Who has never fallen under the spell of a melody sung by a ukulele? Generally smaller than a classical guitar, this plucked-stringed instrument from the Hawaiian Islands is so popular that many people want to learn how to play it.
But how best to choose it to take full advantage of its sound capabilities? Here are a few tips.
Professional Wooden Ukulele
This model of ukulele signed AoKoZo, one of the reference brands in its field, is simply a little marvel of softness and charm. Approved by all its users for the quality of its sounds, it is made from 3 woods carefully selected for their exceptional qualities: Nato wood for the head, Sapele wood, and rosewood for the masking plate.
Available in 21 or 23 inches (either the soprano model or the concert model), this small professional ukulele is the result of a production process of more than 100 phases, to guarantee its extreme quality. Proof, if any, of AoKoZo’s great know-how in this field, the brand offers a 12-month guarantee, with the possibility of returning the product within 30 days if it does not meet your expectations.
And since a good surprise never comes alone, this ukulele comes in its magnificent padded carrying case with adjustable straps, with a tuner, a cleaning cloth, and a set of 4 strings.
23 inch electric rosewood ukulele
This improved version of the Paisen Ukulele 23 inch (concert) will delight the many beginners and ukulele lovers around the world. With its elegant design, its superb finishes, its rosewood design, its Spanish nylon strings, but also the quality of its notes – clear highs and deep basses -, this ukulele really has nothing to envy the top category instruments sold for 3 times more. It comes from the traditional manufacturing process 199 Hawaiian.
It is therefore an excellent value for money that this professional ukulele. Easy to carry wherever you want, it comes with its hard storage case, an electric tuner, a mediator and spare strings; strap buttons are also pre-installed to facilitate travel. Beginners will be served, with the little user’s guide that will allow them to quickly learn the basics and start working on a few simple little pieces. You can go there with your eyes closed!
21 inch Hawaiian Ukulele with cover
You will find with this 21 inches Hawaiian ukulele (soprano) an excellent alternative, for beginners as well as confirmed players. The quality of the sounds produced is also at the rendezvous, for idyllic musical evenings on the beach or in the comfort of your sofa, lulled by the exotic melody of your instrument.
Small, practical to transport, easy to learn, it will not disappoint you. Made of solid spruce wood (body), reinforced with mahogany, walnut and rosewood, this ukulele offers an elegant design. It will also come with a hard case that will allow you to move around with your ukulele without any problem.
What is a ukulele?
Largely inspired by the Portuguese cavaquinho, the ukulele comes straight from the islands of Hawaii. It belongs to the plucked-string family and looks like a kind of small guitar with 4 strings. Its exotic, harmonious and softly filled sounds enjoy great popularity with a wide range of audiences – from popular music fans to jazz aficionados. Many budding musicians are taking the plunge to learn this trendy new instrument.
There are several categories of ukuleles, depending on their size: soprano (the traditional models, in their great majority), but also concert, tenor and baritone, which were created later.
How to choose your ukulele?
In order to choose the best ukulele, it is important to know the characteristics of each model available on the market; for example, small soprano type ukuleles, whose body size can vary between 30 and 35 cm, refer to traditional Polynesian ukuleles.
They emit a high-pitched, typically Hawaiian sound. Slightly larger (about 35-40 cm), concert models produce lower pitched sounds. They offer an ideal size for beginners looking for their very first ukulele.
The tenor is a little more expensive, with a size between 40 and 45 cm, and is usually played by artists in concert. As for the baritone ukulele, it is the largest and most serious model on the market. It is perfectly suited to experienced musicians.
The best ukulele players
It is difficult to evoke the ukulele without going back over the career of the famous Hawaiian artist Iz, alias Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, who has largely contributed to democratize the use of the ukulele with his song, now known worldwide: “Over the rainbow”.