Jazz ukuele

[clarky clarke]

I'd like to know more about the Jazz ukulele,tuning,strings,and chords.

[Stackabones]

Three basic sizes ... soprano, tenor and baritone. And there a little extras like concert soprano and things like that. Soprano uke uses C G E A tuning, which is a re-entrant tuning: the C is higher than the G. Tenor can use the soprano tuning, but it usually uses GCEA ... which can be re-entrant but often a low-G tuning is used. Baritone is just tuned just like the guitar's top four strings, DGBE; it doesn't sound very uke like at all to me.

Lyle Ritz is the uke jazz master. Also look out for Roy Smeck. And, of course of course, Jake -- who is just a monster player.

Google will find you vids, tunings, etc.

Here's a mixed bag of a bunch of different tunes ...
Alligator Boogaloo presents UKULELE BOOGALOO!

[mr. beaumont]

lyle ritz often uses re-entrant dGBE tuning when playing tenor--so like the top four strings on a guitar, but the D is up an octave (unison with the D at the third fret on the B string) his albums "how about uke?" and "50th state jazz" are excellent.

check out this site for a wealth of info Ukulele Music Lovers and Ukulele Players Love Flea Market Music and Jim Beloff, offering ukulele players a community, books on the ukulele, ukulele CDs and the FLUKE ukulele.

it's a damn fun instrument to get into. i bought my tenor a few years back and i spend a lot of time over the summers strumming thru standards on my uke.

[clarky clarke]

Thanks Folks
I'm a Stand up Comic and coming from Lancashire I can do a very good George Fornby take off,I've always played the songs on guitar but so many people want me to play them on the ukulele banjo I thought I'd have a go.
I would like to do this
1 tune a tenor ukulele to the top 4 strings of the guitar with a octave up D string,what strings do I use to get a good sound.
2 tune a tenor banjo to the same tuning,can I use nylon strings on the tenor banjo ,what strings can I use
3 Play standards on the tenor ukulele and banjo and fun songs on the little ukulele banjo .
It's knowing what strings to use that would have a good tension and sound.

[clarky clarke]

I love playing this Tenor Uke I've tuned it to the top four strings of the guitar with an high D.I don't use a pick I use my Thumb and first finger.It's great fun to play. I tuned a Tenor banjo the same way, to get the string tension right I mucked about with a few nylon strings and for the G string I used the nylon cord from my garden strimmer,it gives a good sound.
Playing this way with four nylon strings has changed the way I think about the Guitar, the subtle harmonics that hit the air when nylon strings are plucked are wonderful.The Gypsys do great things with 3 note chords on the Guitar I'm using some of them on the uke.It's just good fun,find a shady place in the garden,get a pack of beers, watch the wife cleaning the car and strum Deep Purple on the uke, Heaven.