What is a ukulele?

What is a ukulele?

Details Adapted from Portugal’s guitar-like machete, cavaquinho, and braguinha in the 1880s, the ukulele is a Hawaiian string instrument in the guitar family. The name ukulele roughly translates to jumping flea.

Is the ukulele a good starting point for a musician?

In fact, ukes are experiencing a renascence in recent years, with artists such as Eddie Vedder, Amanda Palmer and Jason Mraz all incorporating the instrument into their live shows and recorded material. With its increased popularity and versatility, the ukulele is a great starting point for any musician.

Why is the ukulele called the Jumping Flea?

The name ukulele roughly translates to jumping flea. It is thought that the quick work of the fingers flying across the fretboard inspired the name. Popularized by King David Kalakaua, the instrument is tied to traditional Hawaiian culture.

The ukulele is a small, guitar-like instrument, which was introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira. It gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

What are the best resources for learning to play the uke?

Ukeeducation.org – A large collection of simple chord melodies. Ukulele Hunt – Al Wood does a good job covering riffs and intros/outros for a lot of pop/punk/rock songs. They usually include video examples/tutorials. If you have some cash to spend on buying a book of uke tabs, there are more options every day.

What is Kamaka Ukulele?

A patron of the arts, he incorporated it into performances at royal gatherings. Kamaka Ukulele or just Kamaka is a family-owned Hawaii-based maker of ukuleles, founded in 1916, that is often credited with producing some of the world’s finest ukuleles, and created the first pineapple ukulele.

What are the best ukulele tutorials out there?

Ukulele Hunt – Al Wood does a good job covering riffs and intros/outros for a lot of pop/punk/rock songs. They usually include video examples/tutorials.