When You Buy a Ukulele Consider This
Buying a ukulele can be an overwhelming and tricky job, especially if you're looking for a beginner or basic ukulele. There are so many from which to choose, and quality is not always a function of price. Keep in mind though, that if you want more than a toy and want a ukulele that you can play seriously, it's unlikely that you will get much acoustic value by responding to a pitch of ukuleles for sale $30 or $40 (pun intended).
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.
Ask and answer this question about your intended purchase, and the result can be some serious fun, with a high quality, well playing instrument. What is the intended use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" are you about that use? The primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of quality, acoustic value and price.
Extend that serious consideration to whoever is the intended user, if it's for someone else. Regardless of the user's age and level or playing proficiency, how serious will that person approach this instrument's playability? If this is a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift), is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? It has been suggested that putting a low quality ukulele in the hands of a beginner is a huge mistake.
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.
With the emphasis on playing chords and strumming, playing the soprano is easier to learn than the others, but in many ways it's harder to master. Creating or playing routines involving more finger picking can be difficult, and achieving good resonance can be difficult.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don't be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert Concert is a little bigger than soprano and it therefore sounds bigger. You'll find more middle range, more alto, and a somewhat deeper, mellower sound. Some players find that a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential makes the concert an instrument that offers 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.
Teno Larger still and with more of a guitar look and feel is the tenor. It's still not a guitar though, and it's not intended to be. Slightly larger than a concert, but far smaller than an acoustic guitar, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone than the concert. The range can be extended by tuning the fourth string an octave lower. Though you may not play like Jake Shimabukuro, the tenor can be used for more advanced solo playing, and since it has more finger room, it lends itself to more complex runs and faster play.
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.
In summary, let's get serious again. If you consider quality coupled with cost, add in your level of musical ability and interest in playing, you are now ready to go shopping. There's one additional possibility I'd like you to consider. And it can make your ukulele selection more meaningful than ever. Think about the possibility of building your own ukulele, either from scratch or by assembling one from a ukulele building 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.
Either way, completed instrument, or your own construction from scratch, or build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional kit, the ukulele can be an unparalleled means to some serious fun, with one overriding factor-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. The best of luck to you if you decide to purchase a completed instrument, and, if you decide to build from scratch or from a kit, good luck and good building. - 18423
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.
Ask and answer this question about your intended purchase, and the result can be some serious fun, with a high quality, well playing instrument. What is the intended use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" are you about that use? The primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of quality, acoustic value and price.
Extend that serious consideration to whoever is the intended user, if it's for someone else. Regardless of the user's age and level or playing proficiency, how serious will that person approach this instrument's playability? If this is a gift for someone just learning to play (a beginner ukulele makes a very unique Christmas gift), is that person serious about playing, even if just playing for fun? It has been suggested that putting a low quality ukulele in the hands of a beginner is a huge mistake.
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.
With the emphasis on playing chords and strumming, playing the soprano is easier to learn than the others, but in many ways it's harder to master. Creating or playing routines involving more finger picking can be difficult, and achieving good resonance can be difficult.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don't be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert Concert is a little bigger than soprano and it therefore sounds bigger. You'll find more middle range, more alto, and a somewhat deeper, mellower sound. Some players find that a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential makes the concert an instrument that offers 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.
Teno Larger still and with more of a guitar look and feel is the tenor. It's still not a guitar though, and it's not intended to be. Slightly larger than a concert, but far smaller than an acoustic guitar, it carries a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone than the concert. The range can be extended by tuning the fourth string an octave lower. Though you may not play like Jake Shimabukuro, the tenor can be used for more advanced solo playing, and since it has more finger room, it lends itself to more complex runs and faster play.
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.
In summary, let's get serious again. If you consider quality coupled with cost, add in your level of musical ability and interest in playing, you are now ready to go shopping. There's one additional possibility I'd like you to consider. And it can make your ukulele selection more meaningful than ever. Think about the possibility of building your own ukulele, either from scratch or by assembling one from a ukulele building 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.
Either way, completed instrument, or your own construction from scratch, or build from a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional kit, the ukulele can be an unparalleled means to some serious fun, with one overriding factor-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. The best of luck to you if you decide to purchase a completed instrument, and, if you decide to build from scratch or from a kit, good luck and good building. - 18423
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Find the best deal on ukuleleshere, or visit www.papasboxes.com to find the best advice on high quality instruments for you.
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