Ukulele types

The ukulele types will be explained in this post. First of all, you will learn how they sound, how they are tuned, their sizes and finally their appearance. We will go from the smallest to the largest. Read the post!



Ukulele types and differences.

  • The Sopranino  is the smallest ukulele (also called piccolo, bambino, or “pocket uke”). This ukulele might be a bit difficult to find as this is not a common size. (In fact, there are also two sizes even smaller than the sopranino: the iuke and the nano ukulele.)
  • The Soprano, or the Standard, is the second smallest. This is the original size.
  • The Concert Ukulele was developed in the 1920’s. It is a bit larger than the Soprano, and it has a louder and deeper tone.
  • The Tenor Ukulele was developed right after the Concert Ukulele. The Tenor have more volume in addition to a deeper bass.
  • The Baritone is from the 1940’s and is different to the other smaller concerning the strings and tuning. A Baritone is “always” tuned linear.
  • The Bass is from 2009 and is also not so common.
  • The Contrabass Ukulele is finally the latest of the big ukuleles from 2012.

In addition to this some of the producers have ukuleles with a longer neck than normal. ( For example called Super Soprano/Consert/Tenor/Baritone.)

And, if this wasn’t enough with different sizes, there are several variants with different numbers of strings. From 4 to 8, as well as some with a double neck. Read the post about Ukulele relatives and variations.

Ukuleles (www.basicukulele.com)

Ukulele types and sound range.

Ukulele types and sound

(From Wikipedia)

The sound range varies with the tuning and size of the Ukulele. (#Ad)

The Ukulele types and Sizes, and Ukulele types and Tunings.

Ukulele types

G4-C4-E4-A4: The numbers indicate in which scale you find the note at the keyboard on a piano. Normally we say GCEA for this C- tuning or C-6 after the cord C6.

Read about the Ukulele Strings at the link!


Courses

A ukulele has four courses, meaning that there are four strings or four notes on the instrument, for instance GCEA. However, some ukuleles have more than four strings, such as 6-strings, 8-strings, Taropatch, and Tahitian Ukulele. These instruments still have four courses because two of the strings on a 6-strings ukulele are close together and play as one. For the other mentioned instruments with eight strings, it is two and two strings put close together. For example, the 8-string Ukulele is often tuned like this: gG cC EE AA (High and low G and C).

Ukulele types – Shapes and colors

The ukuleles come in various shapes and styles. Some look like mini normal guitars, some look like mini electric guitars, some have a pineapple shape or other creative designs. The instrument is also made of different materials, such as wood, plastic or metal. Moreover, they can have all kinds of colors and decorations to suit different tastes and preferences.

Painted Ukulele can be a Ukulele of cheap materials, or just a decorated good Ukulele. So, you don’t rely know without looking closely.

Or this one from Amazon;

You can also decorate your ukulele yourself, and then you can get a ukulele with a very special appearance. One of a kind.

If you don´t have a music shop with ukuleles where you live, you can see some ukuleles here at AliExpress.

Here you have some tips before buying:

Normally the Ukuleles are made of wood, but you can also get them made of carbon fiber. Follow the link to Amazon. They can be used in all kinds of weather 🙂

This one is a bit extraordinary! Follow the link to Amazon!

Bass Ukulele

Bass ukuleles are normaly tuned similarly to the bass guitar and double bass: E1–A1–D2–G2 for U-Bass style instruments (sometimes called contrabass), or an octave higher, E2–A2–D3–G3, for Ohana type metal-string basses (phosphor bronze round-wound strings/Custom stainless steel flat-wound strings).

They can be fretted like the one in the picure over, or not as in the picture below.

Please note:

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(We do not own the advertising in the videos.)

Finally, Basic Ukulele was founded in 2015 with the aim of making it easier for anyone who wants to learn or find out more about this wonderful instrument.





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