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Courtesy Free Clip Art
The ukulele is a plucked stringed instrument that is closely associated with the music of Hawaii. It is similar in shape and design to the classical guitar. As such, it is played in a similar fashion by depressing the strings on the fingerboard to select pitches and strumming the strings to produce sound. The standard ukulele has four strings and is 21 inches in length. Other common sizes are the concert, tenor, and baritone models which differ in size and depth of tone.
Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii developed the ukulele in the 1880’s. The instrument was based on a small guitar-like instrument called the cavaquinho. Hawaiian’s dubbed the instrument ukulele or “jumping flea” to describe the quick action of the fingers while the instrument is played. The Hawaiian monarch David Kalakaua loved the ukulele and popularized the instrument by including performances as a standard part of royal gatherings.
The ukulele was introduced to the US Mainland during the Panama Pacific International Exposition in 1915. Perhaps due to the instrument’s convenient size and ease of playing, the instrument became widely popular in the 1920’s. Innovation in plastic manufacturing led to the widespread distribution of inexpensive ukuleles. Popular entertainers of the day such as Arthur Godfrey and Tiny Tim, helped to increase the instrument’s popularity.
After a lull from the 1960’s to 1990’s, the ukulele has found a new audience thanks to the use of the instrument on several chart-topping performances. Most notably, Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World” – in which the ukulele is prominently featured – hit Number 12 on the Billboard Chart and was used in several TV shows, commercials, and movies. Hawaii-native, Jake Shimabukuro has brought the ukulele to an international audience with performances around the globe and appearances on popular late-night television programs such the Tonight Show and Late-nite with Conan O-Brien.
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