Ukulele
A Hawaiian folk instrument and kid brother to the guitar, the ukulele has become all kinds of cool lately! It was once considered by many to be more of a toy or a novelty item than a serious instrument. In the last couple of decades, though, artists like Eddie Vedder, Neutral Milk Hotel, Tune-Yards, and Jake Shimabakuro have taken the uke to astonishing new heights and forever altered its public image. It’s safe to say that the ukulele is now a bona fide cultural phenomenon; I love them, and I couldn’t be happier about that :)
All smiles.
Pros
Ukulele is straightforward and great for beginners and those taking their first music lessons. The chords can often be played with just one or two fingers (unlike guitar, which usually requires three or more), and the strings are soft and so easy to fret that even three-year olds will have no trouble. In fact, it’s my #1 recommended instrument for young children, and at this time I teach more ukulele lessons than any other kind!
Ukuleles are super cheap, and unlike most other instruments, even inexpensive ones are fairly durable and sound good. A $40 ukulele is fine for children; a $60-$100 uke will likely sound nice enough for adult students, and a $200 ukulele makes the musical equivalent of a double rainbow on your birthday :):):) 🌈
You can play almost anything on the ukulele that you can on guitar! And if you want to switch over to guitar, you’ll find that you’ve already learned a lot of what you need to know from learning the ukulele first.
You can take them anywhere.
Ukulele is FUN!
Cons
Ukulele has a smaller range (meaning how high and low the instrument can play) than the guitar, and in that sense it’s less expressive. It also has four strings as opposed to the guitar’s six, making it less rich and full harmonically.
The size and layout of the ukulele make it less conducive to playing solos and lead melodies. It can be done, though!
It’s not the best choice if you want to play an electric instrument. Electric ukuleles do exist, but they’re expensive and sometimes they don’t sound very good.
Rock Gods of Tomorrow.
Strumming and loving it.
what to expect
For beginner students and casual players, I can’t recommend the ukulele enough. Children love the sound, and some of the chords are so easy to play that most of my students have been able to play one or two songs from start to finish by the end of a half hour lesson. It gives them a sense of progress and accomplishment almost immediately, and again, it’s FUN! There’s something irrepressibly positive and uplifting in the sound of the ukulele. Most people find it inherently pleasing to listen to, which is tremendously beneficial in forming a positive relationship with music.
It’s fantastic for adults, too. Many of my adult students have demanding jobs and family lives, and their practice time is limited. Often times that makes their musical development slower, and they get frustrated with how long it takes to learn to play. Not so with the ukulele! The learning curve is far gentler than other instruments, and even students with minimal practice time see tangible results pretty quickly. If you’d like to play music but worry you won’t have enough time to practice, ukulele is a great place to start!