Tenor Ukulele Strings, High G or Low G?, Koolau String comparison 

The High G is the sound we are used to, and gives it more of a traditional Uke sound Low G gives it more of an acoustic guitar sound.

Aaron plays like a dream. What a pleasure to listen, no matter how high or low the G string might be...

Thanks man this helps alot. I'm a college student I work a low paying job and I am a full time college student and when I'm feeling stress I just pick up my ukeule and start meodicaly strumming that bad boy. Your playing makes me want to play more so I can one day be as good as you. Thanks for the info and inspiration.

When I string with a low G I find myself wanting the high. When I string high I want low. Time to buy another Uke.

I literally rewatched this video just to listen to that beautiful ukelele music. Kudos to you man and keep on blessing the world with your music.

That really was the best explanation for the Low G stringing that I've seen. Thanks... very helpful for this Uku beginner.

ohhhh man how sweet sound you're making. it feels like touching my soul.

Brilliant explanation and awesome playing. As a guitar player I'm going for the low G. Thanks for the information 👍

I love ukes... That low G starts to make it less like a "toy"... pardon to anyone who takes offense by that. My main uke is a Tenor, and that low E makes it sort of go the opposite way of the ukulele being thought of as a toy. Even a very nice soprano, always sounds a bit cheap to me (My main instrument is guitar, so maybe that's why). Liking that low G... I think I'm going to have to try that out!

I've just ordered my second uke so that I can have one in standard high G tuning. When I got my first one I went to a low G immediately. I play guitar and felt more comfortable with that setup. I'm now ready to sound more like a uke for certain material to bring back the lovely up and happy sound it produces. It was good to hear how the high G lends itself to other uses too like the banjo style. Can't wait to get started.

I am with you. I keep one of each on my tenor acoustics for whatever mood I am in. I keep a high G on the banjo ukulele also. It works out better. I keep a low G on my nylon string semi-hollow electric as well. Thanks for all your tips.

Great demonstration, and you play with such ease and fluidity. I'm 56 and just started playing the ukulele. If I live to be 100, may I at least be able to play half as well! Mahalo!

Way to make me feel like a crayon eater, Aaron! Well done.

I never new there was a low g option, As a guitar playing the low g seems the way to go but i dont want to loose the classic uke sound when strumming. The high g only weirds me out when im soloing and go up to that high g and feels like im at the bottom string. thanks for the video really cleared things up!

Wow, you are one fabulous player!! Mahalo nui loa!

@jlaci You can use a D string from a Classical set. Usually a .032

this is incredibly informative. Thanks much for making this video! I finally get it.

Aaron, "I love all of your playing" My brother, "you are the Man" . Thank you bro!

I just got a tenor for Christmas and I love it. I also just ordered a Kala Ubass... Can't wait to get it. I am a bass player.

Thanks for the helpful info Aaron! Great playing as well.

Really helpful, thanks for uploading!

I'm using the strings that came new and fitted to my Tenor. I'm used to 45 to 105 on my bass but these this are hard work. I can spend 20 minutes trying and then just get bored and go play bass!

Mahalos for sharing braddah…love dat low G sound!

Can you tune a tenor to DGBE ..? or EADG..? I want basically a small nylon string guitar to practice on and to fill the high notes that a standard classical guitar can't hit very well. I've only practied standard guitar tuning, so traditional ukulele tunings will be really difficult.

@marusoako i know this wasn't directed at me but i'm pretty sure he isn't using steel strings, and with all ukuleles that are strung with nylon originally they shouldn't ever be strung with steel because they just can't take the tension. hope this is relevant.

This was super helpful in deciding which I wanted. Thanks!

Thanks Aaron, Great tips! Do you have more? Lessons? Thanks Bruce

I just strung my new Lanikai tenor with low g and I love it. I enjoyed your fingerpicking demos and I understand this tuning is also suited to jazz. Can you recommend any good tutorials / books for low g fingerpicking?

Love the videos, really informative and man can you play! Keep them coming!

So amazing at playing lol. Blown away the whole time!

Very nice description. I just ordered the Oscar Schmidt tenor from Amazon. Have any idea if it comes with that low g from the factory? I know I can restring with new ones but just wondered I mainly will use it to play for the Wife while she relaxes, so that low g is more mellow.

We just need and over learn vid showing the tuning of a Tenor with Both H and Low G and repeating the tuning over several times so we can settle and just follow easily! Playing tunes don't help us novices to tune our Uks! Thank you!

@Plocky241 If you have a guitar store near that sells singles, get a D string .032 usually from a CLASSICAL set, not steel. or get a whole new set of tenor low g, Thanks!

If i buy a tenor ukulele and want to have both low and high G, can't I just buy 2 packs of strings and replace them whenever I want?

you make it seem so easy in ALL of your freakin videos

I play mainly melodies so I find low G is good for this

Hi! I was a little confused on something and could you please educate me on something?? I recently fell in love with a model of a baritone ukulele (Mitchell MUB70S Baritone Ukulele Natural to be exact) and it was tuned GCEA just like a concert ukulele. I am very confused on tuning and wondering if I would be able to tune the baritone ukulele DGBE, but like concert or tenor.

I play low G to get fuller sounding chords as well as access to more notes.

good...knowledgeable...thanks...you make a big difference on line...

Aaron, I love your playing! Do you teach on the online or via Skype etc.?

Question, are the chords different for Low G Ukulele's compared to High G? or are they the same chords for both>/??? I am new to instruments in general and learning everyday, I bet it sounds like a dumb question to you all though:(

As usual, well played and very informative! :-)

Thanks a lot for this comparison. I'm playing high G so far, but I could give low G a chance:o)

these damn things sound sooooo good!

i am looking to buy a tenor under 150. do you have any recommendations?

Love that low G sound

Very cool!

Is it true that Israel “Iz” Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole played with a Tenor and he had it tuned to a low G?

This guy is the next Troy Fernandez

hi sir, what brand is your strings ? sounds really like guitar

Is going from high to low G a steep learning curve? Wondering to what degree I will be losing the tunes I have already learned. Any advice?

Can a ukulele be strung with either a low or high g string? Or does an instrument need to be purchased as a high or low string?

ohh man long time no see!

A ukelele hero! Da kine, bro…!

Hi I ordered a ukulele not knowing it came with a low G string I still don’t know how to tune the low G string what is an Octave down is it - 50 on a ukulele setting on a clip on tuner or is it a G or G3 on the guitar setting on a clip on tuner im so confused

very nice, very helpful and many thanks

very helpful！

Hi! I have a standard Ukulele (high G) and sometimes I wanna do a Low G. I tried tuning my Ukulele but I can't seem to reach that Low G. Do I need a different string or a whole different ukulele? (I use the nylon one)

Mauuruuru no teie rui pehe. --- Thanks for this video from Tahiti. We have only one man built Ukulele like Hawaiian Ukes call AMARU Raymond. Hope i can buy about 5 or 6 Ukes. You have excellent Techniques ..........THANKS VERY MUCH

How do you move your fingers like that I could never

Arron can you answer this? I want to learn to play. I play piano and I definitely can not sing 😂 problem is I am left handed BUT right hand dominate. I bowl, bat, and shoot guns with my right hand. I write, draw and clean with my left 🤦‍♀️ should I just buy the right handed uke? And if it doesn’t work out can you switch the strings around? Plus now I don’t know if I should go with low or high 😂 I do want something more like a guitar sound. So would I buy the tenor then change the string??

You’re sooo good man ! 🤙

Can you change to a low G and back? Do you need to adjust the nut? And can you put a low G string on a concert uke? I want to play Billie Jean like James Hill, and he plays low G on a tenor. Coulld I play Billie Jean like him on my concert uke? Great video, I learned some new things, lime the banjo roll.

Great video - that banjo roll will serve me well! I just bought a tenor ukulule and it has a wound C. I have seen many with plain Cs - is there a 'correct' stringing method for tenor ukuleles?

I inherited my Uncle's Martin soprano Ukulele. Perfect condition at least.20 years old. Do they make Low g strings for soprano? Should I not even try cuz it might damage the bridge, warp the neck, or whatever? If it might damage it I'd rather just have it on display and not play it... because of the emotional attachment I have for it and my Uncle. I live in Northern California now...So I wouldn't have to worry any more about Island humidity.

does it need to change the string or you just need to adjust the tune/pitch of that string?

Its extremely helpful to talk even while you play instead of just making a 1 minute back to back comparison… 🤦‍♂️

can you use the same string for either tuning or do you need a thinner string for the high G?

hi. what is the tune at 3.18 please? i can play that little bit from listening to you here, but would love to learn the rest. i love and subscribe to all your videos 😊

Am I mistaken or is tuning to the low g make this kind of like a banjo or mandolin tuning?

Hi Aaron,I was wondering what chords are you using on the last little bit of the video at 3:44

I think they should make 2 necks Ukulele, one for High G and the other for low G.

@jlaci different string. if you try to tune down a "high G string" to a low, it would be so loose lol.

Good video, very informative thanks.

I have a Concert Uke and want to try using a Lo G string. I have some sets of Baritone Uke strings with a .35 Silverplated wound string for the D string. Do you think this might do the trick? If not can you make a recommendation on a guage of string that I might try & what material it is made of? I am hoping to at least try to change just the one string for now- If I like I may try a full set.

I have a concert Chateau ukulele and are wondering if i could set a low G on that?

What would you say to putting a low g on a concert? I am looking into the epiphone les paul acoustic electric ukulele, and I plan on completely modifying it. Would a good set of aquillas with a low g sound good on that you think, even though its a concert?

What are the names of the songs you played with the low g string?

Does the nut have to be altered in order to use low G?

Very helpful!

Hello I'm thinking of getting a low g for my uke, but I had a question. Do the chords for a certain song stay the same when you have a low g? Or would I have to learn new chords for the songs I already know and be sure to find low g chords for new songs? Thanks.

do you teach private lessons? and if so where do you teach them?

does one have to make adjustments to the nut or anything when switching between a high G low G....

so i bought ukelele but is not easy as this guy make look. but I will be first Dagestan Ukelele player 100%

I want to install a low G to my tenor uke, what string do I need to buy? Is it one of the strings that usually comes in the pack of strings or does it specify it?? Where can I buy em??

What does it mean if the top 2 strings on my tenor ukulele are some sort of metal? Would it effect the sound if I tuned them to a high or low g?

@ineedanewtubeaccount thanks for the input. just seems the sound is too bright for a nylon. and too shiny looking. anyways, thanks again.

I have a Kanile’a Tenor Uke, and currently have the lower g tuning. I tried to turn the peg to a high G, but I am afraid I might break the string. Please help!!

@profhoneycat a 32

Thanks for this vid! If I tune to low G would I still be able to follow tutorials where people are using reentrant tuning?

What are the chords in low and high g?! My ukulele is tuned in low I think... Gcea... How I can tune my ukulele in high g?

still same chords or it changes?

Aaron, are you using steel strings?

Does anyone know what tuning Jake Shimabukuro uses?

what's that song at 3:15?

what would happen i i tuned a low g string to high g? would it break?

Your just showing off now....

Cool

are all the strings retuned or just the G?

I am new to Ukulele. I just cannot work out how to tune my Tenor Ukulele. The High G scares me as I have to keep winding it so much. It's either scary tight or too lose a unplayable. I just cannot get it to G?