Different Types of Ukulele

Hi to all my fellow ukulele enthusiasts! You would have seen someone playing a ukulele in a YouTube video or your friend owns it or you have come across about the instrument via someone you know of. And you are immediately moved by it and you have chosen to buy one for yourself. Great move! Welcome to the world of ukulele where the possibilities are endless! But wait you see so many different ukulele types and you are very confused as to what to choose then don’t worry this article is definitely for you.

Here we will discuss about the common type of ukuleles that are available in the market whose characteristics are different from one another. This article will enable you to choose one in accordance to your convenience.

Why there are different ukulele sizes?

Like how our human voice comes in different tones and pitches, different ukulele sizes mean varied tone and preference. And the naming of the ukuleles is also as same as how human voices are classified based on the range which is bass, baritone, tenor, soprano.

Initially the standard ukuleles were commonly used and then there were other ukulele types depending on the player’s preference and depth of sound that is produced from the instrument.

The analogy is similar to a guitar like how we had classical guitar, acoustic guitar and then electric guitar. The ukuleles are also priced according to the type of the ukulele. Like the smallest ukulele is less pricy than the bigger sized ukulele.

How to measure the size of the ukulele?

Ukuleles are measured from nut of the ukulele at the top and the saddle of the ukulele at the bottom. All you need is a measuring tape and measure from nut to saddle which gives the length of the ukulele.

What are the 4 types of ukuleles?

The four common ukulele types that are available in the market that are classified based on their size, different tuning and tonality are;

• Soprano ukulele
• concert ukulele
• tenor ukulele
• baritone ukulele

We’ll see the detailed description of each of these ukuleles down below. Apart from these standard types of ukuleles, there are also hybrid and modified ukuleles that are available in the market like the guitalele (a mix of guitar and ukulele), bass ukuleles, pineapple ukuleles each has their own unique way and characteristic of style and playing! Choose any ukulele according to your preference and add your special zinger everywhere you go!

Soprano ukulele:

The most common and popular ukulele is and is soprano and its chosen by most of the beginners out there. The size of the soprano ukulele is usually around 21 inches (53 cm). Since its small and easy to carry around, we can see most of the people prefer owning soprano ukulele.

The tuning for this ukulele is G-C-E-A. This ukulele is great because its affordable and comes handy but since there are volume limitations, it is not ideal for large performances. If you are choosing to buy one to play your favorite songs, take it on a trip, jam with your friends, record yourself in any social media platform then this ukulele would definitely be a perfect choice.

Concert ukulele:

Compared to the soprano the concert ukulele has got a bigger body and neck. The size of concert ukulele is around 23 inches (58 cm). Because of the bigger body, the sound that is produced by these ukuleles are bassier. Since the size is bigger the space between frets are more and hence people with bigger hands will find it easier to hold and play.

Another aspect for concert ukulele is that these ukuleles won’t go out of tune as much as soprano ukulele. Tuning of these ukuleles are same as soprano ukuleles which is G-C-E-A. This ukulele is preferred for beginners with bigger hands and who prefer to get a brighter sound.

Tenor ukulele:

The next type of ukulele is tenor ukulele. The size of this ukulele is around 26 inches (66 cm). The size is bigger than previous two ukulele types and hence the sound that is made from this ukulele is deeper which happens as and when the size increases. Tenor ukulele is somewhere between classical guitar and ukulele.

The tuning for this ukulele is the same as standard tuning which is G-C-E-A. Since the size is bigger, the spacing between frets on fretboard are more which enables better fingerpicking. The songs that involve complex fingerpicking are better with this type of ukulele. You can choose this ukulele if you want play more fingerpicking techniques than strumming for different chords. Also, for guitarists who wants to give ukulele a try then this ukulele would definitely resonate with you.

Baritone ukulele:

The last common ukulele type in this article is baritone ukulele whose size is around 29 inches (74 cm). It has deeper tone than all the previous ukulele types. Baritone ukuleles are kind of similar to classical guitar. This type of ukulele has bigger body and longer neck.

The tuning for this is D-G-B-E which is different than standard ukulele tuning. The first string is E, the second string is B, the third string is G, the fourth string is D. Since the tuning is different than previous ukuleles and hence, please ensure to tune in accordance.

Other ukulele types:

There are also other lesser common ukuleles like U-bass and Sopranissimo. The U-bass ukulele’s tuning is similar to the standard tuning of a ukulele and the size of this ukulele is around 32 inches in size. Because of its larger size, the sound produced from this ukulele is deeper than baritone ukuleles.

Another type of ukulele that we mentioned here is sopranissimo which resembles the shape of the pineapple fruit. Sopranissimo ukuleles are around 16 inches, they are the smallest ukulele and hence it is very travel friendly and preferred by people who wants to take their instruments on the go. The tuning of this ukulele is G-C-E-A and because of its smaller size these ukuleles are higher pitched.

What are the different types of ukulele strings?

There are varied type of ukulele strings and choosing the right one when you are buying a new one can be a bit overwhelming but fortunately you can choose from the following ones,

• Nylon strings
• Fluorocarbon strings
• Steel strings
• Wound Nylon strings
• Wound metal strings

Nylon strings: These ukulele strings produce a warmer sound. So, if you are choosing to play gentle strumming you can go for this string. Also, another aspect of nylon is its durable but the negative aspect is Nylon strings won’t hold the tuning for a longer time.

Fluorocarbon strings: This type of string is similar to nylon strings but the sound from this is brighter. These strings can hold tuning better than nylon strings.

Steel strings: Mostly steel string is for guitar and not for ukuleles but if you are preferring a brighter sound then you can definitely try using steel strings.

Wound nylon strings: This gives richer sound and are preferred for baritone and tenor ukulele.

Wound metal strings: These are similar to wounded nylon strings but with a metal core and hence if you want your ukulele to sound like a guitar, you can definitely choose this.

Which ukulele is suitable for you?

Choose the best ukulele depending on your budget, the size of your hands, preference of the tonality. Not only this your purpose to play the instrument as in if you want to learn some chords and you want to strum and sing along for your favourite song then soprano ukuleles would be handy for you.

If you are someone who plays the guitar for a longer time and you want to choose something that is similar you can choose baritone ukuleles since D-G-B-E would be first four strings of a guitar. Choose them in accordance to your height, how comfortably you can hold the ukulele. If you are choosing to do percussive fingerpicking or flamenco finger styling or any other picking technique, choosing to do percussive fingerpicking or flamenco fingerstyling or any other picking technique, choose a little bigger ukulele like tenor or baritone.

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