Listen to the ukulele
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the ukulele makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the ukulele belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The ukulele, also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancestor of the guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and construction. Ukuleles commonly come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone.
Ukuleles generally have four nylon strings tuned to GCEA (except baritone, which is normally tuned DGBE). They have 16–22 frets depending on the size.
Other lutes
Questions people ask
Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.
Frequently asked questions
What does an ukulele sound like?
Listen to 5 recordings on this page. As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the ukulele?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-5).
Sources & credits
- Ukelele - Kailimai's hene - Ukepedia – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Lick Ukulele by ChickSR – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Luau, Hawaiian Ukulele Music by Mikecolemusic – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Fake Ukulele (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Hulu Ukulele by Chris Haugen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q61285 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Ukulele – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Kollektives Schreiben – Public domain