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Background

The ukulele is a string instrument that originated in Portugal in the second century B.C. With a small, guitar-shaped body that is fitted with four strings, it is considered a member of the chordophone family. Sound is produced through these instruments by plucking and strumming the strings. The strings in turn vibrate and are amplified by the resonating body. The ukulele is manufactured in a similar way as a full size guitar.

History

String instruments date back many centuries and have been developed independently by most ancient cultures. The earliest instruments were single strings tied to bows. Evidence of these primitive instruments has been found in Asia and Africa dating back over 3,000 years. Over time, instrument makers added more strings.

Ukuleles first had their start in Portugal in 139 B.C. in the Lusitani tribe. The development of the ukulele has been influenced by instruments from Spain, South America, and Africa. By the thirteenth, century four-string instruments were being used in Spain. When six string instruments were introduced in the 1700s the popularity of chordophonesexploded. Although ukuleles are most commonlu associated with Hawaii, it wasn't until 1879 that the first ukelele was brought over from Portugal. One of the Portuguese immigrants on the ship Ravenscrag, Joao Fernandez, started playing his four-string Portuguese instrument known as a braghuina. Local residents were intrigued with the instrument, adopted it as their own, and renamed it ukulele which in Hawaiian means "jumping flea." This name reflected the way the islanders thought the fingers jumped around the fretboard when it was played. Within 10 years of its introduction, the ukulele became the most popular instrument in Hawaii.

The first ukuleles were made by hand, a process that was both painstaking and time consuming. Subsequently, the number of ukuleles in existence was quite low prior to 1910. Eventually, special wood cutting and shaping machines were created to produce ukuleles. The instrument was steadily modified making it look and sound more like the modern day ukulele. Manuel Nunes was one of the most important innovators. He modified the instrument by replacing steel strings with gut strings. He also suggested a different tuning pattern to make chord formation easier. He also began using wood from the koa tree to produce a lighter, more resonant ukulele.

The ukulele was introduced to the United States mainland during the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco during 1915. Record sales of Hawaiian music grew rapidly and United States guitar manufacturers began selling their own version of the ukulele. By the 1920s and 1930s, the popularity of the ukulele spread throughout North America, and its sound became closely associated with vaudeville music shows. Since then, the ukulele has often been played as a jazz and solo instrument.

The plastic ukulele, called the "TV Pal" was developed by Mario Maccaferri in 1950. He was a well-known guitar maker who became intrigued with plastics. He used his instrument-making skill to produce the plastic ukulele which sold over nine million units between the time it was introduced and 1958. Its popularity was mainly due to the fact that it was inexpensive, had a good sound, and was tied in with the popular television show "Arthur Godfrey and his Ukulele."

Raw Materials

The body of the ukulele is primarily made from wood, although plastic instruments have also been sold. Woods from all over the world are used including Hawaiian koa, maple, walnut, rosewood, myrtle, brazilian canary, cocobolo, madrone, elm, lacewood, and black limba. The type of wood has a significant impact on the sound, tone, and quality.

For example, mahogany is a "soft" hardwood and it creates a warm, mellow tone. It is thought by many manufacturers to be the finest wood for making ukuleles. It also has excellent aging properties, sounding better as it gets older. Koa wood is the most revered of Hawaiian woods for ukulele manufacturing. These trees have unique grain patterns and colors making every ukulele made from them distinct. Typically, the same type of wood is used for the entire instrument.

Beyond the wood, other materials used in a ukulele's manufacture are nylon, steel, plastic, coatings, and glues. The strings are typically made from nylon although some ukuleles are produced with steel strings. The wood is treated with different lacquers for both protection and decoration. Various types of glue can be used such as superglue, aliphatic or yellow glue, hide glue, and epoxy. For instruments made in the tropics, synthetic adhesives are superior because they are less prone to degradation by fungus.

Design

The ukulele is a portable instrument with a small guitar-like body. It consists of a short neck, a main body, four strings and tuning keys, a bridge, a fretboard, and a sound hole. There are a variety of different types of ukuleles including the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The most common type is the soprano ukulele which is about 21 in (53 cm) long. The strings are tuned to the notes G-C-E-A.

The Manufacturing Process

The various parts of the ukelele are made in separate processes and then put together in a finishing step. The process begins with wood selection which is the most important factor because it will will affect sound quality and instrument appearance.

Bookmatching

• The front piece of the ukelele is produced by a process called bookmatching. In this method a piece of wood is cut into two equal sheets. This gives a distinct symmetrical grain pattern. At this point, the wood pieces are kiln dried before any more work is done. The wood pieces are then glued together and sanded to the desired thickness. The bottom piece of the ukelele is made in the same way.
• The wood pieces are then sent to a shaping machine, which cuts the wood into the ukelele shape. For the front piece, the soundhole is also cut out at this point.

Strutting

• The next step is to glue wood braces on the underside of the front section. This process is called strutting. It serves to reinforce the wood against the pressure created when the strings are plucked. It also helps control the way the instrument vibrates. The bottom piece may also have some strips of wood glued to it to provide more strength to the instrument.

Making the sides

• The sides of the ukulele are produced by cutting and sanding an appropriate length of wood. The wood is then softened in water and placed in a mold. This mold is designed to cause the wood to take on the curved shape of the ukulele. It is clamped down and held in place for the required amount of time. The two ends of the piece of wood are joined together with glue at the place where the neck of the instrument will go. A small piece of wood, called an endblock, is fastened here and near the bottom of the ukulele so the front, back, and neck can be attached.
• After the sides are joined and the endblocks are attached, the front and back of the instrument are glued on. The excess wood is shaved off and the joints are sanded to make them smooth.

Neck production

• The ukulele's neck is carved from a single piece of wood. This may be made using a harder wood than the main body because it holds the strings tight and is consequently under greater stress. The whole part is then sanded and a wooden piece is attached to make the fingerboard. On the fingerboard, small grooves are cut across the width of the neck. Thin metal or wood strips are placed in these grooves and glued. These strips are the frets that allow the musician to change the sound of the instrument.
• The neck is then attached to the main body of the instrument. When the glue dries, the entire instrument is stained or painted for decorative purposes.

Attaching the bridge

• Next, the bridge and saddle are attached to ukulele just below the sound hole. These pieces are held on to the body of the instrument by tiny screws and wood glue. Another bridge is placed at the top of the instrument's neck. The saddle is the section where one end of the strings are attached. The strings pass over both bridges and this area creates the distinct length where the strings vibrate.
• At the top of the ukulele, four holes are drilled and pegs, which hold the strings, are inserted. Tuning keys are attached to these pegs and fastened to the neck with screws. These keys have a gear mechanism which rotates the pegs and tighten the strings when turned.

Attaching the strings

• Strings are then put on the ukulele. They are first tied to the bottom saddle section and strung up to the tuning pegs. Each peg has a hole in it where the string is inserted and tied. The tuning keys are turned to make the strings tight. The instrument is then inspected for flaws and put into the final packaging. Depending on the manufacturer, the whole process of making a ukulele can take weeks.

Quality Control

As of the year 2000, there are only three major ukulele manufacturers in the world. These are small companies and many of the instruments are handmade. This enables workers to inspect the instrument during every step of the manufacturing process to ensure a high quality product. It begins with inspection of the incoming raw materials and parts. The physical appearance and condition of the wood evaluated and rejected if it does not meet specifications. Final inspections are done on the finished product and in this way, most flaws are detected.

The Future

Improvements in the future of ukulele manufacture will focus on better quality, growing sales, and increasing output. The quality of a ukulele is primarily dependent on the type of wood used. Manufacturers are constantly looking for new wood sources and blends that can give a cleaner, more consistent sound quality. Sales growth will be driven largely by promotional efforts. In manufacturing, improvements in string quality, wood consistency and instrument durability can still be realized. Other improvements will focus on automating the production process and increasing production speeds.

Where to Learn More

Books

Beloff, Jim. Jumpin Jim's Ukulele Tips 'N' Tunes. Hal Leonnard Publishing Corporation, 1994.

Beloff, Jim. The Ukulele: A Visual History. Miller Freeman, 1997.

Brosnac, Donald, ed. Guitar History. New York: Bold Strummer Ltd., 1995.

Other

Ukuleles by Kawika. 1626 Kino'ole Street, Hilo, HI 96720-5021. (808) 969-7751. kawika@ilhawaii.net. http://www.ukuleles.com (January 2001).

Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum. ukeinfo@ukulele.org. http://www.ukulele.org (January 2001).

[Article by: Perry Romanowski]

A small four-string guitar from Hawaii, where it was taken in the late 19th century by immigrants from Madeira. Its small size, low cost and light weight, combined with a simple tuning (usually a′-d′-f#′-b′) and an undemanding technique, contributed to its wide adoption in the USA as a portable instrument for accompanying popular songs.

A small guitar, developed in Hawaii, with four strings.

• Stringed Instruments - ukulele: very small, four-stringed guitar (Hawaii)

Martin 3K Professional Ukulele
String instrument
Classification	String instrument (plucked, nylon stringed instrument usually played with the bare thumb and/or fingertips, or a felt pick.)
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	321.322 (Composite chordophone)
Developed	19th century
Related instruments
Bowed and plucked string instruments, in particular the cavaquinho

The ukulele ( /ˌjuːkəˈleɪliː/ EW-kə-LAY-lee;^[1] from Hawaiian: ʻukulele [ˈʔukuˈlɛlɛ]), sometimes abbreviated to uke; is a member of the guitar family of instruments; it generally employs four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings.^[2]

The ukulele originated in the 19th century as an Hawaiian interpretation of the machete,^[3] a small guitar-like instrument related to the cavaquinho, braguinha and the rajao, taken to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants.^[4] It gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

The tone and volume of the instrument varies with size and construction. Ukuleles commonly come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Hawaii 1.2 Canada 1.3 Japan 1.4 United Kingdom 1.5 United States 1.5.1 Pre–World War II 1.5.2 Post–World War II 1.5.3 Post-1990 Revival 2 Types 2.1 Construction 2.2 Sizes 3 Tuning 4 Related instruments 5 Audio samples 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

History

Hawaii

Ukuleles are commonly associated with music from Hawaii where the name roughly translates as "jumping flea",^[5] perhaps due to the resemblance of the player's finger movements to a "jumping flea". Legend attributes it to the nickname of Englishman Edward William Purvis, one of King Kalākaua's officers, due to his small size, fidgety manner, and playing expertise. According to Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, the name means “the gift that came here”, from the Hawaiian words uku (gift or reward) and lele (to come).

Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on two small guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the cavaquinho and the rajao, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde.^[6] Three immigrants in particular, Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers.^[7] Two weeks after they disembarked from the Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts."^[8]

One of the most important factors in establishing the ukulele in Hawaiian music and culture was the ardent support and promotion of the instrument by King Kalākaua. A patron of the arts, he incorporated it into performances at royal gatherings.^[9]

Canada

In the 1960s, educator J. Chalmers Doane dramatically changed school music programs across Canada, using the ukulele as an inexpensive and practical teaching instrument to foster musical literacy in the classroom.^[10] 50,000 schoolchildren and adults learned ukulele through the Doane program at its peak.^[11]

Japan

The ukulele came to Japan in 1929 after Hawaiian-born Yukihiko Haida returned to the country upon his father's death and introduced the instrument. Haida and his brother Katsuhiko formed the Moana Glee Club, enjoying rapid success in an environment of growing enthusiasm for Western popular music, particularly Hawaiian and jazz. During World War II, authorities banned most Western music, but fans and players kept it alive in secret, and it resumed popularity after the war. In 1959, Haida founded the Nihon Ukulele Association. Today, Japan is considered a second home for Hawaiian musicians and ukulele virtuosos.^[12]

United Kingdom

See also: Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

The singer and comedian George Formby was perhaps the UK's most famous ukulele player, though he often played a banjolele, a hybrid instrument consisting of an extended ukulele neck with a banjo resonator body. Demand surged in the new century due to its relative simplicity and portability.^[13]

United States

Pre–World War II

Cover of a 1928 instructional book for the ukulele by Roy Smeck, the "Wizard of the Strings"

The ukulele was popularized for a stateside audience during the Panama Pacific International Exposition, held from spring to fall of 1915 in San Francisco.^[14] The Hawaiian Pavilion featured a guitar and ukulele ensemble, George E. K. Awai and his Royal Hawaiian Quartet,^[15] along with ukulele maker and player Jonah Kumalae.^[16] The popularity of the ensemble with visitors launched a fad for Hawaiian-themed songs among Tin Pan Alley songwriters.^[17] The ensemble also introduced both the lap steel guitar and the ukulele into U.S. mainland popular music,^[18] where it was taken up by vaudeville performers such as Roy Smeck and Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. On April 15, 1923 at the Rivoli Theater in New York City, Smeck appeared, playing the ukulele, in Stringed Harmony, a short film made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. On August 6, 1926, Smeck appeared playing the ukulele in a short film His Pastimes, made in the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process, shown with the feature film Don Juan starring John Barrymore.^[19]

Opening title for the short Vitaphone film His Pastimes (1926)

The ukulele soon became an icon of the Jazz Age.^[20] Highly portable and relatively inexpensive, it also proved popular with amateur players throughout the 1920s, as is evidenced by the introduction of uke chord tablature into the published sheet music for popular songs of the time,^[20] a role that would eventually be supplanted by the guitar in the early years of rock and roll.^[21] A number of mainland-based instrument manufacturers, among them Regal, Harmony, and Martin, added ukulele, banjolele, and tiple lines to their production to take advantage of the demand.

Post–World War II

Boy in Hawaii wearing lei and holding a Maccaferri "Islander" plastic ukulele

a modern red ukulele

From the late 1940s to the late 1960s, plastics manufacturer Mario Maccaferri turned out about 9 million inexpensive ukuleles.^[22] The ukulele continued to be popular, appearing on many jazz songs throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.^[23] Much of the instrument's popularity was cultivated via The Arthur Godfrey Show on television.^[24] Singer-musician Tiny Tim became closely associated with the instrument after playing it on his 1968 hit "Tiptoe Through the Tulips".

Post-1990 Revival

After the 1960s, the ukulele declined in popularity until the late 1990s, when interest in the instrument reappeared.^[25] During the 1990s, new manufacturers began producing ukuleles and a new generation of musicians took up the instrument.

Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole helped re-popularise the instrument, in particular due to his 2003 medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", used in films, television programs, and commercials. The song reached #12 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks chart the week of January 31, 2004 (for the survey week ending January 18, 2004).^{[citation needed]}

Types

Soprano pineapple ukulele, baritone ukulele and taropatch baritone ukulele.

Ukuleles in a music store.

Construction

Ukuleles are generally made of wood, although variants have been composed partially or entirely of plastic. Cheaper ukuleles are generally made from ply or laminate woods, in some cases with a soundboard of an acoustically superior wood such as spruce. More expensive ukuleles are made of solid hardwoods such as mahogany (Swietenia spp.) Some of the most expensive ukuleles, which may cost thousands of dollars, are made from koa (Acacia koa), a Hawaiian wood.

Typically ukuleles have a figure-eight body shape similar to that of a small acoustic guitar. They are also often seen in non-standard shapes, such as cutaway shape and an oval, usually called a "pineapple" ukulele, invented by the Kamaka Ukulele company, or a boat-paddle shape, and occasionally a square shape, often made out of an old wooden cigar box.

These instruments may have just four strings; or some strings may be paired in courses, giving the instrument a total of six or eight strings.

Instruments with 6 or 8 strings in 4 courses are usually called taropatch ukuleles, and used to be common in a concert size, but now the tenor size is more common for 8-string taropatch ukuleles. The 6 string, 4 course version, has 2 single and 2 double courses, and is sometimes called a Lili'u, although this name is also applied to the 8-string version.^[26]

Sizes

Four sizes of ukuleles are common: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The less common sopranino has a nut to bridge of under 13 inches. The bass ukulele anchors the other end of the size spectrum.^{[citation needed]}

The soprano, often called "standard" in Hawaii, is the smallest and was the original size. The concert size was developed in the 1920s as an enhanced soprano, slightly larger and louder with a deeper tone. Shortly thereafter, the tenor was created, having more volume and deeper bass tone. The baritone was created in the 1940s.

Type	Scale length[27]	Total length	Tuning[28]
soprano or standard	13" (33 cm)	21" (53 cm)	A4-D4-F#4-B4 or G4-C4-E4-A4
concert	15" (38 cm)	23" (58 cm)	G4-C4-E4-A4, A4 D4 F#4 B4, or G3-C4-E4-A4
tenor	17" (43 cm)	26" (66 cm)	G3-C4-E4-A4, G4-C4-E4-A4, A4 D4 F#4 B4, or D4-G3-B3-E4
baritone	19" (48 cm)	30" (76 cm)	D3-G3-B3-E4

Tuning

Ukulele standard tuning  Play (help·info).

"My dog has fleas" tuning.  Play (help·info)

Traditional tuning for the soprano ukulele was D6-tuning: A4 D4 F#4 B4, but standard tuning for concert and tenor ukuleles the C6-tuning instead: G4 C4 E4 A4. The G string is tuned an octave higher than might be expected. This is known as reentrant tuning. Some prefer "Low G" tuning on the tenor, with the G in sequence an octave lower. The baritone is usually tuned to D3 G3 B3 E4, which is the same as the highest four strings of the standard 6-string guitar.

Another common tuning for concerts is D-tuning, A4 D4 F#4 B4, one step higher than the G4 C4 E4 A4 tuning. D tuning is said by some to bring out a sweeter tone in some ukuleles, generally smaller ones. This tuning was commonly used during the Hawaiian music boom of the early 20th century, and is often seen in sheet music from this period. D tuning with a low 4th, A3 D4 F#4 B4 is sometimes called "Canadian tuning" after its use in the Canadian school system, mostly on concert or tenor ukuleles, and extensive use by James Hill and Chalmers Doane.^{[citation needed]}

Hawaiian ukuleles may also be tuned to open tunings, similar to the Hawaiian slack key style.^[29]

Related instruments

Ukulele varieties include hybrid instruments such as the guitalele (also called guitarlele), banjo ukulele (also called banjolele), harp ukulele, and lap steel ukulele. There is an electrically amplified version, the electric ukulele. The resonator ukulele is louder and of different tone quality from traditional wooden ukuleles, producing sound by one or more spun aluminum cones (resonators) instead of the wooden soundboard. The Tahitian ukulele, another variant, is usually carved from a single piece of wood and does not have a hollow soundbox.^{[citation needed]}

Close cousins of the ukulele include the Portuguese forerunners, the cavaquinho (also commonly known as machete or braguinha) and the slightly larger rajao. Other stringed variants include the Puerto Rican bordonua, the Venezuelan cuatro, the Colombian tiple, the timple of the Canary Islands, the Spanish vihuela, and the Andean charango traditionally made of an armadillo shell. In Indonesia, a similar Portuguese-inspired instrument is the kroncong.^{[citation needed]}

Audio samples

Ukulele chords A chord being played on a ukulele – 47 kB Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Henry Kailimai's hene A piece being played on a ukulele – 327 kB Problems listening to this file? See media help.

See also

• List of ukulele musicians

Notes

1. ^ "ukulele". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 3rd ed. 2001.
2. ^ Erich M. von Hornbostel & Curt Sachs, "Classification of Musical Instruments: Translated from the Original German by Anthony Baines and Klaus P. Wachsmann." The Galpin Society Journal 14, 1961: 3-29.
3. ^ Tranquada and King (2012). The Ukulele, A History. Hawaii University Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3634-4. 
4. ^ Norden, Ernest E.. "Portuguese Americans". Multicultural America. http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Portuguese-Americans.html. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
5. ^ Beloff 2003, p. 13
6. ^ Nidel, Richard (2004). World Music: The Basics. Routledge. p. 312. ISBN 978-0-415-96800-3. 
7. ^ Roberts, Helen (1926). Ancient Hawaiian Music. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. pp. 9–10. 
8. ^ King, John (2000). "Prolegomena to a History of the ‘Ukelele". Ukulele Guild of Hawai'i. http://www.ukuleleguild.org/history.php. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
9. ^ "David Kalakaua (1836–1891), Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductee, 1997". Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum. 2008. http://ukulele.org/?Inductees:1997-1998:David_Kalakaua. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
10. ^ Karr, Gary, and McMillan, Barclay (1992). "J. Chalmers Doane". Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. University of Toronto Press. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000986. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
11. ^ Beloff 2003, p. 111
12. ^ Beloff, Jim (2003). The Ukulele: A Visual History. Backbeat books. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-87930-758-5. 
13. ^ Fladmark, Judy (2010-02-19). "Ukulele sends UK crazy". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8523082.stm. 
14. ^ Lipsky, William (2005). San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Arcadia Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7385-3009-3. 
15. ^ Doyle, Peter (2005). Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording, 1900–1960. Wesleyan. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8195-6794-9. 
16. ^ "Jonah Kumalae (1875–1940), 2002 Hall of Fame Inductee". Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum. 2007. http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2002-2003:Jonah_Kumalae. Retrieved 2008-06-02. 
17. ^ Koskoff, Ellen (2005). Music Cultures in the United States: An Introduction. Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-415-96588-0. 
18. ^ Volk, Andy (2003). Lap Steel Guitar. Centerstream Publications. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-57424-134-1. 
19. ^ Whitcomb, Ian (2000). Ukulele Heaven: Songs from the Golden Age of the Ukulele. Mel Bay Publications. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7866-4951-8. 
20. ^ ^{a b} Whitcomb, Ian (2001). Uke Ballads: A Treasury of Twenty-five Love Songs Old and New. Mel Bay Publications. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7866-1360-1. 
21. ^ Sanjek, Russell (1988). American Popular Music and Its Business: The First Four Hundred Years. Oxford University Press. p. 95. ISBN 0-19-504311-1. 
22. ^ Wright, Michael. "Maccaferri History: The Guitars of Mario Maccaferri". Vintage Guitar. http://www.vguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=1071. Retrieved 2008-06-02. 
23. ^ "The Ukulele". Peterborough Music. 3 March 2002. http://www.peterboroughmusicltd.com/ukulele.irs. Retrieved 2011-09-15. The Ukulele
24. ^ "Arthur Godfrey (1903–1983), 2001 Hall of Fame Inductee". Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum. 2007. http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2000-2001:Arthur_Godfrey. Retrieved 2008-06-02. 
25. ^ John Shepherd (27 February 2003). Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world: VolumeII: Performance and production. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 450–. ISBN 978-0-8264-6322-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=pJvzEzjahkQC&pg=PA450. Retrieved 16 April 2011. 
26. ^ http://stringedinstrumentdatabase.110mb.com/u.htm
27. ^ The "Scale" is the length of the playable part of the strings, from the nut at the top to the bridge at the bottom.
28. ^ On the soprano, concert, and tenor instruments, the most common tuning results in a "bottom" string that is not the lowest, as it is tuned a 5th higher than the next string (and a Major 2nd below the "top" string).
29. ^ Kimura, Heeday. How to Play Slack Key Ukulule. 

References

• Beloff, Jim (2003) [1997]. The Ukulele: A Visual History (Revised & Expanded ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-758-7. 
• King, John (2012). The Ukulele: A History. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 974-0-8248-3634-4. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ukulele

• Beginner Ukulele Guide – information for beginning ukulele players
• Live Ukulele – tabs, lessons, and reviews
• Tiki King's Ukulele Brand name database – information on over 500 ukulele makers past and present
• Richard G's Ukulele Songs Over 1000 songs transcribed especially for ukulele.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - ukulele

Nederlands (Dutch)
ukelele (kleine gitaar met vier snaren)

Français (French)
n. - guitare hawaïenne

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ukulele

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (μουσ.) γιουκουλέλε, χαβανέζικη κιθάρα

Italiano (Italian)
ukulele

Português (Portuguese)
n. - uquelele (m), guitarra havaiana (f)

Русский (Russian)
гавайская гитара

Español (Spanish)
n. - ukelele

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ukulele

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
夏威夷的四弦琴

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 夏威夷的四弦琴

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 우쿠레레 (기타같이 생긴 4현악기)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ウクレレ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قيثارة برتغاليه ذات اربعه اوتار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יוקוללה, גיטרה מהאוואיי‬

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