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.
When you consider price, remember that you won't get much more than a toy for $30 or $40, one that you can't really play seriously, and one with not much to offer in the way of acoustic value. Having so many different types from which to choose, coupled with the need for a quality, well playing instrument, makes for a thorny undertaking. This can be especially unnerving it you are looking for a beginner ukulele, but don't just want a toy.
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.
Is your purchase a gift for someone else? How serious will that person be about his or her playing? The same question should apply to the age of the person who will be playing the ukulele and that person's level of playing proficiency-how serious? Or is this for someone who is just learning to play-is he or she serious about it? You get my drift.
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 For a beginner the soprano is a good place to start. Early ukuleles were just about all soprano-sized. It's the smallest, and from the beginning it became the classic size with the classic sound. Many gifted ukulele players swear by the soprano. Simple to play by comparison, nothing quite compares to strumming away on the smallest, some say the purest, ukulele.
It has been said that a soprano ukulele is easy to learn but hard to master. It is good for playing chords and for strumming, but when it comes to fancy stuff, finger picking can be tricky. When compared to the other standard three, the traditional sound offered by this basic uke can seem thin and without much resonance.
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 If the concert ukulele sounds bigger than the soprano, it is because it is bigger, if only by a small amount. It could be called alto, and has more middle range, with a slightly deeper, mellower sound than soprano. Being a little bigger, the concert can be easier to hold than the smaller soprano. It has more complex playing potential while preserving the unmistakably basic ukulele sound that can offer the best of both worlds.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone If you already know how to play a guitar, or if you are learning to play guitar, then learning to play a baritone uke will be easier for you. Tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, the baritone uke can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. You don't have the two top strings (base) so it's like a guitar with no top end. The baritone ukulele produces a crisp, fuller sound that resembles a small guitar.
After you consider the cost plus your level of musical ability and interest in playing (seriousness), you are ready to go shopping. But before we go, there is one additional possibility that can make your selection even more meaningful. After you've checked out the complete range of ukuleles available to you, consider the possibility of building your own ukulele from scratch or assembling one from a kit.
The internet has many schematics and plans to guide you through creation from scratch. A host of sites are also available that offer basic ukulele building kits that you can start with, then finish by adding whatever components or modifications that suit your fancy. The tramp art music culture is another good place to start. This is where good-quality, well playing instruments are made from everyday components, using cigar boxes with surprising resonance. These boxes usually have a wooden back. If your level of craftsmanship warrants, you 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. - 18418
When you consider price, remember that you won't get much more than a toy for $30 or $40, one that you can't really play seriously, and one with not much to offer in the way of acoustic value. Having so many different types from which to choose, coupled with the need for a quality, well playing instrument, makes for a thorny undertaking. This can be especially unnerving it you are looking for a beginner ukulele, but don't just want a toy.
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.
Is your purchase a gift for someone else? How serious will that person be about his or her playing? The same question should apply to the age of the person who will be playing the ukulele and that person's level of playing proficiency-how serious? Or is this for someone who is just learning to play-is he or she serious about it? You get my drift.
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 For a beginner the soprano is a good place to start. Early ukuleles were just about all soprano-sized. It's the smallest, and from the beginning it became the classic size with the classic sound. Many gifted ukulele players swear by the soprano. Simple to play by comparison, nothing quite compares to strumming away on the smallest, some say the purest, ukulele.
It has been said that a soprano ukulele is easy to learn but hard to master. It is good for playing chords and for strumming, but when it comes to fancy stuff, finger picking can be tricky. When compared to the other standard three, the traditional sound offered by this basic uke can seem thin and without much resonance.
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 If the concert ukulele sounds bigger than the soprano, it is because it is bigger, if only by a small amount. It could be called alto, and has more middle range, with a slightly deeper, mellower sound than soprano. Being a little bigger, the concert can be easier to hold than the smaller soprano. It has more complex playing potential while preserving the unmistakably basic ukulele sound that can offer the best of both worlds.
It can be a good compromise for those who like to strum and fingerpick and are more comfortable with a somewhat larger size. It has the same gCEA tuning as the soprano, with a similar sound but more resonance and a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but if you can get serious again (which means to seriously practice), you can learn to play just about anything.
Tenor The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone If you already know how to play a guitar, or if you are learning to play guitar, then learning to play a baritone uke will be easier for you. Tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, the baritone uke can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. You don't have the two top strings (base) so it's like a guitar with no top end. The baritone ukulele produces a crisp, fuller sound that resembles a small guitar.
After you consider the cost plus your level of musical ability and interest in playing (seriousness), you are ready to go shopping. But before we go, there is one additional possibility that can make your selection even more meaningful. After you've checked out the complete range of ukuleles available to you, consider the possibility of building your own ukulele from scratch or assembling one from a kit.
The internet has many schematics and plans to guide you through creation from scratch. A host of sites are also available that offer basic ukulele building kits that you can start with, then finish by adding whatever components or modifications that suit your fancy. The tramp art music culture is another good place to start. This is where good-quality, well playing instruments are made from everyday components, using cigar boxes with surprising resonance. These boxes usually have a wooden back. If your level of craftsmanship warrants, you 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. - 18418
About the Author:
Learn more about ukuleleshere. Stop by papasboxes.com and see some photos about building your own ukulele.
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