Tones

There are many different tones that can be coaxed out of an ‘ukulele. Once you learn what kinds of sounds you have to work with, it will take lots of practice to integrate them into your playing.

You might ask: why learn about a few different tones when there are so many notes and other facets of music to work on? Because, you could play the most challenging piece you know perfectly and still not make an impression on the audience. People remember the loud chord after a quiet passage, they remember tone. I personally would be bored listening to someone play song after song at the same volume with the same touch.

The first aspect of tone is volume. Loud is in your face, quiet is not, medium lets the listener choose. What dynamic (volume) to use? The first part of learning dynamics would be to determine what you think is quiet, medium, and loud. So go play a chord as quietly as you can, and then as loudly as you can without breaking the strings, then somewhere in between. The next part is applying them to a song. Pick a favorite song and see if you can spot what parts could use some dynamics. For example, the intro might be soft, the 1st part of the verse might be kind of loud going softer to lead into the loud chorus. From soft to loud, here is what notated dynamics look like: p (piano), mp (mezzo-piano), mf (mezzo-forte), f (forte). You will see these notations in many different combination. This is what makes the song. Pay attention to the volumes of music.

The next part of tone is in the picking location. The ’ukulele already has it’s own timbre, but there is more manipulation that you can do with the strings. Where you pick on the strings really has an effect on the tone. Usually the main “’ukulele” tone is located somewhere between the sound hole and end of the fretboard. There are two other distinct sounds you can get from the picking location. One of them is near the bridge. This sound is in your face and more trebly – kind of like a banjo. The other is close to your fretting hand on the fretboard, this is also trebly, but not so in your face. A kind of “koto” sound.

The “pop” is something that can be used to accent a note. This is used by strat players like Clapton quite often. You pull the string away from the fretboard and let go. This produces a “pop” from the string hitting the fretboard along with the original note.

Palm muting takes the treble away from a note, leaving it (no way!) muted. Notes also don’t ring as long when palm muted, which keeps things sounding tight. To palm mute, place your palm on the bridge with a little bit of it hanging over to mute the strings. The more flesh that is resting on the strings the more muted the note will be. Here’s more: palm muting lesson.

Lastly, the fingers/thumb that you use affects the tone. If you don’t have any fingernails, notes are going to sound more gentle. If you do have nails, your sound will be louder and stronger. Playing with your thumb will also be more full than if you play with your fingers.

Effects and EQing an amplified signal can also change the tone.