The most famous Hawaiian instrument is the ʻukulele, 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 as omnipresent as its graphic: the distinctively mellow tones reverberate in advertisements, schools, malls, residential neighborhoods and beaches.
Kremona Mari Tenor ʻUkulele | Tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, koa and mango are popular for ʻukulele construction. | Peter Kun Frary
Albeit an icon of the islands, the ʻukulele shares European ancestors and 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. Here's the sound of an ʻukulele:
The Sound of Silence | Kala Doghair ʻukulele | Peter Frary, ʻukulele
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 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 Renaissance guitar prototypes have to do with the ʻukulele? Instruments develop for centuries while shared across vast geographical regions. The genesis of the guitar family and, ultimately, the ʻukulele, is European. Thus, ʻukulele linage 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 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, same tuning as modern ʻukuleles. Some instruments used a low G on the fourth course (string nearest player's face), called a bourdon, while others tuned the fourth course an octave higher, called reentrant tuning.
Five centuries later, ʻukuleles use the same tuning variations as the Renaissance guitar: soprano and concert ʻukuleles favor the high G or reentrant tuning while larger tenor ʻukuleles often employ a low G or bourdon. ʻUkuleles are closer to Renaissance guitars in sound, tuning and construction than modern guitars.
Adrian Le Roy, "Pimontoyse" | The four-course Renaissance guitar is tuned and sized like a tenor ʻukulele. "Pimontoyse," was composed for home use.
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 an illustration from 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 and were musically educated.
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 are frets.
As guitar music increased in sophistication, more 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 garnered 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 ʻukulele. 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, finally, 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 Peter Kun Frary.
Portuguese Origins
Prototypes of the ʻukulele were introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by settlers from Madeira. Madeira, an island in the Atlantic and an autonomous region of Portugal, is three hundred fifty miles from North Africa. Along with hopes and dreams, these immigrants brought to Hawaii 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 originated. The braguinha and close relatives were popular in Madeira for centuries and are considered 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 adapt to native woods and other materials available in Hawaii. European tone-woods such as spruce and maple were hard to source in Hawaii.
Here's a late nineteenth century Hawaiian piece played on the ʻukulele:
Hene | Ian O'Sullivan plays a 1886 Jose do Espirito Santo Soprano ʻukulele.
'Ukulele's Ancestors and Tuning
In the ensuing decades, variants of small four- and five-course guitar-like instruments, e.g., machéte de braga, machéte de rajão and cavaquinho, were 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 early on 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-course braguinha. Save for the fifth string, it is 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 ʻukulele | Peter Kun Frary
The use of gut rather than metal strings, later replaced with nylon and fluorocarbon, results in a rounder tone, softer finger action and a timbre unique to the ʻukulele.
Kala Doghair Tenor ʻUkulele | 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 huge hit and launched the Hawaiian music craze of the early twentieth century: instrument sales, sheet music, audio recordings and apparel.
Tin Pan Alley
Musicians from New York's Tin Pan Alley saw dollar signs and aped Hawaiian writing style, supplying a steady stream of simulated Hawaiian song. Composer and Russian migrant Herman Paley (1879-1955) was among the first to cash in on Hawaiian music popularity. His sheet music for I Can Hear The Ukuleles Calling Me was published in 1916 by Jerome H. Remick & Co., New York, only one year after the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. There are no Hawaiian lyrics or 'ukuleles used in his score, but the alluring cover art made for good sales.
"I Can Hear The Ukuleles Calling Me" Cover Art | Tin Pan Alley cranked out Hawaiian themed songs during the early 20thy century. | Library of Congress
Hawaii Calls
The national radio program Hawaii Calls kept Hawaiian music popular for decades outside the islands. 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 the fame and popularity rained down upon it, the ʻukulele is embraced for the basic attributes inherited from its Portuguese grandparents: portability, ease of learning, relatively low cost and attractive sound. With that said, the musical flexibility of the ʻukulele's provides much of its universal appeal. After all, it is an able solo and accompanying instrument and at home with nearly any musical style. Today it is more likely to hear a pop song played on the ʻukulele than legacy Hawaiian and Portuguese repertoire.
Kaka'ako Jam | Cory and Zach blaze Ko'olau and Blackbird ʻukulele against Pow Wow street murals.
ʻUkulele Music Notation | Like the guitar, ʻukulele music may be scored in staff notation or tablature.
Minuet | Joseph Haydn | Peter Kun Frary, ʻukulele
ʻUkulele Makers
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).
Standard tuning for soprano, concert and tenor ʻukulele is: G C E A. Names like soprano and tenor should imply different tunings and ranges but, in the case of the ʻukulele, they don't. Instead, they indicate physical size. Volume and timbre vary with size, but tuning is the same for the soprano, concert and tenor sizes (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 timbres:
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 ʻukuleles. Also known as linear or bourdon tuning.
Low G Tuning
Some players, 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 strings are arranged in a logical pitch sequence of high to low, increased pitch range and a deeper sound. The choice of 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 digital effects renders a more guitar like tone to her ʻukulele. (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
A six-string ʻukulele variant, the guitarlele—also known 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 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 technique (24:24):
One of the unique aspects of the ʻukulele is its mellow harp-like tone. 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, this technique is called sul tasto. Playing closer to the bridge results in a brighter, more twangy tone and is not used as much as sul tasto.
While the average player may stick to strums, the ʻukulele is capable of using the same techniques as guitar: double stops, harmonics, tremolo, vibrato, rasgueado, tapping (right hand hammers), glissando and ligado. Indeed, virtuosos such as Jake Shimabukuro excel at playing the instrument at a high technical level. 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
The popularity of the ʻukulele has pushed it into a multitude of musical directions: folk, pop, rock, Hawaiian, jazz, bluegrass, 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. 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 descended from a humble Portuguese folk instrument, the Hawaiian 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 great 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
