How to Buy a New Ukulele and What to Look For
Parents Can Teach Lessons and Learn Baritone Uke with their Child
Kids and parents alike, fantasize about becoming guitar heroes. But for starting out, especially with young children, the uke is hard to beat. Ukuleles have nylon strings, not steel, so they’re easier on the fingers. And, the uke only has four strings as opposed to the guitar’s six. That makes fingering less of a hassle. Plus, a ukulele is smaller, so kids won’t need to start on a half-size instrument.
The strings of the baritone ukulele are tuned exactly like the guitar’s top four strings. If kids want to tackle the big guy later, all they need to do is add the guitar’s two bass strings to the chords they’ve already learned.
In the beginning, the baritone uke is simple enough for parents to teach some basics to their kids as they learn. Children are bound to enjoy watching their moms and dads struggle and have fun right along with them. And, since they’ll make music together without sinking hundreds into lessons, investing in two playable instruments is the best possible start.
What’s A Baritone Ukulele?
When most people think of a ukulele, they’re picturing the smallest member of the uke family; the soprano uke. The soprano has that wonderful Hawaiian sound, but is tuned differently, so it’s not an natural jumpstart for learning the guitar. The baritone has a mellower sound and is easier to sing with. Ukulele strummers can join guitarists without needing to transpose or retune.
Tips for buying a new ukulele:
There are four things to check out when purchasing ukuleles
- Playability
- Intonation
- Tone
- Resonance
Playability simply means how easy the instrument is to play. Parents and kids can try pushing the strings down. If the action is low, meaning the strings are close to the fret board, the uke will be easier to play. If the action is too low though, the strings will buzz as they vibrate against the frets. So look for the lowest action with no buzzing.
Intonation is the accuracy of notes along the fret board. If the frets, the little metal bars along the neck, aren’t’ spaced exactly right, chords will sound like a train wreck. Customers can ask the storeowner to tune up a few ukes and give a demonstration. Every instrument will sound fine when the open strings are tuned and strummed, so customers should always ask to hear some chords. The further up the neck, the more chance for inconsistencies.
Tone is the quality of sound when the string is plucked. Different people like different sounds. The two biggest factors influencing tone will be the material used for the front and the quality of the strings. Of course, a uke with a solid wood front will sound better than one with plywood, but that’s not to say the more economical instruments can’t sound fine.
Finally, resonance can best be described as the robustness of the instrument’s sound. Customers should stand across the room and listen to each instrument they’re considering. Which one carries best?
Once parents and kids settle on a pair of ukes, they can take a look at the second part of this article covering tuning and holding a ukulele correctly. After that, they’re ready for the third installment introducing their first song!
Soprano and Baritone Ukulele
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