My daughter brought home a ukulele one day and plays with it always after school. Her school let her bring it to practice at home. My son got interested and asked one for his birthday.
So one weekend we went to Long & McQuade to check this cute ukuleles. We’re supposed to just get one but brought home 3 ukuleles. Everyone of them wants one. All three kids are musically inclined, while me and my husband only know a bit of guitar.
Now, our house is noisier than ever because everyone’s playing with this string instrument.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
WHAT IS A UKULELE
The ukulele is a four-stringed musical instrument made from wood that resembles a small classical guitar. It is smaller, easy to carry, easier to learn, higher tone, and cheaper to purchase. You can buy them online or at various stores. Price ranges from $20 to $1000 depending on quality and type of construction. The ukulele, has four classical kinds: soprano, concert (or alto), tenor, and baritone (the largest ukulele).
What does ukulele mean? Ukulele means “jumping flea.” The name was given because of its small size, and vibrant, cheerful, and exuberant sound.
English speakers pronounce it as “you-ka-ley-ley” but, in fact, the spelling of the word is an anglicized version of the original Hawaiian pronunciation “ju-ke-lei-li.”
HISTORY OF UKULELE
The ukulele was born in Hawaii but has its roots in Western Europe.
Ukulele came from two musical instruments from Portugal – the cavaquinho and the machete, also known as braguinha. They were developed in Braga, a city located north of Portugal.
The history of the ukulele dates back to the late 19th-century. In 1879, Portuguese leave their home island in search of a better life, and well-paid jobs. Around 25,000 people found work in the Hawaiian archipelago, also known as Sandwich Islands.They carried the machete, which immediately conquered the hearts and ears of the local population.
The Portuguese started working in Hawaii and soon they opened woodworking shops where they sell furniture and musical instruments. These immigrants were good guitar players too so they were quickly appreciated by the locals and the royal family.
Soon Ukulele was born and Hawaiians adapted this four stringed instrument. Then the popularity of this instrument grew in popularity.
The World Play Your Ukulele Day is celebrated every year on February 2.
Its a very cute musical instrument, it looks like a baby guitar. And belong to the same string family of guitar but it uses a completely different type of tuning, which means different chords and different playing techniques.
