A ukulele, also spelled ukelele, is a small, four-stringed guitar that belongs to the stringed instrument family. It’s also known as a “ukulele,” and it’s tuned and played similarly to a guitar, with tuning going from top to bottom using G C E and A on the piano, though the ukulele is usually tuned an octave higher than the guitar. The soprano ukulele, concert ukulele, tenor ukulele, and baritone ukulele are the four sizes available.
Although the instrument has long been associated with Hawaii, it actually originated in Portugal. Portuguese sailors brought the braguinha, a ukulele-like instrument, to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1870s. When the native Hawaiians saw the man playing the stringed instrument’s quick and intricate fingerwork, they gave it the name “ukulele,” which means “jumping flea” in English. It became Hawaii’s most popular instrument in less than a decade.
A Tahitian version is also available, which differs significantly from the traditional model. This type’s body is carved from a single piece of wood and lacks a sound box in the traditional sense. Instead, the instrument has a hole carved right through the middle, which is covered with a thin piece of wood in the front. The Tahitian ukulele has a similar appearance and sound to a banjo, and it is sometimes referred to as such.
In 1915, during the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California, the ukulele became popular in the United States, becoming one of the most popular world’s fairs the country has ever seen. The Royal Hawaiian Quartette, which included guitarists and ukulele players, performed at the Hawaiian Pavilion. The music was a huge hit, and the instrument quickly became part of mainland music culture. Within five years, vaudeville acts were using it in their shows, and the ukulele had become a staple of the newly popular jazz culture.
The ukulele has become associated with some of the more unusual and eccentric musicians in recent years, such as Tiny Tim, but it has also been used many mainstream artists. Former Beatles Paul McCartney and George Harrison, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, and Elvis Presley, were all known to play the instrument. The ukulele is most commonly associated with folk and Hawaiian music nowadays. It’s a useful instrument because it’s cheap, small, lightweight, and portable.