Ukulele
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The Ukulele is a very small four-string guitar that produces a twangy sound when you pluck the strings. It is normally used to accompany a singer. Its sound can also be heard in various styles of jazz and folk music. There was a craze for ukulele playing in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s but it is seldom heard today.
| Family |
| Strings |
| Pitch range |
| Up to two octaves. |
| Material |
| Wooden body, with nylon or gut strings. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 21 in (53 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| The ukulele is an Hawaiian instrument, descended from the Portuguese "machete da braça," which was brought to Hawaii from Madeira in 1879. |
| Classification |
| Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings. |
| And also... |
| The ukulele's name means "bouncing flea" in Hawaiian. It was also known as the taro-patch fiddle, from the Portuguese "machete darajao." |
