries is really interesting.
maybe its bc you originally play violin, but i feel the same way. i grew up playing viola and cello, and later i started playing guitar. the guitar tuning never ever made sense to me and ive been playing now for 22 years. i recently picked up a baritone ukulele and i have it tuned as a tenor guitar (Viola tuning) and after only a week, i think this instrument makes more sense to me than guitar ever will. tuning in ascending fifths is the way to go.
You can shim the saddle to slightly raise the action to prevent the buzzing, The problem is the wound strings are not under the same tension as the nylon strings it originally set-up to play.
Rob MacKillop tried fifths tuning out in Spring, whilst recovering from Covid-19. He played the complete first cello suite by Bach. I was a bit skeptical, but he really made it work. These experiments with alternative tunings are interesting. In this case, I agree with a previous comment: try a low G. That buzz was unacceptable. It may partly be technique, which you seem to have corrected already be fretting closer to the fret wire. A different factor is that Luna is never going to be great if you want to try out new things to be honest.
Sounds interesting! I already switched to a set with regular tuning with a low G and I really like it! And no, my ukulele is not super fantastic, but it's fine for what I want to do with it, which is simple strumming along with chords.
Ok Marijke. Ik ga de uitdaging aan. Drie instrumenten. Viool, Ukelele en een piano of accordeon!
Groetje, Michiel
Heb er nog eentje bij. Mijn Yamaha Pacifica (juist, een goedkope electrische gitaar) heeft nou ook vier snaren en die GDAE stemming. Niks mis mee.
I’ve thought of doing this. Sounds good! I recommend taking your Uke to a Guitar Tech (Luthier). A slight adjustment to the nut and/or a fret or two will probably stop the buzzing. Thanks!🌞✌️😎
A nice idea, but I already switched back to regular ukulele strings, but with a low G string this time. I really like it!
Hi! I appreciated your experiment, but I still prefer the ukulele tuning sound.
Me too! I switched back to strings with regular tuning but with a low G.
If you prefer the ukulele tuning sound, you could also keep the high g instead of the low g. If you don't want to buy new strings you can switch the a and e string and tune the c string to d (it's one whole note, so I think it's safe).
I just bought a violin a few days ago and 5ths feels like cheating since I know what all those notes are instantly! I got a fretboard sticker so I don't suck at guessing WHERE they are! I have a uke collection and now I need one with 5ths :) I can't believe that exists! I'm so excited now haha. Going to buy some now for the concert uke! haha
I can pluck songs like a boss.. but oooh bowing is so new. Ooooh my shoulder is feeling it already. They said to take it slooooohmy neck! hahaha. Dang these finger cramps. haha
I like how the background music fits the video
Love this video! I had the same idea about 4 months ago! I wish I had found your video at the time. I put a set of red Aquila Mandolin strings on my soprano Ukulele and tuned it as a Violin/Mandolin. I like the feel of the strings very much. The only problem is that the high E string intonation is off. The notes get progressively "flatter" as you move up the string. The third fret is not so noticeable, but by the 5th fret you can definitely tell. It is not terrible for casual play, but it would be an issue if you wanted to record. I plan to have a custom saddle made to correct the intonation (which might cost more than the Ukulele itself)! There is also an issue with the D string (3rd). This is more subtle and seems to be a nut issue. I can tune the string so all of the fretted notes are in tune - but the open string plays a little flat. So I think I need a custom nut as well! I also have concert and tenor Ukuleles that I tune to Viola/Mandola - except that I leave the low string an octave high the way it is on a Uke. I actually like the possibilities that this presents when playing chord melodies. I have a very low quality video (my first attempt) that I posted playing in Mandola tuning. I hope to post more after I refine the instruments and my Video skills!
That's nice to hear! I didn't know there were nylon mandolin strings. After making this video, I installed a set with GDAE (violin) tuning on my concert ukulele and it sounds great! This weekend I installed the same set on a soprano as well, but it really misses depth in sound. So I'll restring the soprano with a regular set again. Doing all of this was my attempt in creating "mandolin-ukulele-hybrid", but I think I'm going to buy myself an actual mandolin at some point. 😁
@@MarijkeViolin 👏👏👏 Going down this rabbit hole has led me to discovering the European Baroque Mandolin with Nylon or Gut strings. I would love to have one of these instruments! I also learned about the Tenor Guitar, a four-stringed instrument tuned like a Mandola. And then there is the Tenor Banjo... I do have several Mandolins, a Mandola, and even a Violin. I will say, the double steel strings of the Mandos are a bit harder on the fingers! ☺
I'd love to try them all! 😁👌
I always do this!! I love it subscribed and hit that bell you seem adorable 🎉
I want to do this too, I played violin for like 10 years and just got a uke hehe
When fretting put your finger just behind the fret to avoid the buzz
Wow! You are a person with many talents :)> Being a School Teacher, you definitely need them.
Accompanying kids on a violin didn't work, I tried. 🤭 So getting a ukulele was a simple choice: not too big and easy to learn. 🙂
She is either an angel or a saint. So, let us kick her into heaven, already. Get real, dude. Most Dutch persons are influenced by Brigitte Kaandrop.
C G D A is also the standard tuning for a tenor guitar. I think the buzzing strings on the Uke are cused by the same problem of trying to put viola strings on a violin. The set up is too low, so the strings hit the finger board. To me the high G on the Uke sounds OK for strumming. but for playing individual notes, you are too limited in the range of notes. If you want something more mellow than a regular Uke, try a baritone, which is tuned like the four highest guitar strings - DGBE.
So you tuned a Concert size Ukulele to GDAe using the Aquila soprano all fifths string set, right? Has this worked well long term? I've been trying to slowly tune mine this way, but it feels like a lot of tension. Have you broken any strings or the high E at all? Thanks. Danke.
I think she used the concert Aquila fifths for her ukulele and tuned them up slightly to GDAE. If you’re having trouble with the soprano fifths on your concert uke you may want to invest in the concert fifths strings as they might work a bit better and not be as likely to break from high tension. I think there may be other string alternatives to get the mandolin/violin sound on your ukulele too like using a low G set of strings, but I’m not entirely sure.
Throw a mandolin bridge on it under the sound hole if the distance will work for the intonation
A Small Guitarified Tenor Banjo
😋
Your Uke is now a Mandolin!
Thank you
MRS S@ SS
I had trouble with buzzing uke strings so i put a thin strip of credit card under the bridge and it works but you might need 2. Btw have you tried your bow on it yet?
Nice to know! And I did put my bow on it for fun, but it wasn't very pretty. 😋
How about tuning a baritone uke to mandolin tuning?😊
Play Spotted Pony. It works on the mandolin which is the same as what you have now.
Nice video Marijke .. interesting .. :)
Thank you 🙂
For a duet, try "Old Paint" in the style of Moller & Molsky. Historical tidbit. A part of this song was used for the dance in "Shane", the classic movie.
after tuning it like that and changing the strings does the bow work on the uke?
The ukulele is actually tuned identically to the guitars of Renaissance Period Europe (nowadays historically referred to as Renaissance Guitars). I'm not entirely sure why, but it may have to do with the fact that the ukulele is a product of cultural mixing between native Hawaiians and Portuguese immigrants, and maybe the Portuguese European heritage influenced the tuning of the instrument, since the Portuguese rajao is tuned very similarly.
Anyways, I can understand why one of the strings being higher than one would expect can be weird if you are used to a linear instrument like a violin. Instruments tuned in a re-entrant pattern are specialized for strumming more so than they would be if they had a linear tuning. That re-entry brings the notes of a chord closer together and can fill it out a bit more. It gives chords a very close voicing that other instruments can't quite do. Of course, whether or not you like it is up to personal preference. A lot of players actually like to replace their fourth string with a lower one to make it linear. The ukulele isn't the only instrument with a re-entrant tuning, it's just probably the most popular one. Others are the banjo, guitarron, vihuela, charango, cak, cuk, and more.
Also please don't call it a toy. You probably don't mean it as an insult but it is one, and it's pretty much been happening since the 1880s (the ukulele was developed in the late 1870s) and even then it was a pretty sensitive topic. It'd be like calling the sitar or digeridoo a toy.
That's interesting to know! And I think it sometimes sounds like a toy instrument, although it isn't. I like to experiment with different tunings. 🙂
@@MarijkeViolin it only sounds like a toy when people play it like one and play it badly. When people play it properly it's an amazing instrument.
Grand Daughter is thinking about taking violin in middle school concert band next year. Would learning her ukulele this summer make learning the violin easier next year?
so if I play a Mandolin I should have a good foundation to play a Violin?
Anyone know of any good unwound low g strings? I don’t like the tin-like sounds of the wound strings.
where can i get a tuner like yours?
When you play a fretted instrument and you are getting a buzz or unwanted vibration.....try making sure your fingers are as close to the fret without touching it. I noticed that you are towards the middle between two frets which will make it much easier to buzz. The other way to reduce the problem is to work on a lighter touch in your strumming especially on the lower tuned strings. I'm sure you students love the music and your singing, keep up the love in all you do (-:
Thanks a lot! And good tips!
@@MarijkeViolin Ehm, why not adjust the action first, and use these very very very subtle tips later?! This is like, play so quiet that noboby hears you, then you have no buzz either. That is crazy.
@@MarijkeViolin Sorry hoor, ben Nederlander en wat directer dan die rare Mark. Je actie van die andere snaren moet wat omhoog en je moet echt niet zachter gaan spelen. Daar schiet je toch geen moer mee op? Wat denken ze wel? Andere snaren vragen om een iets andere afstelling, zo raar is dat niet. Echt, zoek even iemand die je helpt, op internet bemoeit iedereen zich ermee en lang niet iedereen snapt echt wat je probleem is. Die Mark komt met tips om een heel klein beetje buzz te voorkomen, maar is dat wel genoeg? Hij schrijft geen woord over de actie iets verhogen, wat ik dan weer zorgelijk vind. Snap je dat? Hé, succes ermee. Ik vind het jammer dat je toch weer naar lichtere snaren bent terug gegaan. Misschien had het wel gekund. Hoe dan ook, dit gedoe hoort wel bij wat nieuws proberen. Gaaf dat je dat intussen wel doet. Mooi om te zien en het inspireert echt. Dank je wel.
If your strings are buzzing you need to get it set up by a Luthier, it sounds like you need the frets leveled
Nah it's just the wound string, they like to buzz. Typically ukes are setup with pretty close action, and wound strings are less tensioned and thinner than normal strings, and they also have a bit of extra space in the nut. You can even see in the video how much the string moves compared to typical ones.
The string buzz might be fixed by a good set-up. The bridge or nut might need some adjustment, or frets need work. Also, a standard low G tuning is worth a try. The ukulele world includes hi g and low g players, coexisting happily.
Keep up the uke videos! It’s underestimated, but a real musical instrument nonetheless
I changed back to a regular set with a low G after finishing this video and I really like it! The buzzing is almost gone too. Turned out I didn't put my fingers close enough to the frets.
So I'm guessing it should go from thick to thinest when you're placing the strings on the ukulele? GDAE. G being the thickest
Tuning in 5ths probably increases the harmonics for a richer sound.
Lovely. Sounds similar to a baritone uke, but then U would need to learn chords similar to guitar. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it sounds fuller. It does miss a bit of that sparkle though.
Just look up mandolin chords...
I am curius to know. how to play ukulele chords to violen. or convert ukulele chords into violen chords. I will appreciate it very much if you answer my inquiry.😊
can i tune my gcea strings to become these? or do i have to buy a whole new pair of strings
New strings. On the other hand, I'm not completely happy with the low G strings. Maybe think of the Uke as a 3 string instrument when playing different types of music.
The buzzing is probably due to the differences in string sizes not bad technique. You will need the get the bridge and the nut filed at a guitar repair shop to increase the size of the space.
Good point, but I switched back to regular strings already and the buzzing is gone.
Adjust your action. Jezus, if you play a guitar like instrument, you ought to know what buzzing and action is. It is not rocket science. What a bummer you gave up, instead of solving the problem. Duh!
@@MarijkeViolin Sorry dat ik niet vriendelijk bleef. Dat zoemen komt gewoon doordat die andere snaren wat meer trillen, dan raken ze een fret. De oplossing is, om de nek wat minder spanning te geven of de brug wat te verhogen of het zadel (the nut) wat te verhogen of de fretten wat af te vijlen. Meestal is de eerste oplossing al genoeg, gewoon de truss rod een pietsje losser draaien, tot het buzzen weg is. Wéét je dat nog niet? Maar je hebt toch een ukelele? O nee, dat is weer onaardig. Maar zoek liever iemand die er wel verstand van heeft, om die Aquila snaren van dat buzje af te helpen. Te vroeg opgeven is doodzonde. Sorry hoor, hoe slim ben jij eigenlijk? O nee, lief blijven....
I've just watched this video for the third time in a few days, so it's obviously very relevant to my current interests :but shouldn't the title be:
"I tuned my ukelele like a viola" (/mandola/jazz tenor banjo)?
I didn't notice before because I was deciding which fifths tuning I wanted and was (understandably) confused. I now know it's both :-) Oh dear, that wasn't the plan.
I learned today that some Irish banjo players use a CGDA tenor banjo with a capo at fret 2 to give DAE(B), like a violin shifted a string left, instead of Irish Tenor tuning GDAE. The idea of 5ths being a grid instead of 'a linear circle' was new to me.
I like the idea that the classic 'Old Time' combination of banjo and fiddle could be approximated by a soprano uke in GDAE and a concert banjolele in CGDA. You don't have to tell your students you're training them to be in a string quartet (yet.)
I've also noticed there is a channel (and associated paid forum) on Bluegrass ukelele.
Can you use this ukelele tuning to help you learn music on the violin? Have you tried that?
Try taking a 5ths set of strings and tuning in 4ths. GCFA# I went to this after trying 5ths. Too many reaches in 5ths.
I thought the new strings and tuning would match a viola and not violin, but maybe I got confused.
I tried this & it unwound the knots in the strings, & then broke one, and then the tension pulled the bridge off the top.
I assumed a uke would have been the same tuning anyway; like a mandolin or tenor banjo.
Nope. That's why I considered getting a mandolin. But I was put off a bit by it having all steel strings, didn't seem very comfortable.
Get yourself a nice mandolin and have some real fun!
You may need to get the bridge adjusted to stop your uke buzzing and that's not easy on a uke - mandolin bridges are usually floating and fully height adjustable; uke bridges are usually fixed.
I like the sound of the mandolin, but I'm afraid it would end up in a corner. 😅
@@MarijkeViolin Ah. That would be a shame. Some years ago I lent one of my mandolins to a violin playing friend, and he just loved it. Of course, there was no new fingering to learn, just how to play with a plectrum instead of a bow. He went and bought himself one.
O! You’re a better violinist than Uke player lmao, I genuinely didn’t see the name of your channel and was just wonder why you’re abusing that uke so hard and then you actually played the violin haha. Fair enough.
Okay okay i give up u so funny i will subscribe 🤣 btw iam a music teacher also xD
Haha, nice to hear, thanks! And cool!
You're doing your students a disservice by depriving them of experiencing a mandolin.
Violele (violin ukulele) or mandolele (mandolin ukulele).
I am a violinist and I am good at playing ukulele on the violin
Hi!! You’re amazing... Im really motivated by your videos so thanks alot for that... Im a beginner and i have a lil problem with my violin so just want the solution from you...
The end pin which is on the back side which is used for the grip of tailpiece is really hurting my collarbone so badly then what’s the solution for that...
Thank you so much for your compliment! ☺️🎻❤️
About the endpin: can I assume you are playing without a shoulder rest? I do use one and the endpin lightly touches my neck, but it isn't even close to my collarbone. Maybe you hold the violin too close to your body? It's okay if there's a little space between your chest/neck and the violin. If you do use a shoulder rest, you could adjust it and make it higher so the violin will be higher too and the endpin doesn't touch your collarbone anymore. A last option could be to put a cloth on your neck/chest area, so you'll have a cushion between the violin and your body. Good luck and let me know if it helps. 🙂
@@MarijkeViolin yes im using the shoulder rest but that pin still hurts
@@MarijkeViolin i wish i can show you the picture but here I can’t!
If you want, you can send me a DM on instagram: @marijke.violin
Wish you had been my teacher
Song idea: Final Fantasy 7 Jenova
So its a mandolin witch no doubled strings
Basically, yes. 😛
Why was the previous video you did on this deleted?
I did some more editing later on, and it was uploaded at a lousy time so hardly anyone saw it.
@@MarijkeViolin at the time of day it gets uploaded doesn't matter because when you have followers from all over the globe people will want to watch it when most convenient for them. Don't say hardly anyone saw it. They would have seen it when most suitable for them.
That's partly true. A video is most popular in the first two days after uploading, so publishing just before "prime time" is good for that. It doesn't affect the long-term views, but seeing people actually watch it feels like a reward for the hours of editing I did earlier that week. Over 25% of my audience lives in the USA, so it makes sense to upload at a time when most Americans are on UA-cam.
#violins
#marijkeviolin
I wanted to see if a ukulele could be played with a violin bow but I guess this is as close as it can get…
A violin bow doesn't make any sound on nylon strings, only on metal strings. I tried. 😉
Forget everything, why she is so cute and gorgeous like I wanna marry her. 😳
Maybe the tuning doesn't make sense to you because a ukulele is tuned similar to a guitar. If you were to place a capo at the 5th fret of your guitar and ignore the 2 low strings, you'd play it like a ukulele. In fact, a baritone ukulele is just like a guitar minus the 2 low strings.
A ukulele is actually tuned different than a guitar, except the baritone. A regular uke is tuned GCEA. But violin tuning makes much more sense to me, ofcourse. 😉
@@MarijkeViolin I said it was tuned similarly, not the same. A guitar is tuned in fourths except the major third between the G and the B string. A ukulele is tuned in fourths except the major third between the C and the E string ignoring the fact that the G is tuned an octave higher. I prefer my ukulele with a low G anyway, but both sound nice. I know violins, violas, cellos, and mandolins are all tuned in fifths, so it makes sense you prefer that being a violinist.
I tuned my violin just now and the string broke 😭
Were you trying to tune your violin like a ukulele or something? Anyway, you can simply buy a new string, or a whole new set if your strings were pretty old already.
@@MarijkeViolin I just tired tuning myself according to my own instincts 😢 and we just changed to a new string :( it was the E string that broke
I would advice to always use a tuner when tuning. And luckily, E strings are cheap. 🙂
@@kevinchu8085 same
@@maiadelcid2570 Good luck. Ah, when my electric bass string broke (I made a kink myself, oops) it was between the nut and the tuning machine, so I could make a knot. Such a string is not cheap, and it sounds good enough, now. Did your string break near the tuning mechanism? Then maybe you can make a knot for very slick ropes! Knots are weak spots in a string, it will break again at your knot, so, do a lot of twisting and you might be lucky. No, a new string is better, but when the knot is no problem, you can try.
actually that's called mandolin:)
Also its buzzy cause you're on the fret wrong
That’ll be a mandolin then
It's more like a tenor mandola or a viola with this tuning.
I've just done this and I'm playing cello music one octave above a cello. I'm calling it my pocket cello or a ukuola.
Much fun.
:-)
Thats already the same chord with mandolin.
Its a mandouke
You were doing fine til you mentioned chords
I don't want to be mean but for a music teacher you don't know much about instrument.First ukulele don't have a truss rod so you will bend the neck with steal strings.Second that tuning is atrocious don't you ear the fret buzz and third its a uke not a toy or a violin you are insulting the hawaiian culture.
I don't want to accuse you of not being able to read, but my channel description says I'm an adult beginner violinist and not a music teacher. 😏
And no, I'm not insulting the Hawaiian culture, I experimented with mixing up two instruments that I both like because I think it's fun and interesting.
@@MarijkeViolin At the beginning of this video you say that you are a teacher but anyway not important.
Yes, a school teacher. 🙂
Low G ukes > high G any day
Sorry Honey, but you’re doing nothing original here. Just get a mandolin (many electrics are single-strung) and use an instrument designed for that tuning, instead of stressing the neck of your uke unnecessarily. I’m getting really sick of people on UA-cam tuning their instruments incorrectly and thinking they’ve done something worthwhile. And that goes for these idiots tuning their basses like mandocellos too.