Evolution of ukulele

Welcome to my blog on ukulele. In 1879 a Portuguese immigrant came to Hawaii and brought a certain instrument. This instrument was named "Braguinha". The first Hawaiian name was Pila li'ili'i which means little fiddle. Later it was then name ukulele. There are lots of ways on how ukulele got it's name. During my research i found out that one way they got the name was because it was named after the only Hawaiian stringed instrument Ukeke. Ukulele is translated as jumping flea and it is because when the Hawaiians saw how fast your hand could move and it looks like your hand is jumping from chord to chord. As you look through my blog i will show you the four standard types and two other types which one is from the past and one is the new and improve.

The great Impact.

In Hawaii there are 3 significant contribution to string music history which are slack-key guitar, steel guitar, and ukulele. When ukulele was introduced to Hawaii as a Braguinha it was a start of a new musical life. I would never think that a small instrument would have such a big impact. At first when ukulele was being first noticed everybody was wanting one. Then later it was being diminished by other type of music like hip-hop and R&B. Then brought back and incorporated to other types of music like Reggae, Rock, and Tradition Hawaiian music now that's the kind of music I like. In 1915 ukulele was formally introduced to the world at an exhibit at Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Here the Royal Hawaiian Quaret which is a band that includes a guitar, steel guitar, mandolin and of course the ukulele which happens to include the 3 significant string instruments in Hawaii. The exhibit had an estimate of 17 million people in 7 months. This is how it all started. Ukulele began to be a great demand. It was being used all over the U.S. because of it's uniqe sound and small size it could be carried around pretty much anywhere. In Hawaii ukulele was the most popular instrument. So popular that even the King and Queens were in demand for it. In 1916 Hawaiian records were so popular that it outsold the other type of music on the mainland. Until this day ukulele is still being used all over the world. With this popularity ukulele also had many new improvement like adding more strings giving it a louder and pure sound and also the FLUKE.

The 4 Classic Types

There are 4 Classic types of ukulele. They are Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone. There are also different types beside the 4 classic types. I will explaine two different types but later.

SOPRANO
The soprano also know as the standard ukulele. Soprano is the smallest out of the 4 classics. This ukulele is mostly found being carried around because of it's small size. The soprano is the ukulele for novice players who are intrestred in learning.



CONCERT
The concert ukulele also known as Alto is a little bigger then the soprano and instead of 13" scales like the soprano, the concert has 15" scales. This type was made for people with larger hands.

TENOR

This is the type of ukulele that can be form with more than just 4 strings. It has a fuller tone then the soprano and concert type. Since the tenor type is bigger then the concert it also comes with lots of strings like 6, 8, 9, 12, and even 14.

BARITONE

This is the last and biggest ukulele and is known as a mini-guitar. It can also be tuned as a guitar. With its size comes the deepest tone and is the most exspensive model.

FLUKE and PINEAPPLE

The FLUKE
From the creative minds of Dale Webb and "Jumpin" Jim Beloff they have made a new creation that will trip people out. This is the fluke the new and improved ukulele. With this ukulele come a new shape and new style. The Fluke is slightly bigger then the concert type and has 15" scale and comes in different colors that could match your personality. Made from Maple for the neck part and the top part made from Australian Pine and the body made with plastic and wood giving a amazing sound that you would not believe unless you heard one. The Fluke also has a new feature which is it can stand in place because of it's flat bottom triangular shape.


The PINEAPPLE
In the picture to the left is the Samuel K. Kamaka holding the famous pineapple ukulele that he created in 1916. In the late 20's while there was competition in the ukulele industry in Hawaii it was the pineapple ukulele style that keep him going and later making him the only Hawaiian ukulele maker. Samuel Kamaka had the idea to make a smaller ukulele with a full tone and that is how he came up with the Pineapple shape. But some say that the reason he made the pineapple shape was because it was easier to make from it's round shape instead of making the curves.