Learning Ukulele and Why

ALOHA,

Why Ukulele ?

The Ukulele was born in Hawaii created by Portuguese immigrant luthiers. It is pronounced OO-KOO-LAY-LAY…not YUKAlaylay. Ukulele in Hawaiian means Dancing Flea which describes a player’s right hand as it picks the strings.

There are many reasons the ukulele has experienced one of the most explosive modern revivals of any musical instrument. Ukulele has already replaced the old faithful recorder in schools Worldwide with up to 50% of new students being Senior Citizens. Many current Superstars began with the Ukulele ! Australia alone imports 200,000 ukuleles a year compared to importing 150,000 guitars. (Australian Music Association) Ukulele is still growing Worldwide !

The Ukulele is the easiest instrument to learn to play songs and become a Musician. Students can learn chords and play songs with their first lesson !

WHAT STUDENTS WILL NEED:

1) Ukulele of your choice

2) Ukulele Tuner to keep it in tune, some tuners also have a built in metronome

(The following are Strong suggestions.!)

3) access to a printer to print out weekly lessons

4) an inexpensive music stand

5) one extra set of strings so a broken string is a quick fix and does not stop you from playing.

HOW TO CHOSE AND WHAT SIZE UKE ?

The vast majority of beginner level ukuleles are all factory made in Asia and should start at about the $50 range. These are one level above “a toy” but OK to start with. They are usually not “set up” by the retail store and the string height may be a little high which can be easily fixed. The Ukulele comes in 4 sizes with small to large being Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone

Soprano: the smallest size is best for children

Concert: is common with women, but also played by men and children

Tenor: a very popular size

Baritone: the largest size and only two inches shorter than a tenor guitar. Great for folks that have large hands or a bit stiff fingers………

Start off with a 4 string ukulele, but they also make 5,6 or 8 string ukuleles which are played the same as a 4 string except your left hand fingers press down 2 strings at a time instead of just one. Start with 4 strings. The Baritone size was created in the 1940s and made popular by Arthur Godfrey when the tenor guitar was so popular in the U.S. Baritone strings in the tuning of GCEA just like the other three sizes are easily available online so it can be played exactly like the other sizes, no difference.

The most important piece of wood on an acoustic stringed instrument is the soundboard. Solid wood is very desirable for a soundboard instead of the less expensive laminates.

….but which one for me ?????….an expensive or all solid wood ukulele will not make you a better player. Your desire, a good teacher and practice makes that happen. A properly set up uke will make any uke easier for you to play and learn with.

Look at as many ukuleles as you possibly can in person and online. Talk with friends and visit ukulele groups to see different models, sizes and brands. There really is no right or wrong here to what you like except if you are a 70 year old auto mechanic I would not buy the smallest model, that would be too small for your hands. If there are 10 ukuleles on the wall of the same model, strum them all, one will sound the best to you. That’s the one. Get started today !!!!

PRACTICE and a GOOD TEACHER:

Practice will make you a player. There is magic in that little uke and the teacher is just the bus driver. It is the teachers job to present you what you need and when you need it for you to reach your individual goal. One on One is the best way to learn at your own pace. Record your lesson here on Lessonface so you may review it during the week ! Your teacher will present as much information as possible to take advantage of the short lesson time. Knowing what to present to a student and when is part of the art of Teaching.

Too many students quit before they begin to enjoy the benefit of playing music because there is not much fun in the first few lessons, no rewards yet. A good teacher will show you what to practice and just as importantly how to practice.

Craig Moore

Ukulele Teacher, September, 2026