Ukulele#Tuning

Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small, guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the {{lang|pt|machete}},{{cite book|last=Tranquada and King|title=The Ukulele, A History|publisher=Hawaii University Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8248-3634-4}} {{lang|pt|cavaquinho}} and {{lang|pt|rajão}}, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, the Azores, and Cape Verde.{{cite book

| last = Nidel

| first = Richard

| title = World Music: The Basics

| publisher = Routledge

| year = 2004

| page = [https://archive.org/details/worldmusic00rich_0/page/312 312]

| isbn = 978-0-415-96800-3

| url = https://archive.org/details/worldmusic00rich_0/page/312

}} Three immigrants in particular, Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers.{{cite book

| last = Roberts

| first = Helen

| title = Ancient Hawaiian Music

| publisher = Bernice P. Bishop Museum

| year = 1926

| pages = 9–10}} Two weeks after they disembarked from the SS Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts."{{cite web

| last = King

| first = John

| title = Prolegomena to a History of the 'Ukuleley

| publisher = Ukulele Guild of Hawaii

| year = 2003

| url = http://www.ukuleleguild.org/history.php

| url-status = usurped

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040803005054/http://www.ukuleleguild.org/history.php

| archive-date = 2004-08-03

}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:1997-1998:David_Kalakaua|title=David Kalakaua (1836–1891), Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductee, 1997|year=2008|publisher=Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum|access-date=2008-06-11}}

In the Hawaiian language the word ukulele roughly translates as 'jumping flea',{{harvnb|Beloff|2003|p=13}} perhaps because of the movement of the player's fingers. Legend attributes it to the nickname of Englishman Edward William Purvis, one of King Kalākaua's officers, because of his small size, fidgety manner, and playing expertise. One of the earliest appearances of the word ukulele in print (in the sense of a stringed instrument) is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments of All Nations published in 1907. The catalog describes two ukuleles from Hawaii—one that is similar in size to a modern soprano ukulele, and one that is similar to a tenor (see {{section link||Types and sizes}}).{{cite book|title=Catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments of All Nations|date=1907|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|volume=III. Instruments of Savage Tribes and Semi-Civilized Peoples, Part 2. Oceania|page=51}}

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.{{cite encyclopedia

| last1 = McMillan

| first1 = Barclay

| last2 = Karr

| first2 = Gary

| title = J. Chalmers Doane

| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

| publisher = University of Toronto Press

| year = 1992

| url = https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/j-chalmers-doane-emc

| access-date = 2008-06-09}} At its peak, 50,000 schoolchildren and adults learned the ukulele through the Doane program.{{harvnb|Beloff|2003|p=111}} "Ukulele in the Classroom", a revised program created by James Hill and Doane in 2008, is a staple of music education in Canada.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/index.htm |title=Ukulele in the Classroom |access-date=31 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723102636/http://www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/index.htm |archive-date=23 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}

The ukulele arrived in 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 music from the West, but fans and players kept it alive in secret, and it resumed popularity after the war. In 1959, Haida founded the Nihon Ukulele Association. Japan has since become a second home for Hawaiian musicians and ukulele virtuosos.{{harvnb|Beloff|2003|p=110}}

British singer and comedian George Formby was a 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 because of its relative simplicity and portability.{{cite news|last=Fladmark|first=Judy|title=Ukulele sends UK crazy|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8523082.stm|work=BBC News | date=2010-02-19}} Another British ukulele player was Tony Award-winner Tessie O'Shea, who appeared in numerous movies and stage shows, and was twice on The Ed Sullivan Show, including the night The Beatles debuted in 1964.{{cite book

| last = Tranquada

| first = Jim

| title = The Ukulele: a History

| publisher = University of Hawaii Press

| year = 2012

| page = 152

| isbn = 978-0-8248-3544-6

}}

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain tours globally, and the George Formby Society, established in 1961, continues to hold regular conventions.

George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon all played the ukulele.{{cite web | last=Jackson | first=Blair | title=How The Beatles' George Harrison Turned His Love of Ukulele into a Personal Crusade | website=Ukulele Magazine | date=August 5, 2021 | url=https://ukulelemagazine.com/stories/beatles-george-harrison-ukulele-crusade | access-date=April 20, 2023}} Harrison, who was a Formby fan, was a great lover of the instrument and often gave them to friends, including Tom Petty, whom he taught to play.{{cite web | last=Whatley | first=Jack | title=The Beatles' George Harrison believed everyone should have a ukulele | website=Far Out Magazine | date=April 20, 2020 | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/beatles-george-harrison-tom-petty-ukulele-story/ | access-date=April 20, 2023}}

File:Ukulele Craze 1916 Glackens.jpg satirizing the contemporary ukulele craze.]]

The ukulele was popularized for a stateside audience during the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, held from spring to autumn of 1915 in San Francisco.{{cite book

| last = Lipsky

| first = William

| title = San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition

| publisher = Arcadia Publishing

| year = 2005

| page = 36

| isbn = 978-0-7385-3009-3}} The Hawaiian Pavilion featured a guitar and ukulele ensemble, George E. K. Awai and his Royal Hawaiian Quartet,{{cite book

| last = Doyle

| first = Peter

| title = Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording, 1900–1960

| publisher = Wesleyan

| year = 2005

| page = 120

| isbn = 978-0-8195-6794-9}} along with ukulele maker and player Jonah Kumalae.{{cite web

| title = Jonah Kumalae (1875–1940), 2002 Hall of Fame Inductee

| publisher = Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum

| year = 2007

| url = http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2002-2003:Jonah_Kumalae

| access-date = 2008-06-02}} The popularity of the ensemble with visitors launched a fad for Hawaiian-themed songs among Tin Pan Alley songwriters.{{cite book

| last = Koskoff

| first = Ellen

| title = Music Cultures in the United States: An Introduction

| url = https://archive.org/details/musicculturesuni00kosk

| url-access = limited

| publisher = Routledge

| year = 2005

| page = [https://archive.org/details/musicculturesuni00kosk/page/n143 129]

| isbn = 978-0-415-96588-0 }} The ensemble also introduced both the lap steel guitar and the ukulele into U.S. mainland popular music,{{cite book

| last = Volk| first = Andy

| title = Lap Steel Guitar

| publisher = Centerstream Publications

| year = 2003

| page = 6

| isbn = 978-1-57424-134-1}} 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.{{cite book

| last = Whitcomb

| first = Ian

| title = Ukulele Heaven: Songs from the Golden Age of the Ukulele

| publisher = Mel Bay Publications

| year = 2000

| page = [https://archive.org/details/ukuleleheavenson00whit/page/11 11]

| isbn = 978-0-7866-4951-8

| url = https://archive.org/details/ukuleleheavenson00whit/page/11

}}

The ukulele soon became an icon of the Jazz Age.{{cite book

| last = Whitcomb

| first = Ian

| title = Uke Ballads: A Treasury of Twenty-five Love Songs Old and New

| publisher = Mel Bay Publications

| year = 2001

| page = 4

| isbn = 978-0-7866-1360-1}} Like guitar, basic ukulele skills can be learned fairly easily, and this highly portable, relatively inexpensive instrument was popular with amateur players throughout the 1920s, as evidenced by the introduction of uke chord tablature into the published sheet music for popular songs of the time (a role that was supplanted by the guitar in the early years of rock and roll).{{cite book

| last = Sanjek

| first = Russell

| title = American Popular Music and Its Business: The First Four Hundred Years

| url = https://archive.org/details/americanpopularm00san_hz5

| url-access = registration

| publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1988

| page = [https://archive.org/details/americanpopularm00san_hz5/page/95 95]

| isbn = 0-19-504311-1}} A number of mainland-based stringed-instrument manufacturers, among them Regal, Harmony, and especially Martin, added ukulele, banjolele, and tiple lines to their production to take advantage of the demand.{{Cite web |title=Famous Ukulele songs |url=https://www.ukulele-tabs.com/famous-ukulele-songs.html |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Ukulele-Tabs.com |language=en}}

The ukulele also made inroads into early country music or old-time music{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldtimeherald.org/archive/back_issues/volume-9/9-5/uke.html|title="Just a few penny dreadfuls": the Ukulele and Old-Time Country Music|last=Rev|first=Lil'|website=www.oldtimeherald.org|access-date=2018-06-27|archive-date=2012-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615233057/http://www.oldtimeherald.org/archive/back_issues/volume-9/9-5/uke.html|url-status=dead}} parallel to the then-popular mandolin. It was played by Jimmie Rodgers and Ernest V. Stoneman, as well as by early string bands, including Cowan Powers and his Family Band, Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, Walter Smith and Friends, The Blankenship Family, The Hillbillies, and The Hilltop Singers.

File:Boy w ukulele.jpg and holding a Maccaferri "Islander" plastic ukulele]]

File:Red Ukulele.JPG

From the late 1940s to the late 1960s, plastics manufacturer Mario Maccaferri turned out about 9 million inexpensive ukuleles.{{cite web

|last = Wright

|first = Michael

|title = Maccaferri History: The Guitars of Mario Maccaferri

|magazine = Vintage Guitar

|url = http://www.vguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=1071

|access-date = 2008-06-02

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090625165925/http://www.vguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=1071

|archive-date = 2009-06-25

}} The ukulele remained popular, appearing in many jazz songs throughout the 50s, '60s, and '70s.{{cite web

|title = The Ukulele

|publisher = Peterborough Music

|date = 3 March 2002

|url = http://www.peterboroughmusicltd.com/ukulele.irs

|access-date = 2011-09-15

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111103171108/http://www.peterboroughmusicltd.com/ukulele.irs

|archive-date = 3 November 2011

}}The Ukulele Much of the instrument's popularity (particularly the baritone size) was cultivated by Arthur Godfrey on The Arthur Godfrey Show on television.{{cite web

| title = Arthur Godfrey (1903–1983), 2001 Hall of Fame Inductee

| publisher = Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum

| year = 2007

| url = http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2000-2001:Arthur_Godfrey

| access-date = 2008-06-02

| archive-date = 2015-05-08

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150508003707/http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees%3A2000-2001%3AArthur_Godfrey

| url-status = dead

}} In 1959 the Ukulele made an iconic appearance played by Marilyn Monroe as the character "Sugar Kane" in the movie Some Like It Hot, notably during the band's rendition of Runnin' Wild. Singer-musician Tiny Tim became closely associated with the instrument after playing it on his 1968 hit "Tiptoe Through the Tulips".

File:Viohl Ukulele sound hole.jpg

After the 1960s, the ukulele declined in popularity until the late 1990s, when interest in the instrument reawakened.{{cite book|author=John Shepherd|title=Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world: VolumeII: Performance and production|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJvzEzjahkQC&pg=PA450|access-date=16 April 2011|date=27 February 2003|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8264-6322-7|pages=450–}} During the 1990s, new manufacturers began producing ukuleles and a new generation of musicians took up the instrument. Jim Beloff set out to promote the instrument in the early 1990s and created over two dozen ukulele music books featuring modern music and classic ukulele pieces.Mighty Uke, Interview with Jim Beloff, 2010

All-time best-selling Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwoʻole helped repopularize the instrument, in particular with his 1993 reggae-rhythmed medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", used in films, television programs, and commercials. The song reached number 12 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks chart the week of January 31, 2004.Billboard, for the survey week ending January 18, 2004.

The creation of YouTube helped revive the popularity of the ukulele. One of the first videos to go viral was Jake Shimabukuro's ukulele rendition of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". The video quickly went viral, and as of September 2020, had received over 17 million views.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/puSkP3uym5k| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Ukulele weeps by Jake Shimabukuro|last=Catholic Laitinen|date=6 September 2020|access-date=3 April 2019|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

In recent years, the ukulele has also been used increasingly in music education, sometimes replacing the recorder as first musical instrument.{{Cite web |last=National Association for Music Education |date= |title=Why try the Ukulele in Schools |url=https://nafme.org/blog/why-try-the-ukulele-in-schools/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=National Association for Music Education}} The ukulele is used both as a solo instrument and also in ensemble pieces for two or more instruments, such as Markus Rathey's song arrangements for three ukuleles.{{Cite book |last=Rathey |first=Markus |title=Three Ukuleles around the Christmas Tree: 10 Christmas Carols for Ukulele Ensemble |date=2024 |publisher=Beachland Press |year=2024 |isbn=9798332757280 |location=Milford, CT |publication-date=2024}}{{Cite book |last=Rathey |first=Markus |title=Two Ukes and a Baritone: 14 Song Arrangements for Ukulele Ensemble |date=2024 |publisher=Beachlan Press |year=2024 |isbn=9798877056275 |location=Milford, CT |publication-date=2024}}

The ukulele is generally made of wood, though variants have been composed partially or entirely of plastic or other materials. Cheaper ukuleles are generally made from plywood or laminated woods, in some cases with a soundboard of a tonewood such as spruce. More expensive ukuleles are made of solid hardwoods such as mahogany. The traditionally preferred wood for ukuleles is a type of acacia endemic to Hawaii, called koa.

Typically, ukuleles have a figure-eight body shape similar to that of a small acoustic guitar. They are also often seen in nonstandard shapes, such as cutaway and oval, usually called a "pineapple" ukulele (see image below), 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 usually have four strings; some strings may be paired in courses, giving the instrument a total of six or eight strings (primarily for greater strumming volume.) The strings themselves were originally made of catgut. Modern ukuleles use strings made from nylon polymers, synthetic gut, or fluorocarbon or wound strings composed of a (typically) nylon core wound with metal or polymers,{{Cite book |last=Jeppson |first=Mim |title=The ukulele owner's manual |publisher=String Letter Publishing, Inc. |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-936604-42-5 |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=Blair |pages=28–31 |chapter=Things about strings}} including aluminium and silver-plated copper.{{cite web|url=https://www.martinguitar.com/strings/ukulele/|title=Ukulele Strings |publisher=C.F. Martin & Co.|access-date=30 November 2016}}

Instruments with six or eight strings in four courses are often called taropatches, or taropatch ukuleles. They were once common in the concert size, but now the tenor size is more common for six-string taropatch ukuleles. The six-string, four-course version, has two single and two double courses, and is sometimes called a lili‘u, though this name also applies to the eight-string version.{{cite web |title=Ukulele |website=The Stringed Instrument Database |url=http://stringedinstrumentdatabase.110mb.com/u.htm |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621113819/http://stringedinstrumentdatabase.110mb.com/u.htm |archive-date=2013-06-21 |url-status=dead}} Eight-string baritone taropatches exist,{{cite web|url=http://www.theukulelesite.com/kamaka-baritone-8-string-hf-48.html|title=Kamaka Baritone 8 String HF-48|access-date=30 November 2016}} and 5-string tenors have also been made.{{cite web|url=http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/popular-models/kala-ka-atp5-ctg-solid-cedar-top-5-string-tenor.html|title=Kala -KA-ATP-CTG Solid Cedar Top Tenor Slothead -Gloss Finish|access-date=30 November 2016}}

File:3 ukes.jpg

Common types of ukuleles include soprano (standard ukulele), concert, tenor, and baritone. Less common are the sopranino (also called piccolo, bambino, or "pocket uke"), bass, and contrabass ukuleles.{{Cn|date=April 2025}} Other types of ukuleles include banjo ukuleles and electric ukuleles. Of the standard ukuleles, the soprano, often called "standard" in Hawaii, is the second 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 a deeper bass tone. The baritone (resembling a smaller tenor guitar) was created in the 1940s, and the contrabass and bass are recent innovations (2010 and 2014, respectively).{{cite web|url=http://forbassplayersonly.com/news-features-the-story-behind-the-kala-u-bass/|title=The story behind the wildly popular Kala U-Bass|date=7 January 2015|access-date=30 November 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lunaguitars.com/query?upc=819998182960|title=Uke Baritone Bass w/Preamp Tattoo |publisher=Luna Guitars|access-date=30 November 2016}}

File:Ukulele wall.jpg

The following chart shows the range of notes of standard ukulele types. Note that the range varies with the tuning and size of the instruments. The examples shown in the chart reflect the range of each instrument from the lowest standard tuning to the highest fret in the highest standard tuning.

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id:h2 value:rgb(0.99,0.1,0.1) # light red-violet

id:h3 value:rgb(0.99,0.2,0.30) # light red

id:h4 value:rgb(0.99,0.4,0.30) # light red-orange

id:h5 value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.20) # light orange

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1. positions points used by the bars
2. Cx4 = middle C
3. Cs4 = middle C sharp

Define $Cx0 = 6 # 16.35Hz

Define $Cs0 = 12 # 17.32Hz

Define $Dx0 = 18 # 18.35Hz

Define $Ds0 = 24 # 19.45Hz

Define $Ex0 = 30 # 20.6Hz

Define $Fx0 = 36 # 21.83Hz

Define $Fs0 = 42 # 23.12Hz

Define $Gx0 = 48 # 24.5Hz

Define $Gs0 = 54 # 25.96Hz

Define $Ax0 = 60 # 27.5Hz

Define $As0 = 66 # 29.14Hz

Define $Bx0 = 72 # 30.87Hz

Define $Cx1 = 78 # 32.7Hz

Define $Cs1 = 83 # 34.65Hz

Define $Dx1 = 89 # 36.71Hz

Define $Ds1 = 95 # 38.89Hz

Define $Ex1 = 101 # 41.2Hz

Define $Fx1 = 107 # 43.65Hz

Define $Fs1 = 113 # 46.25Hz

Define $Gx1 = 119 # 49Hz

Define $Gs1 = 125 # 51.91Hz

Define $Ax1 = 131 # 55Hz

Define $As1 = 137 # 58.27Hz

Define $Bx1 = 143 # 61.74Hz

Define $Cx2 = 149 # 65.41Hz

Define $Cs2 = 155 # 69.3Hz

Define $Dx2 = 161 # 73.42Hz

Define $Ds2 = 167 # 77.78Hz

Define $Ex2 = 173 # 82.41Hz

Define $Fx2 = 179 # 87.31Hz

Define $Fs2 = 185 # 92.5Hz

Define $Gx2 = 191 # 98Hz

Define $Gs2 = 197 # 103.8Hz

Define $Ax2 = 203 # 110Hz

Define $As2 = 209 # 116.5Hz

Define $Bx2 = 215 # 123.5Hz

Define $Cx3 = 221 # 130.8Hz

Define $Cs3 = 227 # 138.6Hz

Define $Dx3 = 233 # 146.8Hz

Define $Ds3 = 239 # 155.6Hz

Define $Ex3 = 244 # 164.8Hz

Define $Fx3 = 250 # 174.6Hz

Define $Fs3 = 256 # 185Hz

Define $Gx3 = 262 # 196Hz

Define $Gs3 = 268 # 207.7Hz

Define $Ax3 = 274 # 220Hz

Define $As3 = 280 # 233.1Hz

Define $Bx3 = 286 # 246.9Hz

Define $Cx4 = 292 # 261.6Hz

Define $Cs4 = 298 # 277.2Hz

Define $Dx4 = 304 # 293.7Hz

Define $Ds4 = 310 # 311.1Hz

Define $Ex4 = 316 # 329.6Hz

Define $Fx4 = 322 # 349.2Hz

Define $Fs4 = 328 # 370Hz

Define $Gx4 = 334 # 392Hz

Define $Gs4 = 340 # 415.3Hz

Define $Ax4 = 346 # 440Hz

Define $As4 = 352 # 466.2Hz

Define $Bx4 = 358 # 493.9Hz

Define $Cx5 = 364 # 523.3Hz

Define $Cs5 = 370 # 554.4Hz

Define $Dx5 = 376 # 587.3Hz

Define $Ds5 = 382 # 622.3Hz

Define $Ex5 = 388 # 659.3Hz

Define $Fx5 = 394 # 698.5Hz

Define $Fs5 = 400 # 740Hz

Define $Gx5 = 406 # 784Hz

Define $Gs5 = 411 # 830.6Hz

Define $Ax5 = 417 # 880Hz

Define $As5 = 423 # 932.3Hz

Define $Bx5 = 429 # 987.8Hz

Define $Cx6 = 435 # 1047Hz

Define $Cs6 = 441 # 1109Hz

Define $Dx6 = 447 # 1175Hz

Define $Ds6 = 453 # 1245Hz

Define $Ex6 = 459 # 1319Hz

Define $Fx6 = 465 # 1397Hz

Define $Fs6 = 471 # 1480Hz

Define $Gx6 = 477 # 1568Hz

Define $Gs6 = 483 # 1661Hz

Define $Ax6 = 489 # 1760Hz

Define $As6 = 495 # 1865Hz

Define $Bx6 = 501 # 1976Hz

Define $Cx7 = 507 # 2093Hz

Define $Cs7 = 513 # 2217Hz

Define $Dx7 = 519 # 2349Hz

Define $Ds7 = 525 # 2489Hz

Define $Ex7 = 531 # 2637Hz

Define $Fx7 = 537 # 2794Hz

Define $Fs7 = 543 # 2960Hz

Define $Gx7 = 549 # 3136Hz

Define $Gs7 = 555 # 3322Hz

Define $Ax7 = 561 # 3520Hz

Define $As7 = 567 # 3729Hz

Define $Bx7 = 572 # 3951Hz

Define $Cx8 = 578 # 4186Hz

Define $Cs8 = 584 # 4435Hz

Define $Dx8 = 590 # 4699Hz

Define $Ds8 = 596 # 4978Hz

Define $Ex8 = 602 # 5274Hz

Define $Fx8 = 608 # 5588Hz

Define $Fs8 = 614 # 5920Hz

Define $Gx8 = 620 # 6272Hz

Define $Gs8 = 626 # 6645Hz

Define $Ax8 = 632 # 7040Hz

Define $As8 = 638 # 7459Hz

Define $Bx8 = 644 # 7902Hz

Define $max = 650

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barset:ranges

color:h1 from:$Dx2 till:$Cx6 text:classical guitar

color:h3 from:$Ex1 till:$Ex6 text:all ukuleles

color:h6 from:$Gx4 till:$Ex6 text:sopranino

color:h5 from:$Cx4 till:$Cx6 text:soprano

color:h6 from:$Cx4 till:$Ex6 text:concert

color:h5 from:$Gx3 till:$Ex6 text:tenor

color:h6 from:$Dx3 till:$Cs6 text:baritone

color:h5 from:$Ex2 till:$Cs5 text:bass

color:h6 from:$Ex1 till:$Bx3 text:contrabass

color:legend textcolor:legendtext align:left fontsize:7 mark:(line,white) width:12 shift:(3,-4)

bar:pitch

from:0 till:$max

at:$Cx0 text:C0

at:$Cx1 text:C1

at:$Cx2 text:C2

at:$Cx3 text:C3

at:$Cx4 text:C4 (middle C)

at:$Cx5 text:C5

at:$Cx6 text:C6

at:$Cx7 text:C7

at:$Cx8 text:C8

bar:Hz

from:0 till:$max

at:23 text:20 Hz

at:65 text:30

at:105 text:44

at:153 text:70

at:190 text:100

at:232 text:150

at:262 text:200

at:304 text:300

at:344 text:440

at:392 text:700

at:430 text:1000

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==Tuning==

File:Ukulele standard tuning.png

File:My dog has fleas.png

File:Ukulele chords.svg

One of the most common tunings for the standard or soprano ukulele is C⁶ tuning: G₄–C₄–E₄–A₄, which is often remembered by the notes in the "My dog has fleas" jingle (see sidebar).{{cite web|url=https://ukuleleintheclassroom.com/tunings.htm|title=Ukulele in the Classroom|access-date=30 November 2016}} The G string is tuned an octave higher than might be expected, so this is often called "high G" tuning. This is known as a "reentrant tuning"; it enables uniquely close-harmony chording.

More rarely used with the soprano ukulele (but more common on larger sizes) is C⁶ linear tuning, or "low G" tuning, which has the G in sequence an octave lower: G₃–C₄–E₄–A₄, which is equivalent to playing the top four strings (DGBE) of a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret.

Another common tuning for the soprano ukulele is the higher string-tension D⁶ tuning (or simply D tuning), A₄–D₄–F{{music|sharp}}₄–B₄, one step higher than the G₄–C₄–E₄–A₄ tuning. Once considered standard, 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, as well as in many method books through the 1980s. D⁶ tuning is said by some{{by whom|date=November 2019}} to bring out a sweeter tone in some ukuleles, generally smaller ones. D⁶ tuning with a low fourth string, A₃–D₄–F{{music|sharp}}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 J. Chalmers Doane.{{cite web|url=http://jameshillmusic.com/faq#tuning|title=FAQ |publisher=James Hill Music |access-date=30 November 2016}}

Whether C⁶ or D⁶ tuning should be the "standard" tuning is a matter of long and ongoing debate. There are historic and popular ukulele methods that have used each.Tranquada, J.; The Ukulele: A History; University of Hawaii Press; Honolulu: 2012. 0824-83634-0 According to Tranquanda, "This is an old and seemingly never-ending argument. While the pioneering methods of Kaai (1906) and Rollinson (1909) both use C tuning, a sampling of the methods that follow give a sense of the unresolved nature of the debate: Kealakai (1914), D tuning; Bailey (1914), C tuning; Kia (1914), D tuning; Kamiki (1916), D tuning; Guckert (1917), C tuning; Stumpf (1917), D tuning."

For the concert and tenor ukuleles, both reentrant and linear C⁶ tunings are standard; linear tuning in particular is widely used for the tenor ukulele, more so than for the soprano and concert instruments.

The baritone ukulele usually uses linear G⁶ tuning: D₃–G₃–B₃–E₄, the same as the highest four strings of a standard 6-string guitar.

Bass ukuleles are tuned similarly to the bass guitar and double bass: E₁–A₁–D₂–G₂ for U-Bass style instruments (sometimes called contrabass), or an octave higher, E₂–A₂–D₃–G₃, for Ohana type metal-string basses.

Sopranino ukulele tuning is less standardized. They are usually tuned re-entrant, but frequently at a higher pitch than C; for example, re-entrant G⁶ tuning: D₅–G₄–B₄–E₅.

As is commonly the case with string instruments, other tunings may be preferred by individual players. For example, special string sets are available to tune the baritone ukulele in linear C⁶. Some players tune ukuleles like other four-string instruments such as the mandolin,{{cite web

| url=https://ourpastimes.com/how-to-play-a-ukulele-like-a-mandolin-12450760.html

| title=How to Play a Ukulele Like a Mandolin

| first=Robert

| last=Russell

| date=15 September 2017

| publisher=Our Pastimes

| access-date=19 November 2019}} Venezuelan cuatro,{{cite web

| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHF_g96Es3Q

|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/KHF_g96Es3Q| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| title=Cuatro Tuning On a Ukulele

| first=Ken

| last=Middleton

| date=2 May 2018

| access-date=19 November 2019

| via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} or dotara.{{cite web

| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyr1iT27MzE

|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Fyr1iT27MzE| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| title=Ukulele Dotara Style Tuning - ইউকালেলি দোতারা স্টাইল টিউনিং

| first=Rahatul Islam

| last=Ovi

| date=24 April 2017

| publisher=Rahatul & Dukulele

| access-date=24 April 2017

| via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} Ukuleles may also be tuned to open tunings, similar to the Hawaiian slack-key style.{{cite book

| last = Kimura

| first = Heeday

| title = How to Play Slack Key Ukulule

}}

Ukulele varieties include hybrid instruments such as the guitalele (also called guitarlele), banjo ukulele (also called banjolele), harp ukulele, lap steel ukulele, and the ukelin. It is very common to find ukuleles mixed with other stringed instruments because of the number of strings and the easy playing ability. There is also an electrically amplified variant of the ukulele. The resonator ukulele produces sound by one or more spun aluminum cones (resonators) instead of the wooden soundboard, giving it a distinct and louder tone. The Tahitian ukulele, another variant, is usually carved from a single piece of wood,{{cite book|author=University of the South Pacific. Institute of Pacific Studies|title=Cook Islands culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vycNAQAAMAAJ|access-date=15 September 2012|year=2003|publisher=Institute of Pacific Studies in Association with the Cook Islands Extension Centre, University of the South Pacific, the Cook Islands Cultural and Historic Places Trust, and the Ministry of Cultural Development|isbn=978-982-02-0348-8}} and does not have a hollow soundbox, although the back is open. The Tahitian ukulele generally has eight strings made from fishing line, tuned the same as a Hawaiian ukulele in four courses, although the middle two courses are an octave higher than its Hawaiian cousin. Inspired by the Tahitian ukulele, there is the Motu Nui variant, from France, which has just four strings made from fishing line and the hole in the back is designed to produce a wah-wah effect.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} Mario Maccaferri invented an automatic chording device for the ukulele, called Chord Master.

Close cousins of the ukulele include the Portuguese forerunners, the cavaquinho (also commonly known as machete or braguinha) and the slightly larger rajão. Other relatives include the Venezuelan cuatro, the Colombian tiple, the timple of the Canary Islands, the Spanish vihuela, the Mexican requinto jarocho, and the Andean charango traditionally made of an armadillo shell. In Indonesia, a similar Portuguese-inspired instrument is the kroncong.{{cite book|author=Jeremy Wallach|title=Modern Noise, Fluid Genres: Popular Music in Indonesia, 1997–2001|url=https://archive.org/details/modernnoisefluid00wall_0|url-access=registration|access-date=15 September 2012|date=22 October 2008|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-22904-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/modernnoisefluid00wall_0/page/268 268]–|author-link=Jeremy Wallach}}

Uke Bass is close cousin to leona, a traditional bass instrument in son jarocho genre.

{{Listen

| pos = left

| type = music

| style = float:none

| filename = Ukulele playing.ogg

| title = Ukulele playing

| description = Playing on a ukulele

| filename2 = Ukelele - Kailimai's hene - Ukepedia.ogg

| title2 = Henry Kailimai's hene

| description2 = A piece being played on a ukulele

| filename3 = Ukulele_chords.ogg

| title3 = Ukulele chords

| description3 = G♯ minor chord being played on a ukulele

| filename4 = C Major Scale Ukulele.ogg

| title4 = Scale

| description4 = The C major scale performed on a ukulele

| filename5 = Bassukuleleeddieihmself.ogg

| title5 = U-Bass

| description5 = the A major scale performed on a bass ukulele with a felt plectrum (first) and fingers

}}

• List of ukulele players
• Stringed instrument tunings

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Beloff

| first = Jim

| title = The Ukulele: A Visual History

| publisher = Backbeat Books

| location = San Francisco

| orig-year = 1997

| edition = Revised & Expanded

| year = 2003

| isbn = 978-0-87930-758-5

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Tranquada

| first1 = Jim

| last2 = King

| first2 = John

| title = The Ukulele: A History

| publisher = University of Hawaii Press

| location = Honolulu, Hawaii

| year = 2012

| isbn = 978-0-8248-3634-4

| ref=hawup}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/ukulele|title= The Ukulele & You|website= Museum of Making Music|location= Carlsbad, CA}} An exhibition that details the ukulele's history and waves of mainstream popularity.
• {{cite web|url=http://www.tikiking.com/uke_database.html |website=Tiki King|title= Ukulele Brand name database}} Information about over 600 ukulele makers past and present.
• {{cite web|url=https://liveukulele.com/lessons/pronounce-ukulele/ |website=Live ʻUkulele|title= How to Pronounce ʻUkulele: "Yook" or "Ook"?|date=19 April 2019 }} The differences between the word "ukulele" in Hawaiian and English.
• Unveiling the [https://getmyguitar.com/unveiling-the-electric-ukulele/ Electric Ukulele]

{{Authority control}}

Category:Ukuleles

Category:Hawaiian musical instruments

Category:Surf culture

Category:American musical instruments

Category:Guitar family instruments

Category:Necked box lutes

Category:Portuguese musical instruments

Category:Lute family instruments