There are four basic ukuleles--soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each can be found in a wide range of quality and cost, from high quality, well playing instruments to what amounts to nothing more than a child's toy. Every style imaginable is available, and some are available that you can't even imagine.
When you consider price, remember that you won't get much more than a toy for $30 or $40, one that you can't really play seriously, and one with not much to offer in the way of acoustic value. Having so many different types from which to choose, coupled with the need for a quality, well playing instrument, makes for a thorny undertaking. This can be especially unnerving it you are looking for a beginner ukulele, but don't just want a toy.
Ask and answer this question about your intended purchase, and the result can be some serious fun, with a high quality, well playing instrument. What is the intended use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how "serious" are you about that use? The primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of quality, acoustic value and price.
Is your purchase a gift for someone else? How serious will that person be about his or her playing? The same question should apply to the age of the person who will be playing the ukulele and that person's level of playing proficiency-how serious? Or is this for someone who is just learning to play-is he or she serious about it? You get my drift.
Although you can expect to pay more for quality, it may not necessarily be as a direct proportion. There are some exceptions; while you can expect to get what you pay for, some very well playing instruments are still very reasonably priced. A good principle to follow is that whether for a beginner or for an established player, and regardless of the age, the more serious you are, the more you can expect to play, and the higher the quality you will need. Successful melding of quality and price should be your goal and will for the most part determine your budget. With that in mind, let's look briefly at the four types of ukulele.
Soprano The earliest ukuleles were nearly all soprano sized-to a purest, it's the classic size with the classic sound and is less like the guitar than the others. But, as many gifted ukulele players will attest, there is nothing quite like strumming away on a soprano, and it's the thing you are naturally drawn to do. Being the smallest and most common, it's a good place to start, particularly if you are a beginner.
It has been said that a soprano ukulele is easy to learn but hard to master. It is good for playing chords and for strumming, but when it comes to fancy stuff, finger picking can be tricky. When compared to the other standard three, the traditional sound offered by this basic uke can seem thin and without much resonance.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don't be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert If the concert ukulele sounds bigger than the soprano, it is because it is bigger, if only by a small amount. It could be called alto, and has more middle range, with a slightly deeper, mellower sound than soprano. Being a little bigger, the concert can be easier to hold than the smaller soprano. It has more complex playing potential while preserving the unmistakably basic ukulele sound that can offer the best of both worlds.
If you like to strum and fingerpick and should you not be entirely comfortable with the reduced size of soprano, the concert ukulele may be a good compromise. It has the same tuning as the soprano, gCEA, and has that same unmistakable ukulele sound, with more resonance for a fuller tone. It's not a guitar, but with some serious practice, you can learn to play whatever you want to play. So we're back to that seriousness again.
Tenor The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone The baritone ukulele makes one think of a small guitar with a crisp, fuller sound. It is still a ukulele but whether you are just learning to play guitar, or you are a seasoned guitar player, you will find it relatively easy to play a baritone uke. It can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. Tuned like a guitar without the two top strings (base), it plays like a guitar with no top end.
In summary, let's get serious again. If you consider quality coupled with cost, add in your level of musical ability and interest in playing, you are now ready to go shopping. There's one additional possibility I'd like you to consider. And it can make your ukulele selection more meaningful than ever. Think about the possibility of building your own ukulele, either from scratch or by assembling one from a ukulele building kit.
If you like the challenge of building one from scratch, you can find reams of internet sites loaded with schematics and plans for building from scratch. Other sites, and there are many, contain basic ukulele building kits that include all the basic components to which you can add modifications constrained only by your creative imagination. Complete, good-quality, well playing instruments at reasonable prices, made from everyday components, are available in connection with the tramp art music culture. Many of these use cigar boxes for sound boards that have surprising resonance. These boxes usually have a wooden back, but you don't have to use their box; your kit fabrication can include a simple box that you make yourself.
Whether you build your own from scratch, use a conventional or cigar box building kit, or purchase a completed instrument, you're in for some serious fun. And remember the pithy and so often repeated observation made by many serious players-you can't play a sad song on a ukulele. Whether you decide to purchase a completed instrument, build from scratch or assemble from either a cigar box ukulele kit or a conventional ukulele kit, here's to you; good luck and good building.
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