Buying a ukulele can be an overwhelming and tricky job, especially if you're looking for a beginner or basic ukulele. There are so many from which to choose, and quality is not always a function of price. Keep in mind though, that if you want more than a toy and want a ukulele that you can play seriously, it's unlikely that you will get much acoustic value by responding to a pitch of ukuleles for sale $30 or $40 (pun intended).
You can choose from four different types, all of which are considered basic ukuleles-soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each type correlates to a different size, and all are available in a wide range of style and quality, anywhere from what amounts to little more than a toy to a high quality, well playing instrument.
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.
Whether for your own use or as a gift for someone else, (it can be a very unique Christmas gift) beginner or pro, young or old, the more and better you expect to play, the higher the quality you will need and, as a rule, the higher the quality the more you can expect to pay. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to get what you pay for. Once you determine the quality and price (your budget), next is to decide which of the four instruments will supply 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.
Don't let its smaller size make you think the soprano is only for small people, people with small hands and fingers, like children. While the soprano is good for the young beginner, many great ukulele players, great in size as well as talent, favor sopranos. This popularity means that you will have a wide variety from which to choose, and as a rule the soprano ukulele will be priced lower.
Concert Halfway between the soprano and the tenor is the concert ukulele. This can be a great compromise if you want to strum and finger pick, and for those not comfortable with the tenor size uke. Concerts offer more resonance for a fuller tone but maintain the unmistakable sound of a ukulele and not a guitar. It has the same tuning as the soprano, gCEA, and the same traditional sound, but with serious practice you can learn to play whatever you want to play.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele is somewhat larger still and has more of a guitar feel, but is still miles from an actual guitar in look or feel. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even more range. It can be used for more advanced solo playing, and has more finger room that allows faster play and more complex runs-think Jake Shimabukuro. Slightly larger than a concert, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality sound and tone.
Baritone If you already know how to play a guitar, or if you are learning to play guitar, then learning to play a baritone uke will be easier for you. Tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, the baritone uke can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. You don't have the two top strings (base) so it's like a guitar with no top end. The baritone ukulele produces a crisp, fuller sound that resembles a small guitar.
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.
Either way, completed instrument, or your own construction from scratch, or build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional kit, the ukulele can be an unparalleled means to some serious fun, with one overriding factor-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. The best of luck to you if you decide to purchase a completed instrument, and, if you decide to build from scratch or from a kit, good luck and good building.
You can choose from four different types, all of which are considered basic ukuleles-soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each type correlates to a different size, and all are available in a wide range of style and quality, anywhere from what amounts to little more than a toy to a high quality, well playing instrument.
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.
Whether for your own use or as a gift for someone else, (it can be a very unique Christmas gift) beginner or pro, young or old, the more and better you expect to play, the higher the quality you will need and, as a rule, the higher the quality the more you can expect to pay. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to get what you pay for. Once you determine the quality and price (your budget), next is to decide which of the four instruments will supply 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.
Don't let its smaller size make you think the soprano is only for small people, people with small hands and fingers, like children. While the soprano is good for the young beginner, many great ukulele players, great in size as well as talent, favor sopranos. This popularity means that you will have a wide variety from which to choose, and as a rule the soprano ukulele will be priced lower.
Concert Halfway between the soprano and the tenor is the concert ukulele. This can be a great compromise if you want to strum and finger pick, and for those not comfortable with the tenor size uke. Concerts offer more resonance for a fuller tone but maintain the unmistakable sound of a ukulele and not a guitar. It has the same tuning as the soprano, gCEA, and the same traditional sound, but with serious practice you can learn to play whatever you want to play.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele is somewhat larger still and has more of a guitar feel, but is still miles from an actual guitar in look or feel. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even more range. It can be used for more advanced solo playing, and has more finger room that allows faster play and more complex runs-think Jake Shimabukuro. Slightly larger than a concert, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality sound and tone.
Baritone If you already know how to play a guitar, or if you are learning to play guitar, then learning to play a baritone uke will be easier for you. Tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, the baritone uke can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. You don't have the two top strings (base) so it's like a guitar with no top end. The baritone ukulele produces a crisp, fuller sound that resembles a small guitar.
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.
Either way, completed instrument, or your own construction from scratch, or build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional kit, the ukulele can be an unparalleled means to some serious fun, with one overriding factor-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. The best of luck to you if you decide to purchase a completed instrument, and, if you decide to build from scratch or from a kit, good luck and good building.
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