Why ukulele is better than guitar

The ukulele is easier to learn than the guitar and other stringed instruments like the mandolin. Its soft nylon strings are gentler on your fingertips and don't create finger pain like guitars do. The small size reduces wrist tension because the notes are reachable without stretching. Plus, it only has four strings, which makes chord shapes and scales easier to learn. Buying a ukulele won't strain your wallet the way other instruments do.

It's the ultimate travel instrument. You can take it virtually anywhere. Toss it in the back of your car. Take it to the beach. The ukulele and guitar are two very popular instruments in the world right now, but guitars are virtually inescapable within popular music and culture. Ukes and guitars can be found in a myriad of different musical genres and styles, but the guitar has more of a foothold within popular culture than the ukulele does — for now anyway.

Ukuleles have enjoyed an explosion in worldwide popularity over the past thirty years that shows no signs of slowing. In reality, we now know the small instrument was brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants in the s.

The uke is a combination of simplified versions of other Portuguese stringed instruments. This means that the sound of these instruments is generated when strings are plucked or strummed over a hollow wooden body.

This process is called natural amplification. Electric guitars rely on electronic amplifiers for their amplification, so acoustic guitars are far more similar to ukuleles than their electric counterparts.

Ukuleles and guitars use the same fretboard system of playing. Pressing your finger down on a fret will generate a note, and combinations of frets and open strings will produce different chords and scales depending on if you play the notes together or individually. Guitars and ukes are easy to carry around compared instruments like drum sets and keyboards. This makes both instruments ideal for traveling to shows, camping trips and commuting around town.

And many of the skills students develop on the ukulele can easily be transferred to the guitar. While both the guitar and uke are portable, the ukulele is a much smaller instrument.

Taking the guitar on the subway during rush hour can be a nightmare, but traveling around with the ukulele is a cinch. Most guitars include six strings while ukuleles only have four. But I now have 5 ukes of different sizes and though I still can't finger pick, I can strum with anybody. Since I can't read music, the four tabs are duck soup for me.

I also play piano by ear and the ukes are a fun change. Finally, I have two groups I play with which is fun. I am an older woman with small arthritic hands. Physically, I find my tenor uke easier to play than my steel-string acoustic guitar.

It depends on what music you are playing. The principles of music are the same for both instruments. Excellent post! Picked up a concert uke cause I thought it would be fun.

The uke has its own set of challenges. Fingering needs to be precise to get a nice clear tone. Try the Campanella style and tell me its just a toy. The great Django Reinhardt, 'The Gypsy Lightning', had only two useable fingers on his left fretting hand, and he did ok!! It seems silly to compare the ukulele and guitars. I can see why the comparison happens, but they have completely different sounds and would be used to achieve different things. Might as well start comparing them to the harp if they're just bringing up any stringed instrument you strum lol I personally got the ukulele because it's tiny.

I figured it was something I could dink around on while at my desk without getting out of my chair or bothering to have good posture. And I could probably really go at it without hurting myself, where as with a violin i have to get it out of it's case and rosin up the bow and get shoulder rest just right and if I play at my desk I'd probably bang my elbows or break the bow. Plus also the ukulele just isn't as loud as the violin so I can play it whenever I want.

I tried playing guitar in high school but I just couldn't get into it. Mostly because I was extremely busy. But also because I had a very specific idea of what I wanted to do with it, which was learn classical guitar, and used my limited allowance to try to find a teacher. And then the teacher had me learn green day music, which I actually didn't know because I didn't really listen to popular music at the time.

And even though I like pop music, when compared to symphonic music I find it kinda boring to play. And I think coming from first violin, where you're basically always playing the melody, to guitar which just sort of felt like back up to the vocals just sort of threw me.

You mention having to figure out the chords and stuff and how people expect things instantly from other peoples' work. I get where you're coming from but as a violinist, I always expect it. It is weird to me to see just a bunch of lyrics and some listed chords. I'm used to being very explicitly told exactly what notes to play in what style in what feeling in what dynamic.

I don't think it's something I'll ever get over actually. But I am sort of enjoying trying to figure it out on my own on the ukulele. It's a bit of a struggle because it's not how I'm used to reading music, but it feels pretty good to get it right.

I'm actually a little perplexed that there's not more sheet music like I'm expecting, not just online but actually in books you pay for, but considering your feelings on it and how nobody is disagreeing with you, I guess it's a cultural thing where you're expected to be more innovative.

I like reading music. I like sight reading music. I don't really consider reading chords very fun though. I think on another post you mentioned like snobbery or elitism or something. I can't seem to find the post again. I think it's sort of fascinating to see into this world. It's sort of amusing.

Within a few days of practice, you can start making music and playing songs. The tension of the strings is lower on the ukulele, and there are fewer strings to manage, making it easier for beginners to play. For absolute beginners who want to start making music quickly, the ukulele is recommended. This makes it more difficult for people with larger hands to play chords. Finding excellent guitar teachers both in-person and online is very easy, as it is one of the most common instruments to play.

Taking lessons is one of the best ways to improve your skills on any instrument. Lessons provide you with professional insight and guidance, as well as helping you to hear and duplicate the correct sound.

The choice depends greatly on your personal style, the type of music you like to play, and where you want to play it. Before, we talked about how important lessons are for you to increase your skills on either instrument. The 1 Resource for Online Ukulele Lessons. Amy Copadis is a freelance blogger whose love of music started at age 8 when she started taking piano and voice lessons.