The Hawaiian ukulele

Hawaii has blessed the musical world with three major contributions to string music. The slack-key guitar, the steel guitar and most significantly, the ukulele.

Hawaiian music as we know it would not be the same without this small instrument that was not taken very seriously in the beginning, but has grown to worldwide fame. More than a century after its introduction to the island, the ukulele had reached a height of popularity.

The predecessor to the ukulele was brought to Hawaii by an immigrant from Portugal in the late 1800s. The “braguinha” was also called a taro-patch fiddle and in 1915, the then evolved ukulele was introduced to the musical world at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. From then on the growing success of the unique and incomparable sound of the ukulele has made it an indispensable element of Hawaiian music.

In the 1920s, the ukulele had become so popular that manufacturers had a hard time to fill the demand. In the decades to come, things quieted down a bit until the desire for anything tropical gave a great comeback to the ukulele that has continued until today.

Presently, the ukulele is used in all modern styles of Hawaiian music that include elements of reggae, rock and the traditional island sounds. The ukulele is extremely adaptable to all types of music, always adding its magical touch of the Hawaiian soul.

The instrument itself has undergone many developments. There are different shapes, from the classical form looking like a miniature guitar to triangular shapes with modern colors. There are the original four-string ukuleles, but now also six to nine string instruments. Playing simple songs is fairly easy to learn and special stores have sheets with song lyrics and chords available.

When you visit Hawaii, you will see many ukuleles for sale with prices ranging from $ 19.99 to several thousand dollars. The cheap ones are mostly mass-made in China and do not have a good sound. They are good for decoration or as a first test-instrument for a small child.

You can get a fairly decent ukulele for around $80 to $120. Ukulele stores have a great range on display and can explain to you the differences and why koa wood sounds duller than ukuleles made out of other more resonant woods.

If you are serious about buying a great instrument, you should talk to one of the many musicians that are easy to meet in shopping centers, hotels and restaurants. They will be happy to share their secrets with you as they all want Hawaiian music to perpetuate around the world and to future generations.