Due to its unusualness, ukulele - a small guitar that appeared recently among traditional instruments, managed to win musical hearts.
Translated from Latin ukulele means "jumping flea." It is considered a folk instrument of the islands of Hawaii.
Story
In the XIX century, the ancestor of ukulele (Macheti) was imported from Portugal to the Hawaiian Islands. Machetti or Cavakinho is a small, stringed musical instrument . He was originally from Portugal and had only 4 strings. After being brought to the island, he gets along well and becomes the property of the region.
Subsequently, the existence of ukulele became interested in the countries of Europe and the United States. It was especially interesting for jazz performers.
At the moment, a small guitar is considered one of the most popular instruments among travelers and tourist youth.
Characteristic
The instrument consists of a guitar-shaped body, headstock, four pegs, a bridge and a socket, as well as frets. In total, it has only 4 strings.
Ukulele is a very practical and everyday tool in connection with its miniature. It does not take up much space and does not weigh as much as an ordinary guitar, but at the same time perfectly suits the role of accompaniment for the performance of songs.
Kinds
Despite the fact that the instrument is small in itself, and it seems that this is one of the varieties of the classical guitar, everything is much more interesting.
"Baby" is divided into 4 main types:
- ukulele soprano;
- concert;
- ukulele tenor;
- baritone.
1. Soprano - a classic and from this the most common form. It is advised to start their training with this particular design.
- She has the shortest neck, and the number of frets normally reaches 12, but there are exceptions (up to 17).
- In terms of parameters, the soprano is inferior to everyone, and its length is only 53 cm. The scale (the sounding part of the instrument) is 33 cm.
- Build a standard - salt-do-mi-la (GCEA).
- The distance between the strings and frets is very small, because owners of hands larger than this design may be uncomfortable.
Its main advantage is size and, in this regard, ease of movement. Ukulele during the game is easy to keep on weight, clutching to the chest. For even better comfort, a strap is used, which makes the task doubly easy.
2. Concert - a view with slightly larger parameters. It is considered a kind of "golden mean" between the ukulele soprano and tenor. Great for larger hand owners.
- The range of dynamics is wider, and the sound depth is much greater.
- Length - 58 cm, and the scale itself - 38 cm.
- The number of frets is about 15-20 units.
- The build is similar to the soprano.
3. The tenor model appeared only in the 20th century, in the 20s. It surpasses the two previous types in size. In the circles of professionals playing the ukulele tenor, it is the most preferred, because an extensive range of sounds opens up significant opportunities for artists.
- The sound has massive bass and wide dynamics.
- The total length of the instrument is 66 cm and the scale is 43 cm.
It is less convenient to carry, and you can’t play in the standing position, however, remembering the prevalence of the classical guitar during travels, trips and any events, the tenor ukulele really seems miniature.
4. The baritone in this list is "young", which appeared in the 40s of the XX century.
- It is larger than the dimensions of the tenor: length 74 cm, and the scale - 43 cm.
- In appearance and characteristics, the closest resembles a guitar.
- The instrument has a velvet timbre and a deep sound.
- Has 18 or more frets.
- Build another (underestimated) - re-sol-si-mi (DGBE).
An interesting fact: the names of the species of ukulele are similar to the names of the classifications of voices and parties in the choir.
- Sopranos - a group of their highest female voices.
- Tenor is a group of the highest male voices.
- Baritone is a medium-sized male voice located between the tenor and bass.
Another fascinating thing is the existence of other varieties of ukulele, but less common: bass and double bass.
From the name it follows:
- instruments in the range belong to the low group and, like all representatives of the bass, have volume parameters.
The bass length is 76 cm, and the double bass is already 81 cm.
Tenor Facts
1. As mentioned earlier, the dimensions of the tenor ukulele in the summed length are 66 centimeters, and the separately measured censorship is 43.
2. The number of frets varies from 15 to 25 units.
3. It has quite powerful dynamics and is an ideal option for instrumental music.
4. Professionals and well-known instrumentalists prefer to speak with the tenor option.
5. Acacia koa or mahogany are most often chosen as the starting material.
6. Build a tenor ukulele either standard (GCEA) or understated (DGBE). Translating into Russian, the standard is a layout in sol-do-mi-la; understated - re-sol-si-mi.
7. Execution most often occurs in a sitting position.
8. A synonym for tenor ukulele is its enlarged concert appearance.
Tenor Ukulele Chords
Since the instrument most often has a standard system, chords are built like soprano and concerto types. There is one interesting fact in adjusting the ukulele:
- the first three strings are tuned similarly to the strings of a guitar (from high to low sound), but the fourth one does not pass into another octave, but remains on the same as the first three. In a guitar, the last string is one octave lower.
For performers - guitarists, such a system is rather peculiar.
If we talk about an understated system, then we should focus on the baritone structure. It is constructed in the same way as the method described above, where the last string (re) will belong to one common octave.
- It is better for beginners not to start with this system, since it is more complicated in perception and study.
Due to the small number of strings (4), the process of clamping them is greatly simplified, therefore it is much easier to pick up chords.
Above is a diagram of simple (first two lines) and subsequently complex chords.
Total
Each type of ukulele is individual. The timbre and sound make this instrument extraordinary, and its parameters are not only practical, but also cause waves of emotion and sympathy from the outside.
Thanks to a wide selection of varieties, each beginner and professional can choose their own option.