Ukulele Lessons
Learning to play the Ukulele can be a fun way for a young beginner to start out on a string instrument or a great way to learn some of your favorite songs!
The ukulele is an instrument closely related to the guitar, with ukuleles first being made in Hawaii in the 19th century. Ukulele's have been a subject of fascination in the United States and abroad, as it has increased in popularity greatly since it was first brought to the United States. The ukulele has a unique and soothing tone and easy playability, making it a great instrument to start out on; great for musicians young or old!
Ukulele's have been a tool used by music educators for many decades because of it's affordability and playability! It's an easy instrument to pick up and start strumming. Find a Ukulele Teacher here.
Never played played Uke before?
When buying a ukulele, you will quickly realize there are many options. Generally you can find Soprano, Tenor, Baritone and Bass Ukuleles. The differences between these types are the size and tuning of the instrument. Ukulele is a great precursor to learning guitar or bass. Because the strings are tuned to the same intervals as the top 4 strings of a guitar, many of the chord fingerings translate between ukulele and guitar. Beyond that, the basic techniques used to play notes are the same, the ukulele is just smaller and the strings are made of a more gentle material. Aside from the ukulele, students should always bring a notebook and pencil to lessons in order to write down ideas to practice or sketches to remember information from lessons. Here are the differences between each type of Uke:
Soprano Ukulele is the smallest, most common, and perfect for younger beginners. These ukuleles are tuned to G - C - E - A and you might notice them replacing recorders all around the world in public school general music classrooms. It’s quite amazing to see the growth in popularity of this ukulele over the past several years.
Tenor Ukulele is also very common, but more so among singer song-writers, and slightly older musicians. The tenor uke is usually tuned the same as a soprano and the main difference is the size. They’re usually about 5” longer than a soprano and have a slightly fuller tone.
Baritone Ukulele is a bit larger than the tenor and is tuned differently than both soprano and tenor. It’s usually tuned to D - G - B - E, the same as the top 4 strings of the guitar.
Bass Ukulele is the largest in the uke family. The bass ukulele is tuned to E - A - D - G, which is the same as the lowest strings of the guitar. It’s exactly the same as the bass guitar, which makes it a perfect starter instrument for a young one who may be interested in learning bass. The bass ukulele is unique in that it is actually plucked like a bass instead of strummed like all the other types of ukulele.
If you have questions about which type of uke is best for your situation, please contact us!
