Ukulele

The ukulele (sometimes spelled ukelele) is a musical instrument that resembles a small, four-stringed guitar. While it is most often associated with Hawaii and island culture, it has its roots in Europe. The ukulele has cycled in popularity, alternating between widespread acceptance and disdain. It is small in size and relatively easy to learn, making it popular with beginning musicians. It is played by holding it against the chest while fingering the strings along the instrument's neck and strumming the strings with the pad of the thumb and/or backs of the fingertips. Nicknamed the "uke," the instrument has a unique sound that complements other string instruments well and leads to its inclusion in music styles ranging from jazz and country to pop and rock and in the music of countries around the world.

Background

The ukulele was first created in the late nineteenth century by Portuguese immigrants to the Sandwich Islands, which later became known as Hawaii. About twenty-five thousand immigrants from the Portuguese Madeira Islands traveled to the Sandwich Islands around 1879. They brought with them an instrument called the machete, also known as a braguinha. Local islanders enjoyed the sound of the new instrument. The king, David Kalakaua, played it at royal events. The Portuguese immigrants opened shops where they made instruments and furniture.

The design of the ukulele was based on the machete and another instrument from the immigrants' homeland, the cavaquinho. It took about two decades for its final form to develop. By the early part of the twentieth century, American tourists to the islands enjoyed the sound and took the instrument back to the mainland. It soon became a part of many vaudeville shows—its small size and unique sound often were used for comedic purposes—and was played in music halls during the 1920s.

In Hawaii, the ukulele remained a popular instrument for traditional entertainment. Performers such as Jake Shimabukuro, Don Ho, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole are among those best known for their traditional use of the instrument. However, it also was made famous by a number of popular rock and pop musicians such as Elvis Presley, George Harrison, and Taylor Swift, all of whom played a ukulele in recorded performances. In 1968, serious ukulele players were reportedly dismayed when the instrument was featured in an unusual and briefly popular rendition of "Tiptoe through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim, a musician who performed old vaudeville tunes on the ukulele.

Ukulele is pronounced "oo-koo-LAY-lay" in Hawaii, but most English speakers revise that pronunciation to "you-kuh-LAY-lee." The word ukulele is a portmanteau, or a word blended from other words, that is commonly interpreted from the Hawaiian as "jumping flea." The interpretation is believed to stem from the way the musician's hands flick and move across the strings on the small instrument. Another possible interpretation is "the gift that came here," which is said to reflect Hawaiians' fondness for the instrument created by the Portuguese immigrants.

Overview

Ukuleles usually resemble acoustic guitars in shape but are part of the lute family of instruments. Ukuleles can be made without the characteristic guitar "waist." These ukuleles are usually shaped like a pineapple or like the bottom of a boat paddle. They have a rounded back instead of the flat back characteristic of the guitar-shaped instruments. Ukuleles are sometimes made using a cigar box as the body as well.

Ukuleles are made in four main sizes. The size most people think of when picturing a ukulele is soprano size. These are 21 inches (53 centimeters) in length with the scale area—the area where the musician fingers the strings to play chords or notes—measuring 13 inches (33 centimeters). The next size is concert size, measuring 23 inches (58 centimeters) with a 15-inch (38-centimeter) scale area. The concert ukulele has a similar sound to a soprano but is a little louder. The tenor ukulele is 26 inches (66 centimeters) in length with a 17-inch (43-centimeter) scale and works well for those with larger hands. The baritone ukulele is 30 inches (76 centimeters) long with a 19-inch (48-centimeter) scale length. While the three smaller ukuleles are all tuned the same way, the baritone is tuned like the four highest strings on a guitar. Therefore, it sounds different from its smaller counterparts but is easier to play for those who already know how to play a guitar.

The majority of ukuleles are strung with four strings made of nylon, but metallic materials such as aluminum, titanium, and fluorocarbon can be used. Soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles are usually tuned to the key of C so that the open strings struck without any fingering play the notes G, C, E, and A from top to bottom. They can be tuned to the key of D so that the open strings sound the notes A, D, F#, and B. Baritone ukuleles are usually tuned D, G, B, and E. The strings can be tuned by sounding the notes on a piano or another instrument known to be in tune or by using a special tuning device. Ukulele tuners clamp onto the top of the instrument and have an electronic display that indicates when the plucked string is in tune.

Ukuleles are usually made of wood, but less expensive ones can be made of plastic. Wood instruments at the lower price range may be made of laminated woods, with several thin layers of wood glued together. More expensive instruments are made of solid wood, including acacia, koa, mahogany, spruce, cedar, rosewood, maple, and redwood. Laminate instruments generally do not have the same rich sound that solid wood instruments do, but they often are stronger and more durable. Solid wood ukuleles, like all solid wood instruments, tend to mellow and improve in sound with age.

While most ukuleles are strung with four strings and are played acoustically, or without any electric amplification, some ukuleles have an electronic pickup like those found on electric guitars. These often are used in public performances to amplify the sound. Some ukuleles are made with six, or even eight, strings. Other ukuleles are strung with four strings but are shaped like a banjo. These "banjoleles" are considered hybrid instruments, as are resonator ukuleles, which are made entirely of metal.

Bibliography

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