The most famous Hawaiian instrument is the 'ukulele, a small member of the guitar family. The 'ukulele's iconic contours adorn aloha shirts, souvenirs, and the sides of buses. Indeed, the sound of the 'ukulele is nearly as omnipresent as its graphic. We often hear the 'ukulele's distinctively mellow tones reverberating in advertisements, schools, malls, residential neighborhoods and beaches.
Kremona Mari Tenor 'Ukulele | This 'ukulele is made of mahogany, a tropical hardwood popular for 'ukulele construction | Peter Kun Frary
Albeit an icon of the islands and blessed with a beautiful Hawaiian name, the ʻukulele shares European ancestors and playing technique with the guitar. Whilst the modern guitar sports six strings, ʻukuleles typically have four strings and are tuned a fourth higher than the guitar, allowing a smaller body size with enhanced portability, but with increased projection due to higher pitched tuning. Here's what an 'ukulele sounds like:
The Sound of Silence | Paul Simon | Kala Doghair 'ukulele | Frary Ukulele Band
Hawaiian Islands | Hawaii is the northernmost island group in Polynesia and the only U.S state located outside North America | Wikimedia Commons
Ancient Lineage
During the Renaissance, c.1450-1600, the European bourgeoisie or merchant class was on the rise and eager to consume and make music. Small guitars and lutes were all the rage for home use due to portability and ease of playing.
What does the Renaissance and guitar prototypes instruments have to do with the ʻukulele? Instruments do not magically appear overnight but develop for centuries while shared across vast geographical regions. The genesis of the modern guitar family and, ultimately, the ʻukulele, is European. Thus, the linage of the ʻukulele reaches across five centuries, interwoven with the guitar family, colonization and the rise and fall of empires.
Renaissance Guitar
The Renaissance guitar was fitted with four courses of strings and was similar in size to a modern tenor ʻukulele. Sixteenth century Spanish guitar methods by Narváez (1538), Bermudo (1555) and Mudarra (1546) indicate the Renaissance guitar was tuned G C E A, the same tuning as the ʻukulele. Some instruments featured a low G on the fourth course (string nearest the player's face), called a bourdon, while others tuned the fourth course an octave higher, known as reentrant tuning. Amazingly, nearly five hundred years later, modern ʻukuleles still utilize the same tunings: soprano and concert ʻukuleles favor the high G or reentrant tuning while larger tenor ʻukuleles often employ a low G or bourdon. Oddly, the ʻukulele is closer to the early guitar in sound, tuning and construction than the modern guitar.
Toy of the Emerging Middle Class
The popularity of this small sixteenth century guitar is documented in the many instruction books and scores published for it. Here’s a title page illustration from G. Morlaye's guitar method book depicting a four-course Renaissance guitar and tablature book:
G. Morlaye, Le Premier Livre (1552) | Renaissance guitar on title page
Both the guitar and music books were symbols of wealth and class during the sixteenth century. Ownership meant you were rich enough to own music books and guitars, had leisure time to play and were educated in music reading and playing.
Adrian Le Roy, "Pimontoyse" | The four-course Renaissance guitar is tuned and sized like a tenor ʻukulele. "Pimontoyse," was composed for home use.
Renaissance Guitar Tablature | Alonso Mudarra, 1508-1580 | Pavana from Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela (Seville, 1546). The four lines represent strings whilst numbers indicate frets.
As guitar music increased in sophistication, additional strings were added. By the Baroque era, the guitar increased in size and sported five courses of strings. Finally, a sixth course was added in the late eighteenth century and the modern guitar was born. While the full sized guitar has gotten the most attention, the original small four-course guitar has never ceased to exist, soldiering on as an inexpensive and portable instrument for Spanish and Portuguese musicians.
Spanish Timple
The timple is an 'ukulele like member of the guitar family from the Canary Islands (Spanish islands near Africa). Until the end of the nineteenth century, the timple had four strings tuned G C E A—same as the 'ukulele. By the early twentieth century a fifth string was added, a high D, resulting in the current G C E A D tuning.
Timple | Germán López (timple) and Antonio Toledo (guitar) play Canela y Limón.
ʻUkulele in Hawaii
The Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires were vast, and soon the diminutive guitar was cast to the four corners of the earth. As centuries passed and colonial empires crumbed, these wee guitars survived and evolved into many different but similar instruments: timple, rajão, cavaquinho, cavaco, braguinha, machéte, cuatro, requinto and the Hawaiian ʻukulele.
ʻUkulele(c.1880) | Late nineteenth century Hawaiian soprano ʻukulele or Portuguese braguinha. | Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sanoe | A love song by Romantic composer and last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili'uokalani (1838-1917), played on 'ukuleles by the Frary Ukulele Band.
Portuguese Origins
The first prototypes of the ʻukulele were introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by settlers from Madeira. Madeira, a mountainous island in the Atlantic and an autonomous region of Portugal, is only about three hundred fifty miles from North Africa. Along with hopes and dreams, these immigrants brought a small four-string guitar called the braguinha, aka the machéte (ma-CHET) or machéte de Braga, named after Braganza in northern Portugal where the instrument originally came from. The braguinha and close relatives were popular in Madeira for centuries and still maintain the status of national instruments.
Madeira and Portugal | Madeira (circled at bottom) is an island settled by Portugal in the 1400s and home of the ʻukulele's ancestors | Wikimedia Commons
Portuguese Woodworkers
Among these Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii were three cabinet makers, Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias, and Jose do Espirito Santo. They built the braguinha and are credited with being Hawaii's first ʻukulele makers. They had to make due with native woods and other materials available in Hawaii. After all, native European tone-woods such as spruce were hard to come by in Hawaii. Thus, their braguinha making techniques were quickly adapted to the materials available in the islands.
Here's an example late nineteenth century Hawaiian music played on the 'ukulele:
Hene | Ian O'Sullivan plays a 1886 Jose do Espirito Santo Soprano 'ukulele.
'Ukulele's Ancestors and Tuning
In the ensuing decades, other variants of small four- and five-course guitar-like instruments, e.g., the machéte de braga, machéte de rajão and cavaquinho, were also brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants. These instruments collectively became the immediate ancestors of the ʻukulele. The five-string machéte de rajão, or simply rajão (rah-ZHOW), is still popular in Madeira. If you ignore the 5th course (D), the rajão is tuned the same as the modern ʻukulele: D G C E A. Originally, the braguinha was tuned D G B D but somewhere along the way the ʻukulele kept the form factor of the braguinha but adopted the tuning of the upper four strings of the rajão: G C E A.
Machéte de rajão | Imua Garza plays a five-String machéte de rajão, c. 1890, from Madeira, the "mother" of the ʻukulele and sibling of the four-string braguinha. Save for the fifth string, it would be difficult to distinguish this instrument from an ʻukulele visually and aurally (:55).
New Moniker
This wee Portuguese instrument quickly gained popularity and evolved into a uniquely Hawaiian style instrument. Portuguese instrument names were eventually supplanted by a somewhat whimsical Hawaiian word, ʻukulele, meaning "jumping flea." The instrument was beloved by King Kalākaua and his influence helped integrate the ʻukulele into Hawaiian culture.
Parts of the ʻUkulele
The most significant ʻukulele changes from the braguinha were:
Construction using koa and other native woods.
Adoption of the G C E A tuning.
Use of gut strings in place of the metal strings common to some Portuguese instruments.
Aloha 'Oe | Lili'uokalani's song played on tenor 'ukuleles | Frary Ukulele Band
The use of gut rather than metal strings, later replaced with nylon and fluorocarbon, results in a rounder tone, softer finger action and a mellow timbre unique to the ʻukulele.
Kala Doghair Tenor 'Ukulele | The doghair moniker refers to mahogany with a grain structure reminiscent of the hairs of a dog.
International Fame
The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco introduced the ʻukulele to mainland American audiences. The Hawaiian exhibit featured the Royal Hawaiian Quartet, a guitar and ʻukulele ensemble and ukulele maker and player Jonah Kumalae. The ensemble was a hit with visitors and launched the Hawaiian music craze of the early twentieth century: instrument sales, sheet music, audio recordings and apparel. Tin Pan Alley composers aped Hawaiian song writing style and the national radio program Hawaii Calls kept the Hawaiian music fad going for decades. Hapa Haole Songs such as My Little Grass Shack and Sweet Leilani were now a part of American culture. Through this whirl of activity, the ʻukulele took center stage as both a musical instrument and icon of Hawaiian culture.
It wasn't long until the ʻukulele spread to the rest of the world. There are now more ʻukulele players in Japan than Hawaii! In Canada the ʻukulele is a staple of music education, used to promote and teach music skills and literacy. And, of course, the instrument is played in nearly every country on earth.
Ukulele Square | Hawaiian music and culture were the rage in the United States during the early twentieth century | New York Tribune, November 5, 1916
Despite all the glory and popularity rained down upon it, the ʻukulele is still embraced for the basic attributes inherited from its Portuguese grandparents, braguinha and rajão: portability, ease of learning, relatively low cost and attractive sound. With that said, the musical flexibility of the ʻukulele's is what provides much of its universal appeal. After all, it is an able solo and accompanying instrument at home with nearly any musical style. Today one is much more likely to hear a pop song being played on the ʻukulele than its legacy Hawaiian and Portuguese repertoire.
Kaka'ako Jam | Cory and Zach blaze Ko'olau and Blackbird 'ukuleles against Pow Wow street murals.
ʻUkulele Music Notation | Like the guitar, ʻukulele music may be scored in staff notation or tablature.
Minuet | Joseph Haydn | Frary Ukulele Band
The literally hundreds of luthiers and instrument companies building ʻukuleles worldwide are telling evidence of the instrument's popularity and its economic and musical impact outside Hawaii. Nevertheless, the most prized ʻukuleles are those made in Hawaii by Kamaka, Kanilea, Ko`olau, Koaloha, Mele and others.
Kremona Coco ʻUkulele | Rosette of a Bulgarian ʻukulele | Peter Kun Frary
ʻUkulele Sizes & Tuning
The modern ʻukulele is commonly sold in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone, the soprano being the smallest at about 21 inches in length (53 cm) and the baritone the largest at 29 inches (74 cm).
The standard tuning for soprano, concert and tenor ʻukulele is: G C E A. One would expect names like soprano and tenor to imply different tunings and ranges but in the case of the ʻukulele they don't. Instead, they indicate physical size. Thus, volume and timbre vary with size, but tuning is the same for the soprano, concert and tenor sizes (the baritone is pitched a 4th lower). Listen to Carlos Gallardo-Candia play Hello Dolly on the soprano, concert and tenor ʻukuleles: same notes but different tonal coloration:
Córdoba 21 Series Ukulele Comparison | Comparison of the sound and appearance of the soprano, concert and tenor ʻukuleles (2:43)
Reentrant Tuning
The G string or fourth course is usually tuned an octave higher than one would expect. This is known as reentrant tuning, and was common on the Renaissance and Baroque guitars discussed earlier. Having a high pitched string where a bass string is normally found allows close harmonic voicings, imparting a unique chime to strumming. The ʻukuleles in the above video comparison use reentrant tuning. Thus, most of the melodic playing is done on three strings (C E A) while the high G is mainly played for full chords.
Reentrant Tuning | Used on soprano, concert and tenor ʻukuleles. Also known as high G tuning.
Low G Tuning | Preferred tuning by some players for tenor 'ukuleles. Also known as linear or bourdon tuning.
Low G Tuning
Some players, myself included, prefer the"low G" or bourdon tuning: the G string sounds an octave lower than reentrant tuning, yielding a deeper bass range. Advantages of the low G tuning are the strings are arranged in a logical pitch sequence of high to low, increased pitch range and a deeper sound. The choice of either tuning is a personal choice and one tuning is not inherently better than the other.
Kawika | Hilo born ʻukulele star, Brittni Paiva, performs on a tenor. Brittni's use of a thumb pick and pedal board (digital effects) renders a more guitar like tone to her ʻukulele stylings. (3:06)
Baritone
The largest member of the ʻukulele family is the baritone, tuned D G B E, the same as the upper four strings of the guitar. Timbre and sustain are similar to a classical or flamenco guitar. With that said, it is not uncommon to restring the baritone with thinner strings and tune it like a tenor, G C E A, yielding a standard ʻukulele tone and pitch but with more comfortable fingering for larger hands.
Taimane "Neptune's Storm" | Waikiki ʻukulele star Taimane performs her original solo, Neptune's Storm on a Pono baritone ʻukulele. (4:46)
Guitarlele
Finally, a six-string 'ukulele variant, the guitarlele—also know as a guitalele or guilele and tuned A D G C D A—has become popular, especially with guitar players craving an ʻukulele sound.
Romero Creations TT6 Guilele | Daniel Ho model | Peter Kun Frary
The guitarlele features the timbre and size of a tenor or baritone ʻukulele coupled with an extended bass range. However, what's new is sometimes old. The requinto, a small six-string guitar tuned the same as the guitarlele, has long been popular in Spain and Latin American countries.
Pepe Romero Guilele | Pop standard played on a guitalele. (2:56)
ʻUkulele Technique
Like the guitar, the strings of the ʻukulele are typically plucked and strummed with the fingers of the right hand. Individual pitches and chords are changed by pressing fingers of the left hand on the fingerboard. Watch Jake Shimabukuro, the Bruce Lee of ʻukulele, demonstrate basic technique (24:24):
One of the unique aspects of the ʻukulele is its mellow harp-like tone. ʻUkulele players tend to play the strings over the end of the fingerboard, near the sound hole, resulting in sweet and mellow timbres. On the guitar and bowed instruments such as the violin, we call this technique sul tasto. Playing closer to the bridge results in a brighter, more twangy tone and is not used nearly as much as sul tasto.
While the average household player tends to stick to simple strums, the ʻukulele is capable of using the same advanced techniques as guitar: double stops, harmonics, tremolo, vibrato, rasgueado, tapping (right hand hammers), glissando and ligado. Indeed, ʻukulele virtuosos such as Jake Shimabukuro excel at playing the instrument at a high technical level, far removed from it’s folkloric roots. Listen to Jake play his jazz-rock fusion original, Blue Haiku:
Blue Haiku (2016) | Jake Shimabukuro, Kamaka tenor ʻukulele (5:58)
One Instrument, Many Styles
Indeed, the sheer popularity of the ʻukulele has pushed it into a multitude of musical directions: folk, pop, rock, Hawaiian, jazz, blue grass, etc. Certainly its musical versatility is no less apparent than its appearance in the classical music world. Like the guitar, much of its repertoire consists of arrangements of music written for other instruments. However, contemporary classical composers are busy writing solos, chamber music and, most notedly, concertos for the ʻukulele. Byron Yasui's Concerto for ʻUkulele and Orchestra, “Campanella,”was premiered by the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on June, 2015, with Jake Shimabukuro as soloist. Sadly, there is no video of this groundbreaking performance, but Shimabukuro and Yasui enlighten us with the work's challenges:
Concerto for ʻUkulele and Orchestra (4:39)
Final Musings
Although born a humble Portuguese folk instrument, the ʻukulele is now a beloved instrument of international fame. And yet it remains a unique part of Hawaiian music culture. Along with slack key guitar, the ʻukulele is Hawaii's most significant contribution to the music of the planet Earth.
Vocabulary
ʻukulele, course, Renaissance guitar, Baroque guitar, reentrant tuning, bourdon, timple, braguinha, machéte, machéte de braga, machéte de rajão, guitarlele, sul tasto
Ancient Lineage
ʻUkulele in Hawaii 
Madeira and Portugal
New Moniker
International Fame
ʻUkulele Sizes & Tuning 
ʻUkulele Technique
Final Musings
