Ukulele is a type of guitar native to Hawaii, it has 4 strings and is small in size. Its popularity is gaining momentum due to the convenience of the size of the instrument, the ease of mastering the game and unconventional sound.
Instrument history
The emergence of the ukulele as an independent instrument is associated with the interpretation of the Portuguese cavacinho and braguinha guitars. The creation of the ukulele is credited to Manuel Nunez, Augusto Diaz and Jose Esprinto Santo in the 1880s: the Portuguese came to sugarcane plantations and brought the instrument to Hawaii, causing the ukulele to spread throughout the Pacific coast. Whether they were the inventors of this guitar is unknown, but that is how they were recorded in the Honolulu city directory.
Over time, the instrument appeared in Europe and America. In 1915, a musical group from the shores of the Pacific Ocean performed at an exhibition in San Francisco, from that moment the ukulele became widely known.
Legends about the name
Ukulele means "jumping flea" in Hawaiian. There are three known variations of the appearance of this name:
1) One man, having disembarked in a Hawaiian port after a long sea voyage, jumped from the ship to the pier for joy and began to sing folk songs of the Madeira Islands on this guitar. Those who saw what was happening noted that the man's fingers moved at an intense pace and barely touched the strings, like jumping fleas.
2) The Englishman of King Kalakaua played him the ukulele, and since the musician was miniature and playful, he was nicknamed "ukulele". They decided to name the instrument after him.
3) Judging by the notes of the last monarch of Hawaii, the name of the guitar "ukulele" comes from the words "uku" - a gift (reward) and "lele" - to come.
Types of ukulele
- Ukulele soprano. The most popular, smallest and first ever type of instrument. Its size is 53 centimeters, and the number of ldov varies from 12 to 14. Beginners with ukulele prefer to learn to play on it, because it is more convenient, economical and has a classic sound.
- Alt ukulele. There are 5 centimeters more soprano, there are also a little more frets. This version of the ukulele is also called a concert version because the sound is deeper.
- Tenor ukulele. Significantly larger in size for the two previous types - 66 cm, frets 15 and more. The neck of the instrument is longer, there are more possibilities for playing, and the sound is correspondingly different.
- Baritone ukulele. The largest type is from 76 cm and has a minimum of 19 frets on the neck. The tuning of this type of ukulele resembles a guitar, so it looks more like a guitar than a classic soprano ukulele. However, the sound quality of the baritone ukulele is as good as any other kind of this musical instrument.
Why choose a ukulele
The simplicity and compactness of the ukulele can please anyone who decides to master it. Ukulele is a great alternative to the classical guitar, it is much easier to play it, it is from it that you can start learning how to play music on plucked instruments.
