The Ukulele
The ukulele is a member of the lute family of instruments; meaning that the strings run in a plane parallel to the sound table. Most people believe that the ukulele originated in Hawaii however, they actually had their first start in Portugal in 139 B. C in the Lusitania tribe. By the thirteenth century, four-string instruments were being used in Spain, when six-string instruments were introduced in the 1700s the popularity of chordophones exploded. (A chordophone is a musical instrument that makes sound by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points.) Although we all picture ukuleles as a Hawaiian instrument, it wasn't until 1879 that the first ukulele was brought over from Portugal. One of the Portuguese
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Residents were fascinated with the instrument, adopted it as their own, renamed it 'Ukulele' which in Hawaiian means “Jumping-flea.” The name reflected how the islanders thought the fingers jumped across the fretboard when it was being played, however, the last Queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani translated the name Ukulele as “A gift from afar.” Within 10 years of its introduction, the Ukulele became a really popular instrument in Hawaii. The ukulele was introduced to the United States in 1915 at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was known as the “Great Ukulele craze of 1915”, soon after, record sales of Hawaiian music grew rapidly, and they started selling ukuleles in music stores all throughout the United States. By the 1920s and 1930s, the Ukulele became a very popular item in North America. The first ukuleles were made by hand, a process that was very hard and time-consuming considering the fact that it takes 10 different steps to …show more content…
Manuel Nunes also suggested a different tuning pattern to make chord formation easier. The body of the ukulele is usually made from wood. The type of wood has a significant impact on the sound, tone, and quality. Mahogany is thought to be the finest wood for making ukuleles. It also has excellent aging properties, sounding better as it gets older. Typically, the same type of wood is used for the entire instrument. The ukulele is a small instrument that looks like a miniature version of a guitar. It consists of a short neck, the main body, four strings and tuning keys, a bridge, a fretboard, and a sound hole. There are a variety of different types of ukuleles including the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The soprano is the smallest (20 inches) and the baritone is the largest (30 inches). The strings are tuned to the notes G-C-E-A on all ukuleles except the Baritone. Tuning for the Baritone is D-G-B-E because it has a deeper sound like that of a guitar. Fun fact about the ukulele: Neil Armstrong loved to play the ukulele in his downtime. After his trip to the moon, he feared that he had contracted a strange bacterium, so he spent weeks in quarantine, often
They weren’t added to keyboards until the thirteenth century. Another instrument that was a prelude to the piano was the pantaleon. It was created by Hebenstreit, a famous dulcimer player. It had 180 strings, was 9 feet long, had an extra soundboard, and had double-faced hammers. It was extremely hard to master. It was short-lived, but was an important influence for the pianoforte. It also created an important link between keyed and non-keyed string instruments (Crombie 5-7).
Jimi Hendrix learned to play a guitar as a teen and grew up to change a rock legend, who stood up the crowd in the 1960s with his modern electric guitar playing. Jimi Hendrix was from Seattle, Washington, and due to his father’s inspiration, at the age of 13, Jimi taught himself how to play the guitar. One of his crucial performances was at Woodstock in
Ukuleles, Hawaiian for “jumping flea”, were first built in Hawaii by three Madeiran immigrants: Augusto Dias, Manuel Nunes, and Jose do Espirito Santo in 1879. The ukuleles are in the guitar family, and are a combination of two Portuguese instruments, the machetes and rajãoes, that the trio were building. The number of strings on the instrument is taken from the machete while the tuning comes from the first four strings of the rajãoes. Ukuleles became popular in Hawaii after gaining the favor of Hawaiian royalty and later it would be common to see these accompany hula dances. In the early 1900s, ukuleles gained popularity in the rest of the states through a number of key performances and plays such as Bird of Paradise that introduced them to
Like any stringed instrument the player must be able to easily adjust the height of the strings, tune their instrument for pitch, and know how to check and adjust the pegs. They must also know how to change the bridge of the instrument and what the effects of changing the bridge will have on the music quality and tone.
made from sinew, rawhide, the neck of a turtle, or the intestines of an animal. The strings could also be made
When the string is being plucked it creates a sound with the hole in the middle of the body. It also has a long neck part attached with
he instrument most popular is the lute, violin, flute, Viol. the lute reached 6 feet tall.'English Consort' was the first English string quartet.so popular that in 1599 Thomas Morley published a book of 'Consort Lessons'.Elizabethan musical instruments included the musical instruments from the Medieval period together with the musical instruments which emerged during the Elizabethan era.
Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka began crafting koa ukuleles from the basement of his Kaimuki, Hawaii home shortly after the turn of the century. He formed his one-man shop, "Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works," in 1921 and a solid reputation for making only the highest quality ukuleles was soon established.In 1921, at 1814 South King Street, Kamaka Ukulele established a shop.Sam Kamaka laid out a pattern for a new oval-shaped ukulele body, in the mid-20’s. One of Sam’s artist friend painted the front to look like the tropical fruit because, his friends said it looked like a pineapple.The Pineapple Ukulele became continues to be Kamaka's signature ukulele to this
Leis and Luaus are all that really come to mind when a ukulele is mentioned, but to many people’s surprise some evidence suggests otherwise. It is said that the ukulele is a possible derivative of a similar Portuguese instrument called the machete, which literally translates to “jumping flea”. This instrument was taken over seas on boats when work hands for plantations were brought over. The ukulele gained popularity when King Kalakaua of Hawaii, a musician himself, took it up and essentially made it an icon. This instrument has heavily influenced modern music, visible in the musical stylings of “Twenty One Pilots”, Jason Mraz, and many Disney soundtracks with its light and happy sounds with a slight feeling of folk.
The first ukulele was created in 1879. When they were brought to Hawaii they became quite popular and were used in a lot of Hawaiian music. Ukulele means leaping flea in Hawaiian. This comes from people saying that ukulele players fingers can move so fast over the frets it looks like jumping fleas. The ukulele gained popularity in the rest of the United States in the 20th century and was very popular with celebrities like Tiny Tim, George Harrison, and Neil Armstrong.
“Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where trouble melts like lemon drops, high above the chimney top, that's where you'll find me. . .” are the famous lyrics to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s ukulele song “Over The Rainbow”. It was also one the first songs I learned on the ukulele. On my birthday, senior year of high school, I received this small instrument with just four strings and the most beautiful sound. Of course, I had no clue on how to play it or where to even begin; whether to learn off YouTube or take lessons, deciding whether to use a pick or not, and even how to hold it correctly. I want to point out, while these might seem like silly issues to worry about, they really are important
Ukuleles, what makes them so special? Why devote an entire paper to them? Obvious questions for everyone who are not familiar with the instrument, however those who know they instrument as well as someone who plays them know they have a vibrant history, are perfect for entertaining and creating, and more so than the average stringed instrument like the more popular big brother, the acoustic guitar, are warmly unique.
The Oud is a pear-shaped instrument predominantly used in the Middle East and the North African countries. The instrument is also characterized by the presence of the strings. The Oud is linked to the evolution of the modern Oud and the European lute. These two instruments are quite different, but they share a common ancestor. The only difference in between the two musical instruments is the fact that they evolved from the common ancestors using different diverging or evolution paths. The distinguishing feature of the Oud is the aspect of the lack of frets and the presence of a smaller neck. The old prototypes of the Oud are quite different from the modern types of the instruments. In the ancient Egypt, the instrument appeared to have a mixed variety of the long and short-necked Oud. ("Mideast Web - Middle East Musical Instruments - The Oud")Though from a closer look and the analysis of the features of the modern and the old Oud, it is clearly evident that the ancient Egypt Oud appears to be much decorated. The name of the instrument is unique. The origin of the name has no positive affirmation that the name was borrowed or a certain source of the name Oud. Though it has been linked with two Arabic explanations. In Arabic, the al-oud refer to the plectrum made up of the wood used in the playing of the Oud. Also, the term also applied to the wooden soundboard that was quite distinctive from the other similar kind faced bodies. Furthermore, the name Oud can be of Arabic
The Guittern was shaped like a violin, played with a pick, and had the ability to be tuned in octaves or in unison. This tuning ability was never used in other guitar instruments. Compared to the modern day guitar, the Guittern lacked a movable bridge and a saddle. The Guittern was also the first instrument to use wire strings instead the traditional gut strings used in stringed instruments (Kentor Michael 4).
More than any other instrument, the electric guitar has shaped and redefined music in the last century. Although popular culture did not pay much attention to it when it was first introduced in the 1930s, it has since become equated with the very essence of rock and roll music. On an international level, the electric guitar is by far "the most famous instrument to come out of the United States" (howstuffworks.com).