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The ukulele is a stringed instrument resembling a miniature guitar, usually strung with 4 nylon strings tuned GCEA (left to right). The ukulele is a uniquely Hawaiian instrument, although its popularity has spread worldwide. Its name consists of two words in Hawaiian, most commonly translated thusly; 'uku- "flea" and lele- "jumping". Uku can also mean "gift" or "payment". Another Hawaiian name for the instrument is pilali'ili'i, or "little fiddle".
The ukulele is descended from a Portuguese instrument, the braguinha or machete de braga. When the first Portuguese immigrants (plantation workers from the island of Madera) arrived in Hawaii aboard an English ship in 1879, they brought several machetes along with them, as well as several good machete players and a couple of craftsmen who knew how to build such an instrument. The guitar had arrived in Hawaii some 50 years earlier, with the Spanish paniolos (cowboys). Prior to the arrival of the guitar, Hawaii had only indigenous Polynesian instruments, primarily consisting of drums and percussion instruments and simple woodwinds such as the nose flute.
The machete or braguinha had metal strings and was tuned higher than the ukulele, more like a mandolin and almost as hard to play. (It is also the ancestor of the Brazilian cavaquinho.) The Hawaiians, not having any metal with which to make strings, substituted gut (most often sheep, pig or cat intestines) and changed the tuning to resemble that of the guitar, in fourths and thirds, so that the fingerings were similar to those of the guitar. This had the advantage of making the instrument less difficult to play and less painful to the fingers! The result was a Hawaiian instrument which immediately began to become popular throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
King Kalakaua, the "Merry Monarch", in particular was a fan of the ukulele and encouraged several of the Portuguese craftsmen to set up shop and begin building and selling ukuleles. The first Hawaiian ukuleles were built of koa wood, also known in those days as "Hawaiian mahogany". It was plentiful and commonly used for furniture, utensils, even buildings. It also happens to be a beautiful and excellent-sounding tonewood, perfect for the purpose. Today, koa wood (true koa is found in Hawaii and nowhere else) has become rare and expensive, yet is still sought out by builders of the finest guitars and ukuleles.
The ukulele was introduced to the US mainland around 1910, and within a decade became wildly popular. By the mid-20's, most every musical household had at least one ukulele. The sheet music for most every hit song featured ukulele chord diagrams. College students went nowhere without a "uke". A lot of this popularity was for the same reasons that the ukulele caught on so rapidly in Hawaii; it was simple, cute, highly portable and far easier to learn to play than guitar, piano or almost any other instrument around. It had just the perfect volume and timbre for accompanying a vocalist and was the songwriter's best friend.
Gibson, Martin, Harmony, Gretsch, and just about every other Mainland fretted instrument maker made and/or sold ukuleles at some point in history. Production peaked in the mid-20's and again in the early 50's, when Arthur Godfrey brought about a major uke resurgence through his TV shows. Mainland ukes were built mostly out of mahogany, which was more plentiful and easier to obtain than koa. Mahogany sounds great and is very stable and durable, and somewhat softer (and therefore less brilliant in tone) than koa. In Hawaii, of course, builders like Sam Kamaka (Sr. and Jr.) and many others, most of whom are no longer in business, continued to build fine ukuleles out of koa.
Most ukuleles made in the last 40 years, especially the cheaper ones, are made from laminated wood (plywood) rather than solid wood. (Even some of those advertised as "mahogany" or "curly koa" are actually made from laminates.) This is because laminates are so much cheaper than fine solid woods. They can look quite good, often being surfaced with a thin veneer of quality wood or even a photograph or printed reproduction of fine wood grain. Unfortunately, though, the sound quality is nowhere near that of solid wood. Plywood simply does not resonate as well, especially on small stringed instruments. The exception to this rule is certain ukes with solid top and laminated back and/or sides, which can sometimes sound quite decent, as the top is the most important contributor to good tone.
For the beginning or financially limited uke buyer, there are some laminated student models available which play easily and in tune, especially after being properly set up and adjusted. These are just fine for lessons and practice, but for performances, the laminates don't quite measure up in terms of tone, resonance, volume or sustain. If you plan to perform in public, save up for a solid wood instrument.
Here's a link to part 2......
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