During my first ukulele years, sometime in the early 90s, the soprano ukulele was the only size I knew. This was a combination of me being young, the soprano being by far the most common model, and there being no social media or internet at the time as there is today.
I actually remember the first time I got to play a concert ukulele. It must have been in the early 2000s, or possibly late 90s. It was an exciting experience, because in a way, my ukulele map was completely redrawn. (I think I still have that ukulele somewhere, by the way). I don't remember the encounter with the tenor ukulele as being as dramatic; the map had already been redrawn, so to speak.
But the baritone is different. Although I have sold and handled more ukuleles than most, it wasn't until the early 2020s that I played a baritone for the first time. That perhaps says something about how uncommon it still is.
What makes it confusing for many is that the baritone is not only larger, it also speaks a different language with its D-G-B-E tuning. When we add a Low D string, we definitely cross the threshold into guitar territory. Because this tuning is identical to the first four strings on a guitar. This is where the challenge lies: to retain the ukulele's light soul and rhythmic drive, despite now having the depth of a small guitar in your lap.
My encounter with the first baritones confused me. They had High D strings – that is, the same internal tuning as a regular ukulele. I assumed this was the most common, even though I mostly read about Low D online. These ukuleles were also quite cheap, bordering on poor quality. The first truly good baritone I tried was a prototype from my own LOMA series. It wasn't very loud, but the neck was something truly exceptional. I could play with a capo far above the seventh fret without affecting the intonation. I sold it to a good friend.
Today, I'm trying to decide whether I prefer Low or High D.
Low D (and also Low G) requires a different playing style. One of the ukulele's strengths is the fourth string and how it's used in open chords. With Low D, this strength almost becomes a weakness; it quickly sounds monotonous with a loose fourth string. New fingerings are required so that it doesn't sound like a "stumped guitar" – as if you're playing a guitar chord, but omitting the bass string or landing on the wrong bass note.
This phenomenon of "stumped guitar" doesn't exist, or at least isn't as clear, in Low G tuning. The G string is indeed a low string and adds a depth that didn't previously exist, but not enough depth for it to be perceived as a bass string.
What I have come to realize is that this phenomenon bothers me less the more well-built the baritone is. High D is more forgiving and kinder to the instrument, but a really good baritone with Low D can sing in a way that a cheaper model never can.
But the baritone holds another secret. It is the ultimate chameleon. If you put a capo on the fifth fret, you practically get a tenor (in C tuning), and if you move the capo up to the seventh fret, you have a soprano with D tuning. You could go so far as to say that if you are only going to own one single ukulele, a well-built baritone is actually a very good choice.
What conclusion do I draw from this? Well, that the choice between Low and High D is about more than just strings – it's about who you want to be as a player. If you want the depth and almost sacred quality of a Low D, you must be prepared to practice a new technique. If you want the ukulele obviousness, you choose High D. I myself continue to switch between the demo examples in the store, and especially between High and Low D. Every time I switch and switch back, the map is redrawn a little bit more.
Which path do you choose?
