Ukulele

The ukulele (pronounced {{IPA|/ukuleɪleɪ/}}, or the Anglicised {{IPA|/jukəleɪli/}}), or uke, is a fretted string instrument which is, in its construction, essentially a smaller, four-stringed version of the guitar. In the early 20th century, the instrument's name was often rendered as "ukelele", a spelling still used in Great Britain. The Hawai'ian spelling 'ukulele is also sometimes seen.

Tahitian Ukulele

The Tahitian ukulele is significantly different from other ukuleles because it does not have a sound box. The body?including the head and neck?is carved from a single piece of wood, with a wide conical hole bored through the middle. At the back, the bore is about 4 cm in diameter; at the front it is about 10 cm in diameter.

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The hole at the front is covered with a thin piece of wood, which the bridge sits on?so the instrument works rather like a wooden-skinned banjo. Indeed some of these instruments are referred to as Tahitian banjos.

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The strings are usually made from light-gauge fishing line?usually green in colour (and apparently about 50lb test).

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The instrument seems to be a relatively recent invention, popular in eastern Polynesia?particularly French Polynesia. It is reported to have been introduced to the Cook Islands in 1990 by the band Te Ava Piti (http://www.musicprom.com/e_teava.html) as a newly invented instrument.

Related Topics:
Polynesia - French Polynesia - Cook Islands - 1990

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You can hear the playing of a Tahitian ukulele by Vehia, of Te Ava Piti at http://www.studioalphonse.com/albumsacd2062.html.

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Tuning a Tahitian Ukulele:

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These instruments may have just 4 strings?or some strings may be paired, so that the instrument has 6 or 8 strings.

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The strings or pairs ("courses") are tuned to A6 D6 F#6 B5 or G6 C6 E6 A5 (See http://solomonsmusic.net/insrange.htm for International Pitch Notation codes).

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After the Hawaiian ukulele was invented, the Hawaiians referred to a similar, eight string instrument tuned GCEA as a taro-patch fiddle. Before the invention of the ukulele, taro-patch fiddle referred to the rajão.

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Those who are familiar with ukulele chords will find that the same chord shapes will fit these tunings, but that the chords will be transposed and inverted.

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