yea, I came hoping for talk about string gauges. Not surprised that tuning down 5 half steps sounds flabby like a cigar box with rubber bands. Really needs to go up in string gauge so that roughly the same tension is found in the lower tuning. (absolutely don't tune up to AECGDA once you have those beefy strings on!)
I recommend to do like this. Its incredible if you try moving the strings up one place, and will feel a normal tension on strings. Try it! 'I took off all the strings, and set the high A string aside. I put the E string first, the C string second, and so on. I tune the C string to B, and get a fresh low E string from a classical guitar set, and tune that to E on the 6th spot. Lo and behold, a nice sounding eadgbe tuning on the guitalele, and all the strings except number 6 are at or very near normal tension.'
I gave this a try, and I can confirm that this does in fact work! Thank you! Now my guitalele is the perfect travel guitar (which is why I bought a guitalele in the first place)
It’s actually really obvious this would work, seeing as the guitalele tuning (minus the high A string) is technically the same tuning of the first 5 strings of a standard guitar, but with the B string raised up to a C.
Have you tried getting a high tension set? Agustin or Savarez high tension. I recommend those because they are thinner, meaning brighter(to compensate). Btw in nylon strings, thicker doesn't mean more tension it's more related to tone.
Did you tune the 6th down to E or up to E? I tried it with a second sixth string (as described here) but with it tuned down to E I got the same floppy and (worse still) buzzing that he got in the clip, however with it tuned up to the next E, while it did sound a lot better I was worried that the tension would wreck my guitalele!
Sometimes in life we don't realise how much our actions influence the lives of others... Your decision to share this trick in a comment three years ago is having a big impact on my life because now for the first time my guitalele sounds like a proper guitar and I will be taking it with me on a long long backpacking journey. I've been looking for this solution for 10 years. Wow. All the music moments that will happen on this journey because I will have this guitar with me thanks to your comment. Seriously, I was about to sell the guitalele thinking it's not really a travel guitar. It is now. Especially with a piezo pickup, it sounds wild on an amplifier with distortion effects. Thank you Fernando! I cannot insist enough on the positive impact of your comment on my life. All the best
He’s right about using the same strings as guitarlele comes with. Now there are special strings made for tuning the guitarlele like a guitar. These have the tension you would experience with a regular guitar. Search the internet for these strings.
To do a proper modification for this. You'd need to loosen the truss rod to compensate if you use the same strings to reduce some rattling. The alternative is to use regular guitar strings. Then you need to adjust the intonation using either options. I have several guitars I've adjusted into baritone guitars both using the same string method or baritone string method.
Depending on scale length, may work better with 1/4 guitar strings. In all these guilele videos or listings, scale & total length listing would be helpful.
Oh, c'mon, really? Of course if you're going to change the tuning you need to change to proper strings for the job. I bought a baritone Guitalele two months ago, which came tuned E-E, still I replaced them with new Hannabach guitar strings (lowest tension) and they're FABULOUS! Clear, and perfect tension. ...perhaps you might want to give that a go, because you're really missing out, if you want guitar sound but the uke is where your heart is, the Bari Guitalele is absolute perfection.
I completely agree with MB. I have a Lanikai guitelele (18 5/8" scale) strung with Hannabach 1/8 size strings tuned E to E and it plays and sounds great!
@@slingwingthing yes, that's them, thanks, couldn't remember the size. Cheers. I'm actually so impressed with the sound and comfort of that Hannabach brand, I can't see switching to another anytime soon.
@@thebandplayedon..6145 Cheers! I've also tried LaBella and Savarez fractional string sets. They weren't "bad", but the Hannabach are definitely the best.
@@fabiotrentin253 the brand is called Hannabach you want the low tension pack as they are technically guitar strings- so use at your own risk, though that said mine have worked great, lasted well and did no damage to my guitalele. I got them from a company called STRING BY MAIL ...not cheap but good service and they have techs you can call and talk to bout what you are looking for.. 18 5/8 " scale for mine but measure your uke to be sure. Good luck, hope they work for you. Happy Playing 🙂
Terry, there are a number of ways to get standard tuning on a guitalele. You appear to be using a 17" scale, so you just need much higher tension strings. On a 21" or 23" guitalele, it's even easier. In any case, it can be done, and without the floppiness you are demonstrating. I'm surprised that a "pro" teacher doesn't know this.
Hi, could u help me out please? I bought a guitarlele but I have no idea how to start learning it. There aren't really guitarlele beginner tutorials on RU-vid. I am not experienced with any other string instruments either.
@@eeshanade8245 learn the basic chords first. Slowly learn to rearrange them, not quickly, there will be many mistakes. Take a song that you like, preferably in a simpler way, find a lesson on RU-vid and slowly learn to play purely. after a while, when you are easy to play, start singing. do the chants. Little by little you will learn
i’ve never played a guitarlele and i picked up my brothers last night. i just played around on it and tried tuning it bc it was so out of tune (i play ukulele and guitar so i have a feel on how to tune). but i tuned it and it turned into this aesthetic jazzy sound and i really like it
Hi Terry I actually put E to e strings on my Koaloha Guitarlele this week..the tension was more than tuning yours down..however it was the same sloppy result..lesson learned the Pepe Romero Guitarlele strings are back.on and sounding great again..great timely post🙏
I tuned my guitalele with the app guitar tuner and for mi it sounds fine, I think that tune the guitalele up not down is better, and my guitalele works fine with it that extra tension.
You can have a luthier set it up for that tuning with strings in gauge that will work better in that set up. I bought my Guitarlele tuned like a guitar. I have not decided yet if I want to spend money to put it back to A standard tuning. Great video!!
Terry!!! There is another video on RU-vid where I believe a Brazilian guitar/uke player does the standard guitar tuning. He mentioned that the strings are loose, so he replaces the strings, I believe he mentioned using a travel guitar set so there is increased tension on the strings. Part of his video was very hard to understand for me, but I think it may be useful for to look into! =)
i have seen some people in forums say if you buy different (child) guitar strings then it produces a better sound with less slack. i am curious about this.. wondering if perhaps you could do a video on that ? strings that were reccomended were hannabach kinder guitar strings 1/8 size (44-48cm) 890MT full set. i love how in depth your videos are and as a person who is switching from the UKE to the guitalele i am so thankful to be finding your channel.
You should look at tuning the C string to B and having basically a mini 7 string with a high A string and no Low E string (ADGCEA->ADGBEA). You basically just play the top five strings like a regular guitar without its low E string. Its an easy alternate tuning since you only retune one string and it's not going to risk breaking the string or sounding out of tune since it's only one string down a half step. You can even switch back and forth between tunings pretty easy if you like both ways of playing. It won't sound perfect since sometimes you need that low E string but its a good close-to-guitar type tuning.
the reason why this is a failure it's because you didn't use proper E tuning guitalele strings, you can't just lower the tuning by 5 semitones and not change the strings. There are strings specifically made to be tuned in E on a short scale guitalele so they have the proper tension. Aquila makes them.
i tuned my glele to the same tuning as if you had a capo on the first fret on a guitar that way the tension is still playable and its pretty close to standard tuning
If you're gonna tune it down that much check a tension calculator first and there might be a nylon string set out there with heavy enough guage strings to be at almost the samel tension to the lighter set of strings that were tuned to A
Basically the scale length on your Guitalele is to short for those strings by, to put it simply, five frets. You could do it with a set of strings of different gauges but it's never really going to sound right really. It is similar with low G on an Ukulele. It's fine on a Tenor but not so great on a concert because of the shorter scale length so if you want that concert Uke timbre but low G, you get a long neck concert. The longer scale it affords means the strings aren't flabby but the smaller body keeps that punchy sound/timbre. If you want a small instrument that plays in the same register as a guitar they are available. They're called Guitars. 😁
@@aung1406 I know the standard guitarlele tining is A to A (ADGCEA). Here I was saying if I wanted to change its tuning to be like a guitar, which is E to E (EADGBE), I can’t just tune down the ADGCEA string set and expect them to be very effective. Rather, I need to put on a new set of strings, designed to fit the shorter scale length of a guitarlele, but can still be tune EADGBE like a guitar. Personally, I had not heard of A toE tuning before, so I don’t know if it’s a special tuning for another specific style or something. Yet again, my old comment was made 10 months ago based on what I’d heard of about nylon strings. Since then, I have come across an instrument called the Ibanez Piccolo Guitar, which, by the look of it, is basically a guitarlele, with the size of a tenor ukulele, but has a 6-string nut and bridge like the guitar, has a truss rod, and takes steel strings. And it has a position marker on the 9th fred like the guitar, rather than on the 10th fred like the ukuleles and guitarleles. This piccolo guitar’s instructions recommended tuning it to ADGCEA, but my particular instrument came intuned in EADGBE. I think it just has guitar strings in it. In what gauges I don’t remember right now, but I believe they are the gauges as advertised by Ibanez. I am still getting to know this instrument, but have kept it in the E to E tuning so far, and have experimented how it might work as a 1/4 sized guitar. I do find though that the nut width of this Ibanez piccolo guitar is a bit narrow for me (36mm, if I remember correctly, for 6 strings, even though they are steel.) I’ll play with it more for now, and if it doesn’t maintain its E to E tuning later on, I’ll tune it up to ADGCEA. I love its sound from the steel string though, much louder and punchier than nylon strings, even though this is an all laminate instrument.
@@aidanhodgemusic9270 Actually normal guitar strings won’t work for guitarlele. It would require strings that suit the tenor ukulele scale length, but able to be tuned E to E.
I'm curious about why you made the change from the standard guitalele A tuning (ADGCEA) to AECGDA. As a uke player, I would be partial to the former, if only because I already know the chord shapes on the lower four strings.
Terry didn't change to AECGDA, he simply mentioned the string notes from "bottom to top" (higher to lower) instead of the usual lower to higher. I think stringing it the opposite way (AECGDA) would work for a left-handed player, though.
You need to use different strings to be able to tune down. It might still not sound good though…it depends on the particular instrument, and the resonances, etc. you might try just a single half tone down though. maybe a whole tone even.
I have a video on how to tune guitalele properly to EBGDAE and which strings will work. Of course, if you detune low-tension nylon to E, strum at the 12th fret which gives the most nasal sound even on guitar, and also crank the volume up so it's clipping, then it sounds like garbage. Choose the correct strings, adjust the volume, use a mic instead of that piezo pickup, use guitar technique and it will sound great!
I tried tuning a friend's Yamaha GL1 guitalele E to E with the factory-installed strings, and the _intonation_ was so bad that it was just about impossible to play (or listen to). I tuned it properly and then it was perfectly fine.
Hi im confused i thought a guitalele was tuned A D G C EA 4 Strings like the UKULELE I have a ORTEGA RGL5, 3 strings steel wound, 3 nylon all aquila thanks terry.
Hey Terry, I am confused, you said a Guitalele was tuned to AECGDA, I thought it was ADGCEA? You also said a Guitar is tuned to EBGDAE, i thought it was tuned to EADGBE? Where am I wrong? Maybe I am just missing something? I enjoy your videos...Thanks.
Guitarleles are normally tuned A to A (A-D-G-C-E-A). You should be able to tun up to C# whihc is only a minor 3rd away from A. If you feel the tension getting too tight then stop.
i just bought one guitarlele. now i am confused that should i change it to guitar from the string changes. if so why i don not buy a 1-8 guitar? But i don not know how to play guitarlele. i feel so complicated
Hello, thank you for this video, now i know that its impossible to tune the guitalele like guitar with its own strings, but thats okay, i will now see this guitalele as a single/new instrument, actually i am a newbie, not a guitar player not a ukelele player also, just want to know some new hobby... and i am so so slow at learning , but i will try,, but also with your help,,, could you teach how to strum? the guitalele? can you teach atleast the easiest possible song to play ? pleaseeeee
Hawaii Music Supply recommended the Córdoba Mini E to E strings to me and I have them but haven’t tried them ... would be a good experiment. I’ll let you know how they sound when I get around to changing them over.
The scale is too short for that tuning. At 21", 1/2 classical guitar has a longer scale than a guitalele (17") and even that guitar type needs special strings if you want to use standard guitar tuning. In that case, it makes sense because the 1/2 guitar is meant to be preliminary instrument for children aged 5-9. That way, you don't have to learn new chord shapes if you upgrade to a 3/4 or full-size guitar. But guitalele, I think, is meant to be a quirky hybrid instrument for people who are already with familiar with either the ukulele, the guitar, or both.
Hi, I got good info from you on Guitarlele from you and thanks to you for the same. You say that if we lower the strings 4 tones on the guitarlele to sound like a guitar. It sounds very low and the strings are very flabby / lose and hence do not sound right. So how about loading gut / nylon strings of a guitar on to a guitarlele? will have to shorten the strings by cutting them off. Would love to hear from you.
Yuck sounds too dull.. A to A is the JuicyJuicy way ! The Highs and the Lows of the A To A tuning of the guitarlele are outstanding! I performed at an open mic last night and I stood because in the land of many guitars I had the only guitarlele! I was asked many questions about my guitarlele. My friend Stephen asked to see it to see if he could play stand by me on it. I said just play stand by me like you would on a guitar in the key of G. Well he opened up the night with him.playing stand by me and I'm into something good on my guitarlele and he was a BIG HIT! then I went next abd played two songs one on guitarlele and one on my baritone ukulele Big Earl which I got from you last year! Anyways! G Nation and B Nation are rising quickly! Thank you!
Why don't you try different strings? I appreciate the ones you tuned were too floppy, and I could clearly see that as you played. My strings don't seem as floppy, and I tuned mine (Yamaha Guitalele) to EADGBE because I also have a full size classical and I bought the yamaha for playing in bed as I'm disabled. I get a lot of fun and practice this way. Please try again, as I would love to hear you play at your skill level, whereas I am very much a learner rather than a player so far. Thank you for all the quality videos you put up. Blessings!
Jimmy, thank you for this info. I've just ordered yamaha guitarlele and I'm looking forward to try it! I want to use it to practice guitar playing in travel. Hope it will work as yours does :) Otherwise I'll be tuning it in A. Good luck in learning!
Ty I did try that and regreted it. So I guess I'm was trying to find out because guitar Tuna my favorite app/easy 2use, and I couldn't find a search for more because their choices did not have gets laid late tuning anyway anyway I'll figure it out I'm just gonna keep turning it up to the high a hopefully it will break blah blah blah blah too much info sorry just find all the strings sound there so on the high a it wouldn't register and I was afraid if I kept going it would break the string and that is like A bad day For the baby.
Why would anyone seriously detune an instrument that is designed to be tuned to a certain pitch to sound like a different instrument and destroy the characteristics of the instrument? Conversely, I would never play my guitar with the capo constantly on the 5th fret just so it sounded like a Ukulele. I thought the whole idea of a Guitalele was to be a hybrid instrument with it's own unique sound. Would anyone buy a hybrid car then remove the electric battery just so it ran like a petrol car? Great video Terry and very informative. Thank you.
Nah, ratios are multiplicative, every semitone has a frequency close to 1.06 (exactly 2^1/12) times higher than the one before. Every fret "shortens" the guitar arm by that factor compared to the fret before. So it doesnt matter the tunning, every next half step will always be tuned.
He's using the wrong strings for the job. The strings that work best for me, tuned E to E, are the Hannabach Series 890 44-48cm for 1/8 Children Classic Guitar. There are others that do the job as well.
If you play alone it shouldn't matter if you leave it ADCGEA instead of EADGHE. The tuning is in quarts, just like a guitar. Just play sheet music or tabs like would play on a guitar. Tuned down those strings sound very "washy".
This is so helpful, thank you! A guitarlele Is the perfect size for traveling but having all 6 strings, but I don't want to learn all new chords :( So good to know that it doesn't sound good tuned like a guitar haha, I'll stick to guitar and ukulele as separate instruments!
This isn't a helpful video. You *can* tune these instruments the same as guitar, but you need different strings. No one in their right mind would tune down a fourth without changing string gauge to accommodate the new tuning.
@@doug604 Hello mr, what strings you used to tune the guitarlele like a guitar? I have a Yamaha gl1 and I would like to tune it like a guitar (E,A,D,G,B,E)
so... im not a "pro" but listing string names from bottom of neck to top (high to low) is weird. Nobody does that. Also curious why you wouldn't you know to replace strings with correct thickness instead of just trying to tune to the pitch with same strings? Video was kind of a dud.
Is this a joke? If you "tune it like a guitar" or generally, if you tune any instrument differently a lot of semitones down or up you OBVIOUSLY ALSO put in the appropriate tension strings...
This is the laziest "experiment" I've ever seen. Of course it's going to sound bad when you tune the strings down a fourth from what they're designed for. Several string brands make sets designed for E-E tuning with PROPER TENSION. There are better videos out there (with a fraction of this one's views, sadly) that answer this same question, except the makers of those videos actually put in the effort.
Oh what happens when i tune my ukulele to eadgbe without changing string gauge? It flaps around, no shit sherlock!! Therefore tuning eadgbe sounds bad. Thats just stupidity has nothing to do with the tuning
