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How has the ukulele developed over time?
Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small, guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the machete, cavaquinho, timple, and rajão, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde.
How did the ukulele gain back its popularity?
As sales of pianos, accordions, and other pricey instruments soared, saving and scrimping Americans helped boost the ukulele to peak popularity in the 1930s. Indeed, bluegrass music took off during that period as well, and the ukulele is still strongly associated with the string-band phenomenon.
Are all ukuleles the same?
There are many different sizes and shapes of ukuleles available. The most common sizes are soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. Although the names of the different sizes imply different tuning, you may be surprised to learn that soprano, concert, and tenor are tuned exactly the same to each other to g’- c’ – e’ -a’.
How are the chords on a guitar and a ukulele the same?
The chords are the same, but only when transposed up a fourth. The chord shapes on the base of the neck will create the chord that is one fourth up from the original chord shape on the guitar. Now let’s go over some of the chords and how to play them on both instruments.
Where do the chords rest on a ukulele?
When someone strums a ukulele, they want to play chords that rest near the bottom of the fretboard, coming with an effortless move of a couple of fingers. The tricky part about getting this down on the ukulele is that the same chord shapes are used, but they create different chords.
Are there different tunings for different sizes of ukuleles?
The tunings for different sizes of ukuleles are usually the same, but there are some variations within this. Soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles all have the same tuning: G-C-E-A. If you hear the term ‘standard’ tuning in relation to ukuleles, this is what they mean.
What’s the difference between a tenor ukulele and a uke?
The sound of a concert ukulele is a bit louder due to the higher resonance from the instrument’s body. Tenor ukuleles are larger than concert ukuleles and have a deeper sound, making the sound kind of a hybrid between classical guitar and ukulele. Some famous ukulele players, such as the pioneer Jesse Kaleihia Andre Kalima, play this style of uke.