Buying A Ukulele? Get Serious
With so many different types of ukuleles out there, the prospect of buying one can be unnerving. It's a tricky undertaking, especially if you're looking for a beginner or basic ukulele. If you've dug into typical sites that have ukuleles for sale at $30 or $40, you've probably seen that you won't get much more than a toy for that price and one that you can't play seriously, forget the idea of getting any real acoustic value.
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.
Before your purchase, it is important to consider the use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" you are about that use. We're talking serious fun here, which depends on the quality and playability of the instrument itself. Suffice it to say, regardless of all other considerations, the primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of both quality 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.
Although you can expect to pay more for quality, it may not necessarily be as a direct proportion. There are some exceptions; while you can expect to get what you pay for, some very well playing instruments are still very reasonably priced. A good principle to follow is that whether for a beginner or for 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. Successful melding of quality and price should be your goal and will for the most part determine your budget. With that in mind, let's look briefly at the four types of ukulele.
Soprano Soprano was the earliest of the four and for that reason most early ukes were made on this scale. The classic sound of a ukulele is often identified with the soprano, and, to many purest, it is still considered to be the "authentic" ukulele. It lends itself to strumming with less finger picking, and is a good place for beginning players to start.
Soprano is good for playing chords and beginner strumming and is easier to learn to play than the others. A lot of finger picking on the soprano is another story. It is harder to master more difficult routines on soprano and its resonance can sometimes seem thin.
Although good for the young beginner, the soprano's smaller size may make you think it is only for children or people with small hands and fingers. Don't be fooled. Great soprano players come in all sizes, and many large players swear by it. Its popularity among seasoned players makes for a wider variety from which to choose, and as a rule you will see the soprano ukulele will 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.
If you like to strum and fingerpick and should you not be entirely comfortable with the reduced size of soprano, the concert ukulele may be a good compromise. It has the same tuning as the soprano, gCEA, and has that same unmistakable ukulele sound, with more resonance for a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but with some serious practice, you can learn to play whatever you want to play. So we're back to that seriousness again.
Teno Larger still and with more of a guitar look and feel is the tenor. It's still not a guitar though, and it's not intended to be. Slightly larger than a concert, but far smaller than an acoustic guitar, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone than the concert. The range can be extended by tuning the fourth string an octave lower. Though you may not play like Jake Shimabukuro, the tenor can be used for more advanced solo playing, and since it has more finger room, it lends itself to more complex runs and faster play.
Baritone The baritone's crisp, fuller sound can begin to make one think of a guitar. Make no mistake, the baritone is all ukulele, but if you are just beginning to play guitar, you will have an easier time learning to play a baritone uke. It can actually help your guitar practice and vice versa. The baritone is tuned like a four string guitar. The two top strings (base) are not there, so 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. - 18758
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.
Before your purchase, it is important to consider the use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" you are about that use. We're talking serious fun here, which depends on the quality and playability of the instrument itself. Suffice it to say, regardless of all other considerations, the primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of both quality 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.
Although you can expect to pay more for quality, it may not necessarily be as a direct proportion. There are some exceptions; while you can expect to get what you pay for, some very well playing instruments are still very reasonably priced. A good principle to follow is that whether for a beginner or for 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. Successful melding of quality and price should be your goal and will for the most part determine your budget. With that in mind, let's look briefly at the four types of ukulele.
Soprano Soprano was the earliest of the four and for that reason most early ukes were made on this scale. The classic sound of a ukulele is often identified with the soprano, and, to many purest, it is still considered to be the "authentic" ukulele. It lends itself to strumming with less finger picking, and is a good place for beginning players to start.
Soprano is good for playing chords and beginner strumming and is easier to learn to play than the others. A lot of finger picking on the soprano is another story. It is harder to master more difficult routines on soprano and its resonance can sometimes seem thin.
Although good for the young beginner, the soprano's smaller size may make you think it is only for children or people with small hands and fingers. Don't be fooled. Great soprano players come in all sizes, and many large players swear by it. Its popularity among seasoned players makes for a wider variety from which to choose, and as a rule you will see the soprano ukulele will 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.
If you like to strum and fingerpick and should you not be entirely comfortable with the reduced size of soprano, the concert ukulele may be a good compromise. It has the same tuning as the soprano, gCEA, and has that same unmistakable ukulele sound, with more resonance for a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but with some serious practice, you can learn to play whatever you want to play. So we're back to that seriousness again.
Teno Larger still and with more of a guitar look and feel is the tenor. It's still not a guitar though, and it's not intended to be. Slightly larger than a concert, but far smaller than an acoustic guitar, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone than the concert. The range can be extended by tuning the fourth string an octave lower. Though you may not play like Jake Shimabukuro, the tenor can be used for more advanced solo playing, and since it has more finger room, it lends itself to more complex runs and faster play.
Baritone The baritone's crisp, fuller sound can begin to make one think of a guitar. Make no mistake, the baritone is all ukulele, but if you are just beginning to play guitar, you will have an easier time learning to play a baritone uke. It can actually help your guitar practice and vice versa. The baritone is tuned like a four string guitar. The two top strings (base) are not there, so 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. - 18758
About the Author:
Learn more about ukuleleshere. Stop by papasboxes.com and see some photos about building your own ukulele.
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