There are four basic ukuleles--soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each can be found in a wide range of quality and cost, from high quality, well playing instruments to what amounts to nothing more than a child's toy. Every style imaginable is available, and some are available that you can't even imagine.
You can choose from four different types, all of which are considered basic ukuleles-soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each type correlates to a different size, and all are available in a wide range of style and quality, anywhere from what amounts to little more than a toy to a high quality, well playing instrument.
Before your purchase, it is important to consider the use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" you are about that use. We're talking serious fun here, which depends on the quality and playability of the instrument itself. Suffice it to say, regardless of all other considerations, the primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of both quality and price.
Extend that serious consideration to whoever is the intended user, if it's for someone else. Regardless of the user's age and level or playing proficiency, how serious will that person approach this instrument's playability? If this is a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift), is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? It has been suggested that putting a low quality ukulele in the hands of a beginner is a huge mistake.
Whether for your own use or as a gift for someone else, (it can be a very unique Christmas gift) beginner or pro, young or old, the more and better you expect to play, the higher the quality you will need and, as a rule, the higher the quality the more you can expect to pay. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to get what you pay for. Once you determine the quality and price (your budget), next is to decide which of the four instruments will supply your need.
Soprano Soprano was the earliest of the four and for that reason most early ukes were made on this scale. The classic sound of a ukulele is often identified with the soprano, and, to many purest, it is still considered to be the "authentic" ukulele. It lends itself to strumming with less finger picking, and is a good place for beginning players to start.
Soprano is good for playing chords and beginner strumming and is easier to learn to play than the others. A lot of finger picking on the soprano is another story. It is harder to master more difficult routines on soprano and its resonance can sometimes seem thin.
Don't let its smaller size make you think the soprano is only for small people, people with small hands and fingers, like children. While the soprano is good for the young beginner, many great ukulele players, great in size as well as talent, favor sopranos. This popularity means that you will have a wide variety from which to choose, and as a rule the soprano ukulele will be priced lower.
Concert If the concert ukulele sounds bigger than the soprano, it is because it is bigger, if only by a small amount. It could be called alto, and has more middle range, with a slightly deeper, mellower sound than soprano. Being a little bigger, the concert can be easier to hold than the smaller soprano. It has more complex playing potential while preserving the unmistakably basic ukulele sound that can offer the best of both worlds.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele is somewhat larger still and has more of a guitar feel, but is still miles from an actual guitar in look or feel. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even more range. It can be used for more advanced solo playing, and has more finger room that allows faster play and more complex runs-think Jake Shimabukuro. Slightly larger than a concert, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality sound and tone.
Baritone The baritone's crisp, fuller sound can begin to make one think of a guitar. Make no mistake, the baritone is all ukulele, but if you are just beginning to play guitar, you will have an easier time learning to play a baritone uke. It can actually help your guitar practice and vice versa. The baritone is tuned like a four string guitar. The two top strings (base) are not there, so it plays like a guitar with no top end.
In summary, let's get serious again. If you consider quality coupled with cost, add in your level of musical ability and interest in playing, you are now ready to go shopping. There's one additional possibility I'd like you to consider. And it can make your ukulele selection more meaningful than ever. Think about the possibility of building your own ukulele, either from scratch or by assembling one from a ukulele building kit.
The internet is loaded with ideas that can show you how to produce your own creation from scratch, and many sites offer a basic ukulele building kit that you can start with, and then add other components as you desire. You may want to check out the tramp art music culture where good quality instruments are made from everyday components, using a multitude of boxes for surprising resonance, i.e. a cigar box with a wooden back or a simple box you can make yourself.
Whether you purchase a completed instrument, build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional ukulele kit, or if you decide to build your own from scratch, you're in for some serious fun. And remember this serious observation-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. Here's to you; good luck and good building.
You can choose from four different types, all of which are considered basic ukuleles-soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each type correlates to a different size, and all are available in a wide range of style and quality, anywhere from what amounts to little more than a toy to a high quality, well playing instrument.
Before your purchase, it is important to consider the use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" you are about that use. We're talking serious fun here, which depends on the quality and playability of the instrument itself. Suffice it to say, regardless of all other considerations, the primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of both quality and price.
Extend that serious consideration to whoever is the intended user, if it's for someone else. Regardless of the user's age and level or playing proficiency, how serious will that person approach this instrument's playability? If this is a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift), is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? It has been suggested that putting a low quality ukulele in the hands of a beginner is a huge mistake.
Whether for your own use or as a gift for someone else, (it can be a very unique Christmas gift) beginner or pro, young or old, the more and better you expect to play, the higher the quality you will need and, as a rule, the higher the quality the more you can expect to pay. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to get what you pay for. Once you determine the quality and price (your budget), next is to decide which of the four instruments will supply your need.
Soprano Soprano was the earliest of the four and for that reason most early ukes were made on this scale. The classic sound of a ukulele is often identified with the soprano, and, to many purest, it is still considered to be the "authentic" ukulele. It lends itself to strumming with less finger picking, and is a good place for beginning players to start.
Soprano is good for playing chords and beginner strumming and is easier to learn to play than the others. A lot of finger picking on the soprano is another story. It is harder to master more difficult routines on soprano and its resonance can sometimes seem thin.
Don't let its smaller size make you think the soprano is only for small people, people with small hands and fingers, like children. While the soprano is good for the young beginner, many great ukulele players, great in size as well as talent, favor sopranos. This popularity means that you will have a wide variety from which to choose, and as a rule the soprano ukulele will be priced lower.
Concert If the concert ukulele sounds bigger than the soprano, it is because it is bigger, if only by a small amount. It could be called alto, and has more middle range, with a slightly deeper, mellower sound than soprano. Being a little bigger, the concert can be easier to hold than the smaller soprano. It has more complex playing potential while preserving the unmistakably basic ukulele sound that can offer the best of both worlds.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele is somewhat larger still and has more of a guitar feel, but is still miles from an actual guitar in look or feel. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even more range. It can be used for more advanced solo playing, and has more finger room that allows faster play and more complex runs-think Jake Shimabukuro. Slightly larger than a concert, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality sound and tone.
Baritone The baritone's crisp, fuller sound can begin to make one think of a guitar. Make no mistake, the baritone is all ukulele, but if you are just beginning to play guitar, you will have an easier time learning to play a baritone uke. It can actually help your guitar practice and vice versa. The baritone is tuned like a four string guitar. The two top strings (base) are not there, so it plays like a guitar with no top end.
In summary, let's get serious again. If you consider quality coupled with cost, add in your level of musical ability and interest in playing, you are now ready to go shopping. There's one additional possibility I'd like you to consider. And it can make your ukulele selection more meaningful than ever. Think about the possibility of building your own ukulele, either from scratch or by assembling one from a ukulele building kit.
The internet is loaded with ideas that can show you how to produce your own creation from scratch, and many sites offer a basic ukulele building kit that you can start with, and then add other components as you desire. You may want to check out the tramp art music culture where good quality instruments are made from everyday components, using a multitude of boxes for surprising resonance, i.e. a cigar box with a wooden back or a simple box you can make yourself.
Whether you purchase a completed instrument, build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional ukulele kit, or if you decide to build your own from scratch, you're in for some serious fun. And remember this serious observation-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. Here's to you; good luck and good building.
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