 | The ukulele (or ukelele, particularly in the UK) is a chordophone classified as a plucked lute; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four strings or four courses of strings. The ukulele originated in the 19th Century as a Hawaiian interpretation of small Portuguese guitar-like instruments. It gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th Century, and from there spread internationally. |
| Ukuleles are generally made of wood, although variants have been made composed partially or entirely of plastic. Cheaper ukuleles are generally made from ply or laminate woods, in some cases with a soundboard of an inexpensive but acoustically superior wood such as spruce. Other more expensive ukuleles are made of exotic hardwoods such as mahogany. Some of the most valuable ukuleles, which may run into the thousands of dollars in price, are made from koa (Acacia koa), a Hawaiian wood known for its fine tone and attractive colour and figure. | |
| Types of Ukulele (Note 1: The "Scale" is the length of the playable part of the strings, from the nut at the top to the bridge at the bottom. Note 2: Though the vast majority of ukuleles fall into the below four categories, there are also sopranino ukuleles and bass ukuleles at the extreme ends of the size spectrum.) | |
| Type | Scale length | Total length |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano or Standard (the original size) | 13" (33cm) | 21" (53cm) |
| Concert | 15" (38cm) | 23" (58cm |
| Tenor (created in the 1920s) | 17" (43cm) | 26" (66cm) |
| Baritone (created in the late 1940s) | 19" (48cm) | 30" (76cm) |
A solid mahogany soprano ukulele - Kiwaya KTS-4 A concert ukulele - koa Pono PKC 1-E A Hawaiian made tenor ukulele - Kanile'a K1 Manuel Delgado making my baritone ukulele "Liliana" |
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