Ukulele
Created | Updated Feb 12, 2002
Traditional Hawaiian musical instrument.
The ukulele (or "uke", if you prefer) originated from The Portuguese island of Madeira. On August 23rd, 1879, a ship of travellers from Madeird arrived on Hawaii. Legend says tha passenger Joao Fernandez began playing the braguinha, a traditional Portuguese instrument and soon-to-be ukuele ancestor, and singing upon arrival, capturing the locals' attention. Other craftsmen arriving on the ship apparently later began producing these instruments for the Hawaiians. Over time, it was given the nickname "ukulele", which means "jumping flea". The correct Hawaiian pronunciation is "oo-koo-le-le", though most all American mainlanders say the first syllable "yoo". Eventually, the ukulele became very popular on the mainland as tourism and interest in Hawaii grew. It was often used in advertising showing the exotic beauty of the islands, and became associated with that mystique. From the early 1900's to 1950's especially, the ukulele was quite popular, as many pop culture personalities were also uke players. There were a great many "toy" models, instructional books, and music sheets available. However, the ukulele has remained over the years and is still popular today.
The standard 4 types of ukulele are soprano (regular), concert, tenor, and baritone. The soprano is the most common, All except for the baritone are tuned in the famous "my dog has fleas" manner: G, then down to C, then up to E, A. The concert size is rarest. The tenor is an octave down from the soprano tuning. The baritone is tuned E, B, G, D; like the top four strings of a guitar.
As a result of the ukulele craze, many mand "hybrid" ukuleles were produced. Some are still availalble from specialty companies, mostly on the islands, and others are rather valuable to collectors. Some examples are the "banjulele", which, like the "banjolin" mandolin hybrid, uses ukulele tunings with a banjo body to produce a louder sound. The more traditional "taropatch" 8-string uke is reminiscent of the 12-string guitar, having 4 double courses tuned as a regular ukulele. The Dobro-style resonator guitar was also adapted to ukulele form. One of the odder uke spin-offs is the "ukelin", discontinued since 1963 and first made in 1926. It was played on the lap, plucking one set of strings and bowing another. Among these and other hybrids, many specially-shaped and coloured ukes were also produced.
The ukulele (or "uke", if you prefer) originated from The Portuguese island of Madeira. On August 23rd, 1879, a ship of travellers from Madeird arrived on Hawaii. Legend says tha passenger Joao Fernandez began playing the braguinha, a traditional Portuguese instrument and soon-to-be ukuele ancestor, and singing upon arrival, capturing the locals' attention. Other craftsmen arriving on the ship apparently later began producing these instruments for the Hawaiians. Over time, it was given the nickname "ukulele", which means "jumping flea". The correct Hawaiian pronunciation is "oo-koo-le-le", though most all American mainlanders say the first syllable "yoo". Eventually, the ukulele became very popular on the mainland as tourism and interest in Hawaii grew. It was often used in advertising showing the exotic beauty of the islands, and became associated with that mystique. From the early 1900's to 1950's especially, the ukulele was quite popular, as many pop culture personalities were also uke players. There were a great many "toy" models, instructional books, and music sheets available. However, the ukulele has remained over the years and is still popular today.
The standard 4 types of ukulele are soprano (regular), concert, tenor, and baritone. The soprano is the most common, All except for the baritone are tuned in the famous "my dog has fleas" manner: G, then down to C, then up to E, A. The concert size is rarest. The tenor is an octave down from the soprano tuning. The baritone is tuned E, B, G, D; like the top four strings of a guitar.
As a result of the ukulele craze, many mand "hybrid" ukuleles were produced. Some are still availalble from specialty companies, mostly on the islands, and others are rather valuable to collectors. Some examples are the "banjulele", which, like the "banjolin" mandolin hybrid, uses ukulele tunings with a banjo body to produce a louder sound. The more traditional "taropatch" 8-string uke is reminiscent of the 12-string guitar, having 4 double courses tuned as a regular ukulele. The Dobro-style resonator guitar was also adapted to ukulele form. One of the odder uke spin-offs is the "ukelin", discontinued since 1963 and first made in 1926. It was played on the lap, plucking one set of strings and bowing another. Among these and other hybrids, many specially-shaped and coloured ukes were also produced.
