Dictionary:

ukulele

  (yū'kə-lā'lē, ū'kə-)

A small four-stringed guitar popularized in Hawaii.

[Hawaiian 'ukulele : 'uku, flea + lele, jumping.]

REGIONAL NOTE   The word ukulele is one of a small stock of Polynesian borrowings into American English. Other Hawaiian words now common in American English are aloha (a greeting or farewell) and luau (an outdoor picnic usually featuring a whole barbecued pig). Haole, a word common in Hawaii itself but not well known on the American mainland, is the Hawaiian word for a white person.

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. 15 Concord Ave., Cranston, RI 02910. (401) 461-1668. 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.

For more information on ukulele, visit Britannica.com.

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

1. REDIRECT

The ukulele (Hawaiian: ʻukulele, IPA pronunciation: /ʔukulele/; Anglicised pronunciation usually IPA: /ˌjukəˈleɪli/), sometimes spelled ukelele (particularly in the UK) or uke, 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.^[1]

History

Hawaii

The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawaii, where the name roughly translates as "jumping flea", and was developed there in the 1880s as a combination of the Madeiran braguinha and rajão. A braguinha is an instrument similar to a cavaquinho, built in the city of Braga and named after it; the Portuguese cavaquinho is usually tuned in D-G-B-D, a G-major chord. The Madeira rajão is tuned D-G-C-E-A. The D and G strings are both re-entrant, i.e., tuned an octave higher than expected in the normal low-to-high course of strings. The GCEA strings of the rajão are the source of the re-entrant tuning of the modern ukulele[1].

Some of the most valuable ukuleles, which may run into the thousands of dollars in price, are made from koa (Acacia koa), a local wood known for its fine tone and attractive color and figure.^photo

U.S. mainland

The ukulele was popularized for a stateside audience^[2] during the Panama Pacific International Exposition, held for most of 1915 in San Francisco, at which the Hawaiian Pavilion featured a guitar and ukulele ensemble, George E. K. Awai and his Royal Hawaiian Quartette, along with ukulele maker and player Jonah Kumalae. The popularity of the ensemble with visitors launched a fad for Hawaiian-themed songs among Tin Pan Alley songwriters. The ensemble also introduced both the lap steel guitar and the ukulele into U.S. mainland popular music, where it was taken up by vaudeville performers such as Roy Smeck and Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. The ukulele became an icon of the Jazz Age as this highly portable and relatively inexpensive instrument 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 (a role that would eventually be supplanted by the guitar). 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.

It can range in many different colours from white to blue and material from plastic to wood.

Types of ukulele

The ukulele comes in four sizes, from smallest to largest:

Type	Scale* length	Total length
soprano or standard (the original size)	13" (33 cm)	21" (53 cm)
concert	15" (38 cm)	23" (58 cm)
tenor (created in the 1920s)	17" (43 cm)	26" (66 cm)
baritone (created in the late 1940s)	19" (48 cm)	30" (76 cm)

* (The "Scale" is the length of the playable part of the strings, from the nut at the top to the bridge at the bottom.)

Ukuleles are also often seen in non-standard shapes, such as an oval, usually called a "pineapple" ukulele, or a boat-paddle shape, made popular by the Fluke brand of ukulele, and occasionally a square shape, often made out of an old wooden cigar box.

Ukulele musicians

Musicians and entertainers, both past and present, particularly known for playing the ukulele include:

Aldrine Guerrero Andy Roberts Anne Murray Arthur Godfrey "King" Benny Nawahi Billy 'Uke' Scott Bob Brozman Bruce Forsyth* Buster Keaton Cliff Edwards ("Ukulele Ike") Carmaig de Forest Dan Zanes David Tanner (llama) Darren Hayman Del Rey Dick Van Dyke Don Ho Eddie Florano Ed's Redeeming Qualities Eddie Kamae Eddie Vedder Elton Hayes Erin Ross Ernest Kaʻai

Forrest Kline Frank Crumit Gabby La La George Formby (played banjolele & Hawaiian ukulele) George Harrison Gerald Ross Hayseed Dixie Imua Garza Island Ukuleles Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Jack Johnson Jake Shimabukuro James Hill Jens Lekman Joe Brown John Lennon John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin Jolie Holland Julien Doré Troy Fernandez Krista L. L. Muir Langley Ukulele Ensemble

Lucille Ball Lou Barlow Lyle Ritz Mang Udel Nathan Sambell Neil Finn New York Ukulele Ensemble Pacifica Ukes Patrick Wolf Paul McCartney Penguin Cafe Orchestra Peter Hobbs Peter Sellers Petty Booka Richie Sambora Roy Smeck Sean Egan SpongeBob SquarePants Stefan Raab Stephin Merritt Steve Martin Ukes of Hazzard The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Tiny Tim Todd Olson uke til u puke Wayne Federman Zach Condon Zach Gill Zooey Deschanel Peter Sutcliffe

Trivia

Ukulele in the hands of a Ziegfeld Follies chorus girl, c. 1920

• Beatle George Harrison was a lifelong fan of the ukulele. He was reported to have always traveled with two ukuleles so that he could play with someone, including producer and musician Jeff Lynne and fellow former Beatle Paul McCartney. George's close friend and musician Joe Brown performed "I'll See You in my Dreams" on the ukulele at the end of the Concert For George. Paul McCartney also opened up one of George's songs "Something" on a left-handed ukeleles, saying George showed him it while they were playing the ukeleles after dinner at Paul's house.
• Brian Wilson used Lyle Ritz's ukulele skills on his album Pet Sounds, particularly on the song "Caroline, No."
• Eric Clapton plays the ukulele on the Bonzo Dog Band's "The Intro and the Outro".
• Although not as widely-known, Keith Green was playing the ukulele when he was three years of age.
• Violinist Sara Watkins, a member of Nickel Creek, is a ukulele player. She only plays it occasionally; one such example is the song "Anthony".
• Multi-instrumentalist and producer Jon Brion sometimes performs a version of Phil Lynott's "The Boys Are Back In Town" live solo on a ukulele.
• Brian May of Queen plays a ukelele in the song "Bring Back Leroy Brown" from Sheer Heart Attack and on "Good Company" from A Night at the Opera. While still a teenager, May learned to play the ukulele-banjo, and from the chords he learned, he taught himself the guitar.

In the 1920's, the phrase Play that on your ukulele meant the same as Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

• Zach Condon of Beirut (band) plays the ukulele as his main instrument, having been unable to play guitar due to a wrist injury that prevented his hand from reaching fully around the neck of a guitar.
• David Tanner plays 4 ukuleles a soprano, baritone, tenor and the banjolele.
• Nathan Sambell plays the soprano ukulele and bass and got into the ukulele because of David Tanner.
• Pearl Jam recorded a song called Soon Forget done entirely by Eddie Vedder with only a ukelele and his voice.

Tahitian ukulele

The Tahitian ukulele is significantly different from other ukuleles because it does not have a sound box. The body——including the head and neck——is usually carved from a single piece of wood, with a wide conical hole bored through the middle. A tahitian Ukulele can often be carved out of three pieces of wood with the sides being made out of different woods. This is however just for decoration.

At the back, the bore is about 4 cm in diameter; at the front it is about 10 cm in diameter. The hole at the front is covered with a thin piece of wood, on which the bridge sits, so the instrument works rather like a wooden-skinned banjo. Indeed, some of these instruments are referred to as Tahitian banjos. The strings are usually made from light-gauge fishing line——usually green in colour (usually around 40—50 lb).

The instrument seems to be a relatively recent invention, popular in eastern Polynesia, particularly French Polynesia. It is reported to have been introduced to the Cook Islands in 1990 by the band Te Ava Piti as a newly invented instrument.

Tuning a Tahitian ukulele

These instruments may have just four strings——or some strings may be paired, so that the instrument has six or eight strings.

The strings or pairs ("courses") are tuned to A₆ D₆ F#₆ B₅ or G₅ C₆ E₆ A₅ (See Scientific pitch notation for a description of these codes).

After the Hawaiian ukulele was invented, the Hawaiians referred to a similar, eight-string instrument tuned GCEA as a taro-patch fiddle. Before the invention of the ukulele, taro-patch fiddle referred to the rajão.

Those who are familiar with ukulele chords will find that the same chord shapes will fit these tunings, but that the chords will be transposed and inverted.

Audio samples

Ukulele chords

A chord being played on an ukulele - 47 kB

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Henry Kailimai's hene

A piece being played on an ʻukulele - 327 kB

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See also

• Bordonúa
• Cavaquinho
• Charango
• Cuatro
• List of ukulele manufacturers
• Slack-key
• Timple
• Tiple
• Vihuela

References

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ A Little Uke History

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ukulele

• [2]Somewhere over the rainbow and teenage kicks by Thin Lizard
• Sione 'Aleki Performance by Tongan 'ukulele legend
• Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum
• Jake Shimabukuro on Midnight Ukulele Disco (original recording)
• Wayne Federman on YouTube
• 'Ukulele tabs, lessons, and videos
• Hawaiian Concert Guide Podcast Free podcast featuring Hawaiian music that includes the Ukulele.
• [3]
• Several tutorials and videos about strumming, fingerpicking patterns, and a ukulele online radio
• Territorial Airwaves - Your Source For The History Of Hawaiian Music
• Interactive ukulele chord finder
• Free printable chordcharts for all ukulele tunings
• Ukulele Heroes - an index of notable players
• The Fluke Ukulele Museum
• Gerald Ross' Ukulele & Hawaiian Steel Guitar Website
• The 8 Strings Tahitian Ukuleles from the Marquesas Islands
• Ukulele Chord Chart For GCEA strings

[[4]]

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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