Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [ukulele]

One of a family of small four-string chordophones with nylon or gut strings, originating in Hawaii.

"Ukulele" is Hawaiian for "jumping flea", describing the motion of the fingers in fretting the notes, and strumming and plucking the strings. The instrument is based on the Portuguese cavaquinho.

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What is the practical reason for reentrant tuning on ukulele and similar instruments?

I'm intruiged by the fact that some stringed instruments, like the ukulele, are traditionally tuned in the way of reentrant tuning where the strings are not ordered from the lowest to the highest pitch. I do not play ukulele, or a similar…
Tim H
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Why Does the Ukulele Have a Reputation as an Easy Instrument?

The ukulele, much like the recorder and kazoo, is an instrument that is commonly associated with lower-quality performances, amateurism, and a rejection of formal music education. Are there historical or sociological explanations as to why this is…
user45266
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Do I need to learn music theory to play the ukulele?

Is it necessary to have music theory knowledge to play the ukulele?
durgadevi1
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Distinction between same notes played on different strings

While playing a particular piece (not chords, fingerpicking/single note playing) on my ukulele (or as far as the question is concerned, any similar instrument), I use the standard notation and then play the different notes by engendering the…
stochastic13
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Left Hander forced to learn ukulele and guitar right handed

I just need your thoughts regarding left hand guitar players. I come from a piano- and xylophone-playing family. I am the only right hander in my family (my father, mother and 3 brothers are all left handers). My wife is also a left hander, and it…
H K
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What should I look for in a ukulele amp

I bought an electric ukulele and now I need an amp for it. What should I be looking for? Is there any uke specific things that are particular to this kind of amp? Would a regular guitar amp work just as well? I am not looking to preform in front of…
Stopher87
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How can I make two chords on the ukulele sound interesting for a whole song?

I'm accompanying my friend on one of her own songs with my uke. However, the song only has two chords the whole way through! The chords are Dm and Am - eight even beats of each. It's mostly slow and steady then it speeds up at the end to a fast…
Abbie
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Can a U-BASS be considered a serious bass replacement in a band?

I'm quite taken with the idea of the Kala U-Bass - it's a bass in the form-factor of ukulele using special super-thick rubber strings. They look pretty well-built and the price suggests they are not a toy - but still I wonder if they can really be…
Mr. Boy
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What things to look for when buying my first ukulele?

I want to buy an ukulele, and I have no idea of what to expect or what to look for. Which brands have a good quality-price ratio? What types of ukuleles are there? What do I want to avoid? What to look for?
NPN328
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What notes on the piano do the Ukulele strings equate to?

If you highlighted the 4 strings of the Ukulele (default tuning) to notes on the piano, where would they come in relation to middle C?
Chris S
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Is it OK to play a G chord on the Ukulele differently than the standard finger position?

I'm very new to learning any instrument, so the uke is my first foray into anything musical. My question is, the standard placement of fingers for a G chord is not what I learned originally and I'm having a hard time retraining myself. This is what…
user34737
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Does ukulele chord often use inversions instead?

As a long time guitar player, I'm a bit confused, it seems on ukulele, it's quite common to use inverted chords (i.e. the root note is not necessarily the lowest note, in term of pitch) in substitute of those in root position (in order to simplify…
hillin
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What makes the same note sound different on different strings?

When comparing the same note (e.g. E4) from 2 (adjacent) strings, the tuner says: the same, but I hear them somehow differently. I cannot tune without a tuner because of this problem. What make them sound different? Or something wrong with my ears?…
Tung D. Nguyen
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Left hand thumb position for ukulele

Some people place the thumb behind the neck (more freedom for fingers) some let the neck fall deep between the thumb and index finger, and the thumb is visible above the fretboard Which position is right for what situation? Can it be changed…
Andrey Moiseev
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Is it possible to play an electric ukulele slap-bass-style?

I love the sound of slap bass and want to get something like that out of an electric ukulele, specifically a Risa Solid. I tried techniques from slap bass tutorials and can't get much sound out. Is it impossible for a human hand to get slap sound…
Max Heiber
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