strings and things

In 1879, three Portuguese immigrants from Madeira—Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias—disembarked from the SS Ravenscrag in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.

The three men were cabinetmakers who missed the small guitar-like instruments—like the machete, the braguinha, and the cavaquinho—that were popular back home in Portugal.

As a result, they made the first ukulele in the early 1880s.

While Portuguese immigrants introduced the ukulele to the island, King Kalākaua, then-monarch of Hawai‘i, was responsible for the popularity of the ukulele and its eventual reverence in Hawaiian culture.

The instrument also became popular in the mainland United States, where Hawaiian music and hula dances were trendy in the mid-20th century.

With appearances on The Arthur Godfrey Show and in music by Tiny Tim (especially his song “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”), it remained in the spotlight.

In the 90s, the ukulele enjoyed a new rise in popularity in the US, when Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole released his ukulele versions of the popular songs “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World.”

The popularity of ukuleles has led to a surge in hybrid musical instruments, such as the guitalele (a guitar ukelele) and the banjolele (a banjo ukulele).

Difference between Ukuleles & Guitars

As string instruments, ukuleles and guitars may look very similar, but they have several significant differences, including:

Size: The most apparent difference between guitars and ukuleles is their size: ukuleles range from 11 to 21 inches, while a full-size guitar can be up to 40 inches. Due to their small size, the ukulele can be more manageable for beginners to learn with, because they don’t have to stretch their fingers too far on the fretboard (or fingerboard) to make ukulele chords and notes.

Strings: Guitars have six strings tuned from the lowest to highest (most often tuned with a tuner to E-A-D-G-B-E), while ukuleles only have four and don’t follow low-to-high order (standard ukulele tuning is G-C-E-A). With fewer strings, ukuleles can be easier to learn how to play—especially considering ukulele strings are usually soft nylon, rather than the tougher-on-the-fingers nickel-coated strings found on most guitars.

Range: Since guitars are larger instruments than ukuleles, they have a much more extensive range of notes—standard classical guitars can play from E2 to E4, while a soprano ukulele can play only from C4 to A5.

Sound: Acoustic guitars produce a loud, full sound, due in part to their larger size and nickel-coated strings; ukulele music is lighter and brighter than the richness of a guitar.