Notes on Ukulele and Music

On Pranab’s site

DRAFT (needs work or removal)

[DRAFT] I want to play the ukulele, but not just that — I want to understand what I’m doing, instead of just pressing my fingers on the strings like a good monkey. So this is an overview of various concepts and things that caught my attention, and I think it might give context to other people as well.

DRAFT:
- might need better organisation,
- less abrupt language
- like, why does it start with piano keys?
because it’s easier to read than ukulele strings?
- better explanation of diagrams

12 notes: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B (# is for “sharp”)

The standard ukulele tuning uses the C major scale (shown in the images). In this arrangement, the ukulele strings (from left to right) are G, C, E, and A (pictured below).

When you press down on a fret, you move the note up by the number of frets. So, the first fret on the G string is G#, the second fret is A, and the third fret is A#. (“Sharps for all, but B and E.” — me)

Learning exercises🔗

Play the first four frets for each string one at a time, with two strums for the fourth fret with the little finger. This is a good way to strengthen the tips of your fingers, and to warm up as well.

First: index;
second: middle;
third: ring;
fourth: little

Focus on short stretches of 10–15 minutes in the beginning. At least once a day.

Tuning🔗

Use any tuning app or website. There’s lots of them, though some are easier to understand and use. UkuTabs seems to have a good one: https://ukutabs.com/ukulele-tuner/

Other options include an instrument, a digital tuner, and ??? See the UkuTabs article

//// potential reasons for including this tuning making the various notes (in c major scale) accessible see in the piano-ukulele diagram, how the high one lands on the g in the octave

“High G”🔗

The G is usually tuned at a higher pitch: two notes higher (later) than the A string (or 3 notes higher than the E string; see ukulele diagram).

The other option is “low G”: tuning the G five notes lower (earlier/deeper) than the C string, for more bass.

This (in the above image) is how the notes map to a sequence on a keyboard, when using “high G” tuning. The G, C, E, and A are marked the same way as in the ukulele diagram.

If you used “low G”, you’d be in a lower octave, off the left side of the diagram, which can have its uses.

Posture🔗

If you’re standing, hold it to your body with the forearm of your strumming hand.

If you’re sitting, you can rest it on your thigh.

Put the thumb of your fretting hand on the back of the fretboard, not hooked around it.

More theory🔗

Chords🔗

Chords are simply a collection of notes played together.

They’re named after the most prominent note in the chord.

Octave (main notes)🔗

8 notes in an octave.

A B C D E F G A

First and last are given the same name, but the last one has twice the frequency of the first one.

Octaves repeat — think “going up an octave”.

Do Re Mi is also an octave. It even repeats the Do.

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do

Starting with C?🔗

Notes start with C instead of A because most western music uses the C major scale, which begins with C. It is also the only major scale that doesn’t have any flats/sharps (maybe).

♯ (sharp) and ♭ (flat)?🔗

Sharps and flats are half notes higher or lower than the main ones. Sharps are a half note higher, and flats are a half note lower. C♯ (C sharp/#) is the same as D♭ (D flat), in terms of the note/finger placement (after C, before D; see the diagrams).

Sharps and flats came about over time as musicians wanted notes just a little bit lower or higher in pitch than the main notes.

All notes but B and E have sharp notes: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

Questions🔗

Questions labelled “Uku” are ukulele specific (as far as I know)

Uku: What’s a suspended chord? Augmented? Dominant? Major? Minor?🔗

Also, what do the numbers mean? Speaking from the UkuTabs chord article. Maybe the numbers are octaves.

Does standard tuning start at the 4th octave? Why?🔗

I’ve seen an example mention C4, which I think means 4th octave, since the final note was C5.

Do notes not come out at lower octaves? Do they sound bad?🔗

Does the 4th octave match the pitch of human voices? Or contrast it with just the right amount (like Goldilocks)?

What is frequency, especially regarding a note/pitch/octave?🔗

If the last note of an octave is twice the frequency of the first, then what does that mean in terms of pitch? I guess higher frequency means higher pitch — a more “pure” and “shrill” sound.

Are notes only differentiated by pitch?🔗

Same for octaves, sharps, flats, and harmonics? Also, does pitch only refer to how “shrill” or deep a sound is? I guess notes are a little more complicated, given the Wikipedia article intro — it says notes include duration.

Why does the scale skip notes in the way that it does?🔗

Why does it require starting key (C), skip key (C#), next key (D), skip key (D#), next key (E), next key (F), and so on? Also, why is it called a “scale”?

Why are flats not required for C and F?🔗

Or, why are sharps not required for B and E? By now those should have developed as well. Is it because the notes sound fine as is? What’s not fine about the others?

What’s a harmonic?🔗

I came across it somewhere while reading up on ukuleles and music on Wikipedia. Something to do with octaves?

Is there a pattern to which notes are prominent in a chord?🔗

Could you figure out the notes in a chord just from the name? Or the name of a chord just from the notes?

Sources🔗

Musical note - Wikipedia

UkuTabs