Learning

What’s all that Buzz ?

by Stefan Harder

We all know that moment: We play a song on our Ukulele and one of our strings makes a buzzing sound, instead of the desired note. This article will help you to find the reason for that buzz and will show you a way to fix it.

But first we examine our ukulele for reasons, please ask yourself this:

Was it me who made the uke buzz ?

I’m not kidding. Often a string buzzes, when it is not properly fretted.
Make sure your fingers are as close as possible to the fret wires, when you hold a chord or a note.
Ensure that you use the right amount of pressure on the strings, to press them on the fretboard. If you press too lightly, the string may vibrate uncontrollably and cause a buzz.
Do not press too hard either, as that may hurt your fingers.

Don’t let your fingers touch strings that shouldn’t be touched. (This often happens with three finger or barred chords.)

Make sure your fingers are as close as possible to the fret wires, when you hold a chord or a note.
Enyure that you use the right amount of pressure on the strings, to press them on the fretboard.
If you press too lightly, the string may vibrate uncontollably and cause a buzz. Do not press too hard either, as that may hurt your fingers.
Don’t let your fingers touch strings that should not be touched. (This often happens with three finger or barred chords).

Looking at the action

Working our way down the Ukulele, we will check some things on the fretboard and neck. When your strings are buzzing along the fretboard, the height of your strings (aka the action) might be too low.

It could be measured with a (string) ruler at the twelfth fret, cause this is the center of the scale, the middle point between the nut and the saddle. If it is lower than approximately
1 millimeter, the action is too low. A value of more than 2.5 millimeters might indicate too high an action, especially if you find playing barre chords up the fret as uneasy.

Humidity

Also the main cause of those issues may lie in the humidity of the location of where the uke is stored, because the neck may bow or back bow.

Humidity is best between 45% to 55% and a temperature level between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68-77 ^OF). Short time of higher or lower humidity or temperature shouldn’t harm your instrument, but constant deviations surely will. Again, look at our 3^rd issue of the Ukelandia Magazine (https://ukelandiamagazine.com/here-are-the-issues-of-our-magazine/), where we have an article about ukulele and humidity.

Body of the Ukulele

If you still hear a rattling sound, when you shake your ukulele, take a look inside the body (use a flashlight and a mirror or the camera of a mobile device). It may be a loose cable from a pickup or other hardware that has to be fixed or tightened to stop the buzzing. Search the body for small cracks. If you find one, hold your finger on it and strum the Uke to check whether this crack is actually causing the buzzing. Anyway, take your uke to a luthier to get the cracks repaired.
If the buzzing stops, when you put pressure on the saddle or the bridge, then they are loose. This should be fixed by a luthier

How long have the strings been on the Ukulele ?

How long have they been on the Uke?
Have you ever changed them?
Is it time to change them ?

If you’re in doubt of it, lay your pinky under the a-string, right by the soundhole.

Then slide up to the neck. Repeat this of all strings. If you feel any notches on a string, it is time to change them all. If you haven’t done this before, take a look at our 3^rd issue of the Ukelandia Magazine (https://ukelandiamagazine.com/here-are-the-issues-of-our-magazine/), where you will find guided instructions for changing strings.

The headstock

First step: Mute the strings on your instrument and then shake it. If you hear a rattling sound from headstock it is most likely that you have loose hardware on it.

Check if your tuning pegs are loose. If so, tighten their screws. Another issue may be that the gears could be worn and need to be replaced.

Depending on the type of tuners on your ukulele, you might have to tighten screws or nuts, like in the two examples. Be careful with that, “do not screw to tight” especially when you work on the visible side of your instrument.
If you haven’t already trimmed the excessive strings at the tuning pegs, do it now.

Checking the nut

Next we will look at the nut. If your ukulele doesn’t buzz, when you bar an entire fret, but you hear it, when you apply pressure to the strings between the tuning pegs and the nut, then the strings may vibrate inside the nut grooves. This often happens, after installation of a low G string, especially, when you previously had a high G string installed. It may also happen, when you install new strings that have a thicker diameter then the old ones. That is a task you local music store or luthier should handle.

It might be that your nut is too low. Try to fix this with a small strip of paper under the nut, otherwise let a luthier replace the nut.

Here are two examples of strings, running into the grooves of the nut, down to the tuning pegs. Notice, that the grooves are angled downwards to the tuning pegs, so the above ssues won’t occur here.

I hope this article has helped you in your challenge to conquer buzzing strings on your Ukulele. I would appreciate feedback on our website (https://ukelandiamagazine.com) or via email under stefan@ukelandiamagazine.com.

String theory – Or: How to change the strings on my Ukulele

by Stefan Harder

We all know that moment: It’s time to change the strings on the ukulele !
Some accept it and go to work, others fear this moment.
Let me tell you: Don’t fear, I will help you in your struggle and guide you through this. Read the following article and you will be brave enough to change the strings yourself and maybe you are able and willing to take some extra care of your ukulele.

When is the right moment to change the strings?
Obviously, when one of them breaks, you should change them all.

You can check your strings, when you run your little fingers on the back of the strings. If you can feel little notches from the fret wires, then it’s time to change the strings.

What will I cover in this article:
Of course, the process of changing the strings. We will also have a look at different kinds of bridges and I want to give some tips for cleaning and maintaining your Ukulele.

At this point, before you take the old strings off your Ukulele, you might want to take a look at the action (the height of the strings above the fretboard). For this part I refer to my corresponding article about “Lowering the action” in our 3^rd issue of the Ukelandia Magazine (https://ukelandiamagazine.com/). This step is definitely optional and more than a basic task.

What do we need for our task ?

Strings, a tuner, a string winder (optional), cleaning cloth, fretboard oil, a scissor or a pincer.

We don’t have steel strings on the ukulele, but the strings are still under tension and I first loosen the strings a little so that I can take them out of the tuners.

Depending on the type of bridge on your instrument, you pull the strings out of the bridge, the ukulele itself or you cut the knot and the upper side of the bridge to remove the old strings. Let’s have a look after these different types of bridges:

Bridge with pulled through strings

You have to pull the old strings through the sound hole out of the ukulele. Beware of the little rings or beads that are tied to them. You need them to attach the new strings!

Bridge with hooked strings

Just pull the strings out of the holes.

Bridge with knotted strings

Cut the knot or untie the strings.

Caution: The saddle might fall out of your instrument, so it’s a good idea to take a picture of the alignment on the saddle, to reinstall it properly.

After getting rid of the old strings, we have the ability to clean the body and fretboard from stain and dust. I use a dry microfiber cleaning cloth to wipe over the whole instrument. Stubborn stains will be removed with a little moisture.

If you have a wooden fretboard you might want to add some fretboard oil to it, to preserve the wood from damage through dehydration. For that, just follow the instructions on your fretboard oil. I applied oil on the fretboard, until it was totally soaked and removed the excess oil with the cleaning cloth.

I also applied some of the oil to the wooden bridge on my uke, before I reinstalled the saddle.

If you have a ukulele that has a wooden body without any varnish on it, you could also apply a thin layer of oil on it. If your instrument has a layer of varnish on it or is made of plastic/fiber carbon, you can simply clean it with a damp cloth.

After cleaning we can install the new strings. The type/brand of strings you choose is totally up to you. If you were pleased with the ones that you removed, use the same type of strings again. On the other hand, there are numerous discussions on the internet about different strings, sharing the advantages or disadvantages of particular strings from different brands.

For my three instruments I used different strings from different manufacturers.

For my Enya Nova I used Aquila Reds with an unwound low G. For a plastic or fibre carbon fretboard you shouldn’t use wounded strings, because they could damage the fret wires or the fretboard. On wooden fretboards with metal fret wires they won’t cause damage. My Flight DUC380 CEQ received Ernie Ball nylon strings with a ball ending. The Enya EUT-M6 got Living Water fluorocarbon strings. Make sure you buy the right size of strings for your instrument, to fit properly. (e.g.If you have a Tenor , you don’t want to mistakenly buy strings for a Soprano)

Let’s have a look at the different bridges:

At first the Enya Nova with it’s slotted bridge

I tied a knot at the end of the strings,
making sure, that the end is about
2 mm long, so that it wouldn’t cause
buzzes inside the instrument, then I
hooked it under the slot and pulled it
to the tuners.

Second we will look at the Enya M6 with a pull through bridge.

I pass the string through the hole and pulled it out of the soundhole.
Next I tied the little bead, that was on the old strings to it,
Again, making sure to keep the end of the string short.
Then I pulled the string to the tuner.

At last we look at the “standard bridge“ on my Flight DUC 380 CEQ.

After reinstalling the saddle I passed it through the hole of the bridge. Now, there is a bit of knotting needed.

(Picture by Mike Dickinson, commons.wikimedia.org)

You’ll need to loop the string back around itself and tuck the end under and tighten it. I tuck the end of the string into the next knot, so that it wouldn’t hang loose at the bridge.

I used the mentioned Ernie Ball strings, just to try them out and have easy mounting of the strings, since the balls at the end do not need knots.

Having the installation on the bridge covered, we will look at the other side of the strings and how to fasten them on the tuners.

I lead the string through the notches on the nut, push them through the little hole on the tuning peg and pull them tight. After that, I turn the peg counter-clockwise to fasten the
strings on the tuner. The turning direction is up to you, you could also turn them clockwise if you like.
I try not to wind up too much string,
because the more string you wind up,
the more they have to stretch, until the strings settle. I cut the excess string short (approx. 2 millimeters) on the tuners

Repeat this with all 4 strings, tune them and you’re done.

Congratulations !
You just changed the strings on your instrument yourself.

As mentioned, the new strings have to stretch and settle in the next few days. Play your instrument daily for about 15 to 30 Minutes, stretch the new strings by pulling them out and they normally will settle in about seven days. You could tune them a half step higher after playing, that might accelerate the process of setting a bit.

April 26, 2023April 3, 2023

The Origins of Ukulele

by Abhay Koppar

Blue skies, shimmering sandy beaches, swaying palms, verdant green valleys, whispering waves and as the sun sets on the ocean, one hears the dulcet sound of Ukulele……. the tropical paradise in the middle of Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii and Ukulele are so synonymous, they are inseparable. But was the Ukulele invented in Hawaii? Let’s trace the origins of the Ukulele together.

The story of Ukulele begins on the rugged island, Madeira, known for Madeira wine. The wine industry and furniture making were the backbone of Madeira’s economy. Unfortunately, by the mid-1800s after the collapse of the wine industry, many unemployed Madeirans left the island for greener pastures elsewhere.

The sugar industry was booming in the late 1800s in the Kingdom of Hawaii and there was an unprecedented labor shortage to run the plantations and factories. The word spread all over the world and reached Madeira. Willing men and women signed short-term contracts to work in the fields. They were provided a sailing passage and freedom after the completion of contract by the plantation owners. The immigrants and their families set sail to the Hawaiian Islands on the British clipper ship, SS Ravenscrag. After a grueling 4 month long journey, the exhausted Madeiran immigrants arrived in Honolulu on a sunny Saturday in August of 1879. As soon as they set their feet on the sand, a passenger, an accomplished musician, broke into a rambunctious song and dance playing a four-string musical instrument called machête The instrument was also known as “braguinha” or the “Machéte de Braga” named after the city in northern Portugal from where it originated, but widely strummed on streets in Funchal, the capital of Madeira. The Hawaiians were so enamored by the sound of the musical instrument, that on September 3, 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette wrote: “…Madeira Islanders recently arrived here have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts. The musicians are fine performers on their strange instruments, which are a kind of cross between a guitar and a banjo, but which produce very sweet music in the hands of the Portuguese minstrels.”

On that ship was a cabinet maker Miguel Nunes from Funchal, who worked as an indentured worker on the sugarcane fields. He gained freedom after fulfilling his contractual obligations in 1883 and in 1884 he opened a small furniture shop in Honolulu. The shop manufactured furniture, as well as musical instruments. How Nunes turned into a talented luthier remains a mystery to this day! Did he invent the Ukulele no one knows! But a decade after their arrival, Nunes or the musicians from Madeira, first introduced an instrument that was a hybrid of the machête and small Portuguese instrument, the five-string rajão. The petite size and body outline of the machête, and its 17-fret fingerboard provided the basis for the ukuleles’ overall shape and configuration. Instead of the machete’s D-G-B-D tuning, the ukulele employed the tuning of the rajão’s top four strings: G-C-E-A, minus its fifth string (a low D)! Viola! Ukulele was born.

But how did the instrument get its name Ukulele? ‘Uku with the ‘okina (the punctuation mark that looks like a backwards apostrophe) means flea. Lele means to jump. Jumping fleas! Perhaps it comes from the fact that Ukulele players jump fast across the fretboard and it resembles jumping fleas!The other comes from Queen Lili’uokalani who interpreted ‘Uku poetically as “gift” and Ukulele as a “gift from far away”. The new musical instrument received patronage from the Hawaiian Royal family: King David Kalakaua, Hawaii’s last king, his Queen Emma, and the future Queen Lili’uokalani. They were all accomplished musicians and learned to play Ukulele themselves. In fact, Ukulele was the national instrument of the Kingdom of Hawaii and always featured in the royal events and traditional luas.

Miguel Nunes continued to thrive and taught the art of ukulele making to numerous craftsmen, including his son Leonardo. One of his well-known apprentices, Samuel Kamaka, started his own shop in 1916 in Honolulu. Nearly 100 years later, the Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works proudly carries on the legacy of Ukulele making, an instrument that changed the music in Hawaii. After a decline in interest to play Ukulele in mainstream music, it has once again regained popularity in the last decade, and it continues to grow.

Ukulele is truly a gift that keeps giving.