Choan Galvez - Anthology of Alternate Ukulele Tunings vol.1

While Hawaiian slack key guitar masters use a great variety of alternate tunings, ukulele players are usually stuck in major sixth tunings (albeit in differing pitches, and linear or re-entrant). Retuning a couple of strings—or even just one—can help one discover new sonic worlds, makes some elusive voicings possible, and, in general, stimulates inspiration.

In this anthology, Choan Gálvez proposes you to work on a few scordaturas, all of them feasible using a standard low G string set. Your instrument won’t be at risk as all of the suggested tunings decrease the total tension supported by the ukulele.

The set of 12 original works by Choan Gálvez includes ragtime and bluesy compositions, havanera stylings, melancholical-optimistic tunes written at the dawn, and a touching elegy. Most of the pieces are demoed in this privacy friendly playlist ( also available on YouTube).

This volume includes pieces using the following tunings:

• Taro patch: G C E G
• Wahine: G B E G
• Plectrum: F C E G
• Drop F: F C E A
• Open F: F C F A
• Gsus4: G C D A
• G minor: G Bb D G

For each of these tunings, the author offers descriptions and diagrams, and a few chord boxes in case you’d like to explore the variant further than the included pieces do. Every score is presented in notation and tablature.