Did you know that the ukulele has been around for more than 138 years?

However, this century-old instrument is no way out of fashion. Ukulele sales have actually doubled between 2009 and 2012, and they’ve been going up ever since.

What is it that has caused this dramatic rise in popularity? Read on to find out all about why the ukulele is so “vogue” right now, and how the history of the ukulele began.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s strum on!

Why is the ukulele so popular today? The ukulele is so popular today due to famous songs such as “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, “I’m Yours”, and “Hey, Soul Sister” and exposure from top ukulele players such as Jake Shimabukuro, James Hill, and others.

What’s so Special About Ukuleles?

What’s so special about the ukulele? Is it the chunk-a-chunk sound? The teeny, tiny body? Or the Hawaiian Roots?

Ukulele mastermind Jake Shimabukuro said, “There’s something about the ukulele that just makes you smile. It makes you let your guard down. It brings out the child in all of us.”

Yes, the easy listening, almost tropical sound of ukulele music can make you feel happy, even on a gloomy day. It’s actually almost impossible to play a sad song on a ukulele!

It also gives off an innocent and humble vibe. Other large instruments can come across as quite intimidating and brash, whereas a ukulele is a simple unpretentious instrument.

On top of the joyful sounds it produces, it’s also a practical instrument. It’s portable, affordable and not overly difficult to play.

Pulling Strings

Most who have learned to play the ukulele say it’s not a hard instrument to learn. With so many YouTube videos and online tutorials available, you may even be able to master the art without a teacher.

Ukuleles come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. These different sizes mean they are comfortable for almost anyone to play.

Many other instruments take years of intensive study to master, but there is a level of immediate gratification when learning the ukulele. Its beautiful sounds and ease of use mean you can strum along nicely after learning just a few basic chords.

You don’t even need to read music to learn the ukulele. But you will need to learn how to read simple ukulele music tabs.

The same cannot be said when it comes to the frustration of learning the violin or the piano!

The Ups and Downs of Ukulele History

The history of the ukulele certainly has its ups and downs. Although it is an old instrument that is entwined throughout the Hawaiian and Portuguese culture, many have snubbed the ukulele as a kid’s toy.

But a ukulele isn’t a toy, and it’s not a mini guitar for kids either!

A ukulele is a member of the lute family and deserves its place in all genres of music. In fact, over the past few years, artists have broken boundaries and really shown us what the ukulele can do. Jake Shimabukuro playing Bohemian Rapshody proves my point…

With the help of new age trendsetters, the ukulele is back on top. But what happened on this historical rollercoaster ride? Read on to find out.

The History of the Ukulele

When you think of a ukulele, Hawaii no doubt comes to mind. But did you know that it actually originates from a completely different place?

Keep reading to find out all about the unique history of the ukulele.

1879 – A Jumping Flea

Ukuleles came onto the scene in 1879. Although the facts are a little hazy, the story goes like this:

A Portuguese man, Joao Fernandez, immigrated to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane fields. As he reached the shores of the tropical islands, he jumped off a boat and started playing a “braguinha” (small guitar-like instrument).

The local Hawaiians watched in awe as he strummed and plucked away at the strings. They were so fascinated that they named the instrument “ukulele” which literally translates to “jumping flea”.

Even the reigning monarch at the time, King Kalakaua, learned how to play it! After mastering the art he promoted the ukulele as a traditional Hawaiian instrument. By 1900, it was a local sensation across the islands.

1893 – The Uke Reaches the Mainland

In 1893, the Chicago World Fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival. They invited visitors from 46 countries.

At the world fair, a group of ukulele players entertained the crowds. They really showed what they were made of, but this performance wasn’t enough to spark the fire that would come about later on.

1912 – An Exotic Play

A US Broadway performance, The Bird of Paradise, featured a Hawaiian quintet playing background music.

Although the ukulele was slowly becoming more of a common sight, it was still considered as exotic and somewhat mysterious.

1915 – A Novel Souvenir

In 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco gave ukuleles a huge boost of popularity.

In the process of promoting Hawaiian products and tourism, they featured a traditional Hawaiian show. This performance featured Hula dancers in grass skirts playing ukuleles.

Tourists could purchase a ukulele to take home as a novel souvenir. As a result, thousands of people in the US and from around the world were introduced to the humble ukulele.

1920 – The Rise of Ukulele Sales

By the 1920s, department store catalogs started selling ukuleles for a couple of bucks. Some who offered lessons, gave the uke away for free if they signed up for classes.

Mainland luthiers and businesses such as Martin, Dobro, Gibson, and Harmony all jumped on board the uke craze.

1930 – A Decline in Ukulele Music

Throughout the 1930s the ukulele craze declined. A variety of music tastes hit the scene with post-war genres. The ukulele was essentially buried but still soldiered on in Hawaii.

1950 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Takes Over

In the 1950s TV host, Arthur Godfrey brought the almost forgotten ukulele right into peoples homes. Sporting a Hawaiian shirt, he gave ukulele lessons to millions of viewers.

Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Betty Grable all caught onto the trend. In fact, the movie Blue Hawaii was one of Presley’s biggest box office hits!

The sales of plastic ukuleles skyrocketed. Even Americans who hadn’t picked up an instrument before started learning the uke.

But as the 50s went on, when kids started doing the Twist and rock around the clock, the uke had another blip in popularity. The ukulele was treated more like a toy than a “real” instrument, becoming incomparable to the electric guitars in the rock ‘n’ roll scene.

1968 – A Novelty Instrument

In 1968 Tiny Tim strummed along on a ukulele as he sang “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”. Although it gave the ukulele some much-needed advertising, Tiny Tims novelty performances made the ukulele a joke in the music world.

Even the local youth in Hawaii fell for the glamorous world of rock music. Their traditional island music waned among the young generation.

1980 – Blurring Boundaries

In the 1980s a few rock acts started to introduce the ukulele back into mainstream music.

Hawaiian artists also started to rediscover their forgotten roots again. They began to blur the boundaries between mainstream pop music and Hawaiian folk songs.

1993 – The Great Ukulele Resurrection

The great ukulele resurrection took place when Hawaiian musician, Israel Kamakawio’ole, put ukuleles back on the map. With his unique medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” he sparked a new craze.

2000 – Becoming Mainstream

The uke became a popular sound throughout TV ads, in movie soundtracks, musical shows and throughout the pop music scene.

Steven Swartz, Zach Condon, and Stephen Merritt at times replaced their guitars with the gentle sound of a uke. In 2002 Paul McCartney strummed on a uke in concert as a tribute to George Harrison, who absolutely loved the Ukulele.

2006 – Going Viral

In the YouTube generation, overnight stars were made from simple homemade videos.

In 2006, someone uploaded a video of Jake Shimabukuro playing the uke, without his knowledge. The video went viral, starting off a huge ukulele career.

As time went on, Shimabukuro cemented his “ukulele god” status with a performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Yes, you really can play it on only 4 strings!

However, he wasn’t the only one on the scene. Jason Maraz broke ukulele records in 2008 when he released the song “I’m Yours.”

2010 Until Now – The Modern Ukulele

James Hill won several awards as the years went on for his ukulele music. Later Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) released his “Ukulele Songs” album which won a Grammy. The Band Train had a huge hit in 2010 named “Hey, Soul Sister” and even Taylor Swift plays a uke during concerts.

Other celebs have caught on the trend too. From Zooey Deschanel strumming away while wooing Joseph Gordon Levitt to Tony Blair disrupting Politics, the uke is everywhere.

In fact, in 2017, approximately 1.75 million ukuleles were sold in the U.S. From toddlers and teens to professionals and seniors, people are seeking every opportunity to learn how to play the ukulele.

Uke’n Do It!

It’s clear to see that this century-old instrument is here to stay. Through its ups and downs, it’s still winning hearts today.

If you want to learn how to play the ukulele but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Start your ukulele journey by checking out this how-to guide: How do you play basic chords on the ukulele?

I know that there are lots of people who think that the only difference between a guitar and a ukulele is the size.

But, you might be surprised to learn that this is not where the differences end.

It might be the case that you have already learned how to play guitar and are wondering if your skills are going to be transferable. Or, you might be thinking of taking up a new instrument but aren’t quite sure which of these two you want to learn.

For whatever reason, you have stumbled upon this article, and we are going to look at the differences between the guitar and the ukulele. So, strap in your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen and let’s dive right in.

Ukulele vs Guitar: Differences

Appearance

So, the most obvious difference that I have already stated is that the guitar is much larger than a ukulele. If you are wanting to learn to play the guitar then having big hands is going to be a bonus, and if you have small hands, then you are going to need to learn to stretch your fingers for this large instrument. As well as the ukulele being smaller, it is also a lot thinner. Therefore, if you are someone who has small hands that doesn’t want to be straining to get the strings, the ukulele is going to be a better option for you.

Another difference in the appearance is that while the guitar has six strings, the ukulele has four. If you already know how to play the guitar, learning to play the ukulele in this sense isn’t going to be extremely difficult, but it might take a while to get used to. Because of the different number of strings, learning the chords on the ukulele will be simpler as they will not be as complex as the six string instruments. There will also be fewer chords to learn, and this just might be enough to push someone into learning ukulele instead of guitar.

It might be important to you that your instrument fits in with your personality. There are many different designs for guitars that I personally have seen, and I would imagine that you won’t have much trouble finding a guitar that will do this for you. There is not as much choice when it comes to the ukulele. The ukulele will typically look very Hawaiian, obviously because this is where they originate from. Having said that, there are some beautiful designs that I’ve seen around so you might be lucky enough to find one of these somewhere.

Price

For some people, the price is going to be a deal breaker. If the price doesn’t matter to you, then this point is going to be moot, but it is always useful to know about the differences in price anyway.

The ukulele is going to be the cheaper option here coming in at around 20 for one of the cheapest on sale. If you want to get a higher quality of ukulele, even this will only cost you around 80 at most. Due to this, the ukulele is going to be the obvious choice if the price is going to be deciding factor here.

This is because to get a good quality guitar, you are going to be looking at paying something like 150-300, and this is going to be towards the lower end. You can always opt to get a second-hand guitar which will be cheaper. You will find it much easier to get a second-hand guitar as opposed to the ukulele but due to the cheap nature of the Hawaiian instrument, a second-hand one isn’t usually going to be necessary. Even then though, the ukulele is still likely to be cheaper than even a second-hand guitar.

Difference In Sound

It all depends on what kind of sound you are looking for as to whether you should purchase and learn to play the guitar or the ukulele. Having said this, the guitar will offer you a variety of different sounds, whether you want a gentle song or an earth-shattering noise. This comes from the fact that you have the option to buy an acoustic or an electric guitar, depending on what would suit your musical ambitions best. They both make beautiful yet different sounds, so you need to look into this before you buy a guitar.

On the other hand, the ukulele does not offer much variation in its sounds but is still beautiful. It is also very unique, so if you know what it sounds like, you’ll be able to tell from a mile away what instrument it is. It offers a very chilled out tone which is perfect for relaxing days and chilling on the beach. If this is the kind of sound that you are looking for, learning to play the ukulele is going to be the right option for you.

Having said that, there are different sizes of ukulele that you can play, and these will make different sounds depending on the size. Even though the range is smaller than it is on a guitar, the different size options will mean that you can get the right sound for you even despite this.

Take a look at this great video showing the difference in sound:

Different Kinds

It is only possible to purchase two types of guitar: the electric or the acoustic. But what most people don’t know is that there is actually four classical types of ukuleles. These four types are the soprano, the alto, the tenor and the baritone. It is common for people to believe that there is just one ukulele because they are not seen very often. The biggest of the ukuleles is the baritone, and like I mentioned before, each different kind will have a different sound. The baritone is going to be the most expensive, and it is like a mini guitar.

As well as sizes, there are some ukuleles that have been put into categories based on their shapes. A couple of examples would be the fluke ukulele and the pineapple ukulele which is one of the more common ones that you are likely to see.

Easier To Learn

You might be wondering which of these instruments is going to be easier to learn. This is something that is highly debated and seems to be a matter of personal opinion. While there are points of each instrument which would, in theory, would make it easier to learn, it might not be the same when putting into practice. Many people believe that the ukulele will be the easiest option to learn, but many people will find that this is not the case.

It is true to say that the learning curve for the ukulele is going to be much easier. You don’t need to be playing for more than a couple of days to begin being able to play songs and make your own music. The reason that this is easier is that there are fewer strings, meaning there are fewer chords and combinations to learn and memorize. Due to the four strings, it becomes easier to manage, and this is why beginners will usually prefer this option.

However, even though this is a majority opinion, you might find yourself in the minority. There are some things that will make learning the guitar easier for you as opposed to the ukulele. Like I mentioned before, if you have big hands, the guitar is going to be easier for you to play. Not just because you don’t have to overextend your fingers to reach all of the strings, but because of the ukuleles small nature, you might struggle to bend your hand in the way that will be necessary.

Ease of Learning

Another thing you need to consider when asking which is easier to play is who is going to teach you? Are you going to use online resources and tutor yourself on how to play? If so, then the ukulele is likely going to be the best option here. Due to its simple nature, this option is going to be easier to self-teach. That’s not to say though that you can’t teach yourself to play the guitar, I know this is possible and so does Jimi Hendrix, one of the most famous guitar players of all time. Many people have found success after teaching themselves to play the guitar, but if you think that you would benefit more from an experienced playing teaching you, look around to find the best teacher, and you will be playing like a pro in no time.

Conclusion

As we can see then, there are numerous differences between the ukulele and the guitar. Aside from what I would term the ‘obvious’ differences, there are also more subtle differences. As we’ve seen, there are even differences between each of the instruments like the sizes of the ukulele and the type of guitar. After reading this, I hope you are closer to making your choice about whether you should opt for the ukulele or the guitar. It all depends on personal preference, and I hope that this article has been able to give you some insight on what that will be for you.