When You Buy a Ukulele Consider This
There are four basic ukuleles--soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each can be found in a wide range of quality and cost, from high quality, well playing instruments to what amounts to nothing more than a child's toy. Every style imaginable is available, and some are available that you can't even imagine.
When you consider price, remember that you won't get much more than a toy for $30 or $40, one that you can't really play seriously, and one with not much to offer in the way of acoustic value. Having so many different types from which to choose, coupled with the need for a quality, well playing instrument, makes for a thorny undertaking. This can be especially unnerving it you are looking for a beginner ukulele, but don't just want a toy.
Ask and answer this question about your intended purchase, and the result can be some serious fun, with a high quality, well playing instrument. What is the intended use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" are you about that use? The primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of quality, acoustic value and price.
Whoever is the intended user, how serious will that person be? Think of that user's age and level of playing proficiency. Will this be a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift)? Is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? We're back to the idea of serious fun.
A good principle to follow is that whether for a beginner or an established player, and regardless of the age, the more serious you are, the more you can expect to play, and the higher the quality you will need. Although you should expect to pay more for quality, you may not see a direct proportion. There are exceptions-some very well playing instruments are very reasonably priced, but you can expect to get what you pay for. The question of quality and price will establish your budget. Now it's time to decide which of the four types of ukuleles will fill your need.
Soprano For a beginner the soprano is a good place to start. Early ukuleles were just about all soprano-sized. It's the smallest, and from the beginning it became the classic size with the classic sound. Many gifted ukulele players swear by the soprano. Simple to play by comparison, nothing quite compares to strumming away on the smallest, some say the purest, ukulele.
With the emphasis on playing chords and strumming, playing the soprano is easier to learn than the others, but in many ways it's harder to master. Creating or playing routines involving more finger picking can be difficult, and achieving good resonance can be difficult.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don't be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert Concert is a little bigger than soprano and it therefore sounds bigger. You'll find more middle range, more alto, and a somewhat deeper, mellower sound. Some players find that a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential makes the concert an instrument that offers the best of both worlds.
Since it is a little bigger, the concert sounds bigger than the soprano, with more middle range and a somewhat deeper, mellower, more alto sound. It's bigger, but not by much, and some say a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The concert is an instrument that offers the best of both worlds, traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential.
Tenor The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone The baritone ukulele makes one think of a small guitar with a crisp, fuller sound. It is still a ukulele but whether you are just learning to play guitar, or you are a seasoned guitar player, you will find it relatively easy to play a baritone uke. It can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. Tuned like a guitar without the two top strings (base), it plays like a guitar with no top end.
Once you factor in cost plus your level of musical ability and interest in playing, that seriousness I referred to earlier, you are ready to go shopping for whichever ukulele best fits your need. There is, however, one additional consideration I want to mention, one that can make your selection even more meaningful. You can shop around for whatever suits your serious fancy, or you can consider making your own ukulele from scratch or building one from a kit.
If you like the challenge of building one from scratch, you can find reams of internet sites loaded with schematics and plans for building from scratch. Other sites, and there are many, contain basic ukulele building kits that include all the basic components to which you can add modifications constrained only by your creative imagination. Complete, good-quality, well playing instruments at reasonable prices, made from everyday components, are available in connection with the tramp art music culture. Many of these use cigar boxes for sound boards that have surprising resonance. These boxes usually have a wooden back, but you don't have to use their box; your kit fabrication can include a simple box that you make yourself.
Whether you build your own from scratch, use a conventional or cigar box building kit, or purchase a completed instrument, you're in for some serious fun. And remember the pithy and so often repeated observation made by many serious players-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. Whether you decide to purchase a completed instrument, build from scratch or assemble from either a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional ukulele kit, here's to you; good luck and good building. - 23806
When you consider price, remember that you won't get much more than a toy for $30 or $40, one that you can't really play seriously, and one with not much to offer in the way of acoustic value. Having so many different types from which to choose, coupled with the need for a quality, well playing instrument, makes for a thorny undertaking. This can be especially unnerving it you are looking for a beginner ukulele, but don't just want a toy.
Ask and answer this question about your intended purchase, and the result can be some serious fun, with a high quality, well playing instrument. What is the intended use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" are you about that use? The primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of quality, acoustic value and price.
Whoever is the intended user, how serious will that person be? Think of that user's age and level of playing proficiency. Will this be a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift)? Is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? We're back to the idea of serious fun.
A good principle to follow is that whether for a beginner or an established player, and regardless of the age, the more serious you are, the more you can expect to play, and the higher the quality you will need. Although you should expect to pay more for quality, you may not see a direct proportion. There are exceptions-some very well playing instruments are very reasonably priced, but you can expect to get what you pay for. The question of quality and price will establish your budget. Now it's time to decide which of the four types of ukuleles will fill your need.
Soprano For a beginner the soprano is a good place to start. Early ukuleles were just about all soprano-sized. It's the smallest, and from the beginning it became the classic size with the classic sound. Many gifted ukulele players swear by the soprano. Simple to play by comparison, nothing quite compares to strumming away on the smallest, some say the purest, ukulele.
With the emphasis on playing chords and strumming, playing the soprano is easier to learn than the others, but in many ways it's harder to master. Creating or playing routines involving more finger picking can be difficult, and achieving good resonance can be difficult.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don't be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert Concert is a little bigger than soprano and it therefore sounds bigger. You'll find more middle range, more alto, and a somewhat deeper, mellower sound. Some players find that a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential makes the concert an instrument that offers the best of both worlds.
Since it is a little bigger, the concert sounds bigger than the soprano, with more middle range and a somewhat deeper, mellower, more alto sound. It's bigger, but not by much, and some say a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The concert is an instrument that offers the best of both worlds, traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential.
Tenor The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone The baritone ukulele makes one think of a small guitar with a crisp, fuller sound. It is still a ukulele but whether you are just learning to play guitar, or you are a seasoned guitar player, you will find it relatively easy to play a baritone uke. It can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. Tuned like a guitar without the two top strings (base), it plays like a guitar with no top end.
Once you factor in cost plus your level of musical ability and interest in playing, that seriousness I referred to earlier, you are ready to go shopping for whichever ukulele best fits your need. There is, however, one additional consideration I want to mention, one that can make your selection even more meaningful. You can shop around for whatever suits your serious fancy, or you can consider making your own ukulele from scratch or building one from a kit.
If you like the challenge of building one from scratch, you can find reams of internet sites loaded with schematics and plans for building from scratch. Other sites, and there are many, contain basic ukulele building kits that include all the basic components to which you can add modifications constrained only by your creative imagination. Complete, good-quality, well playing instruments at reasonable prices, made from everyday components, are available in connection with the tramp art music culture. Many of these use cigar boxes for sound boards that have surprising resonance. These boxes usually have a wooden back, but you don't have to use their box; your kit fabrication can include a simple box that you make yourself.
Whether you build your own from scratch, use a conventional or cigar box building kit, or purchase a completed instrument, you're in for some serious fun. And remember the pithy and so often repeated observation made by many serious players-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. Whether you decide to purchase a completed instrument, build from scratch or assemble from either a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional ukulele kit, here's to you; good luck and good building. - 23806
About the Author:
Learn more about ukuleleshere. Stop by papasboxes.com and see some photos about building your own ukulele.
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