The types of ukuleles on the market today can be confusing for someone interested in learning but knows little about the instrument. This article is here to fix that.
Written by Jay Searle / Published September 14, 2023
Last updated: April 06, 2024
I remember my first wide-eyed trip to the music store. I was an enthusiastic newbie and really wanted to get going with my first ever ukulele. Stepping into the store was a little overwhelming. Suddenly I was confronted with different types of ukuleles and words like “soprano”, and “baritone”. I didn’t have the faintest idea of where to start.
Luckily for you, my bewilderment does not need to be yours. So, before you make your first trip to a music store, let’s get into a little bit of the history of the ukulele, and the different types of ukuleles you are likely to encounter.
See Also: Standard Ukulele Sizes
A Brief History of the Ukulele
The ukulele that we know and love is uniquely Hawaiian, but has its roots in Portugal with an instrument called the braguinha. An instrument that was much smaller than the guitar but tuned to the top 4 strings of the larger instrument.
When Portuguese migrants settled in Hawaii in 1850, they brought their braguinhas and instrument makers along, and so the Hawaiian love affair with the ukulele began.
If you would like to have a more in-depth look at the history of the Ukulele, Modulation Music Lesson’s video “History of the Ukulele in two minutes” does a really great job of covering the rise of this instrument.
The Four Main Types of Ukuleles
Ukuleles can be broadly divided into four standard sizes: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each of these has unique characteristics that will influence their playability, pitch, and volume.
Soprano Ukulele
This is the type of ukulele you are most likely to encounter. It has the smallest body size, and a short scale length. Its sound is bright and jangly, and instantly recognizable with its signature ukulele tone.
While its size does make it the ideal travel instrument, it should be noted that the smaller fretboard can be a little harder to navigate for those with larger hands. So, keep that in mind when choosing your instrument.
The soprano measures to a total length of 21 inches, with a scale length of just 13 inches. It is tuned G, C, E, A, and usually has between 12 and 15 frets that are fairly close together.
Concert Ukulele
The slightly larger body size of the concert ukulele has led musicians to say that it has a much fuller tone than the soprano.
If you find yourself bending strings out of tune on the soprano, then maybe the increased scale length and increased string tension of the concert ukulele would work better for you. Also, the increased fret spacing of a concert ukulele will also be much more manageable to navigate if you find your hands too big for a soprano.
Concert ukuleles typically measure to a total length of 23 inches. The scale length increases to 15 inches from the soprano’s 13 inches, and usually has between 15 and 18 frets.
The concert ukulele can be tuned to standard tuning, like the Soprano, or alternatively the G string can be dropped an octave in what is called “linear tuning”.
Tenor Ukulele
Just a few inches bigger than the concert ukulele, the tenor uke seems to be the first choice for performing musicians. The slightly larger body gives it a much fuller sound, and the increased number of frets means that you can access even more notes.
Access to more frets also means that the tenor is ideal for fingerstyle playing, especially for you indie song-writers out there.
Tenors usually measure up to 26 inches in total, with a scale length that is stretched to 17 inches.
The tuning of a tenor ukulele is a little different. It can be tuned in one of two ways. The first is called standard re-entrant tuning and is tuned g – C – E – A with a high g. Alternatively, players use a low G and tune it similarly to the baritone ukulele by dropping the G an octave.
A beautiful, well made tenor ukulele from Kala's Signature Series. This one brought to you by esteemed ukulele player Mandy Harvey.
- Reasonably priced
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Baritone Ukulele
The big brother of standard ukuleles, the baritone ukulele has a much deeper sound, which gives you access to much lower registers. This comes at a price though, that warmer depth does mean that you lose some of the crisp sound quality that is characteristic of other types of ukuleles.
The bigger frets and wider spacing means that the scale length is a lot more familiar to guitarists. Not only that, but the tuning of the baritone lends itself to guitar players wanting to make the shift. Baritones are tuned to the bottom four strings of a guitar, D – G – B – E. They normally measure in at a whopping 30 inches, with a a scale length of 19 inches with 18–21 frets.
Other Types of Ukuleles
These may be the most common types of ukulele, but they are by no means the only ones. The ukulele has a rich history as a folk instrument and there are some seriously interesting variations. Below are a few of the less common types of ukuleles you may come across.
Banjolele
The banjolele is a cross between the ukulele and a banjo. It has a 16 fret ukulele neck and combines it with a small scale traditional banjo body.
The banjolele is tuned in exactly the same way as standard ukuleles. For example, if you have a soprano banjolele, it will be tuned to G-C-E-A like a soprano ukulele. A baritone banjolele will be tuned to either D-G-B-E or C-G-B-E.
The sound it produces is very similar to that of the traditional banjo and therefore lends itself to bluegrass and rockabilly style playing. Why not try jamming out to dueling banjos on a banjolele… just for something different?
You can read more about the banjolele here.
A great entry-level banjolele that comes bundled with loads of great accessories.
- Reasonably priced
- Great quality and sound
- Includes gigbag, tuner, strap and more!
Bass Ukulele
Bass ukuleles are useful for those looking to add rich bass tones to their music or ukulele ensemble. They are larger instruments, typically around the same size as a baritone ukulele that sound more like an upright bass.
The tuning used by bass ukuleles is actually the same as that used by traditional bass guitars: E-A-D-G. The dense polyurethane strings are much heavier than normal ukulele strings and give the instrument its low-pitched tone. They can feel kind of “rubbery”, so will generally take a little bit of getting used to.
Bass ukuleles can come in either a hollow body, or solid body design. Hollow bodied bass ukuleles tend to mimic the sound of a double bass, whereas solid bodied ukuleles tend to need to be plugged into an amplifier. This leads them to sound a lot more like your typical electric bass guitar.
Guitalele
The guitalele (also spelt guitarlele) is a six-string hybrid of the classical guitar and ukulele. It looks a lot like a miniature guitar although it’s tuned a little differently. Anyone looking to transition between learning how to play the guitar and ukulele would find the guitalele to be a great gateway instrument.
The guitalele contains 6 strings, just like a normal guitar. The top four strings are tuned exactly the same way as a standard ukulele. The only difference is in the addition of two extra base strings – A and D. This means the strings of a guitalele, from lowest pitch to highest pitch are: A-D-G-C-E-A.
Guitaleles are great travel instruments due to their small size. The addition of the two lowest strings also helps to provide a fuller tone when playing chords, meaning you can get a similar sound to a guitar without having to lug around a huge case everywhere!
To find out more about the guitalele, check out our article here.
An affordable guitalele that comes bundled with essential items a beginner is likely to need.
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- Includes gigbag, tuner, strap and more!
Electric Ukuleles
Electric ukuleles can typically fall into one of two categories: electric and acoustic-electric. Electric ukuleles tend to be solid bodied instruments resembling an electric guitar. Acoustic-electric ukuleles on the other hand have a hollow body, just like a normal ukulele, only with the inclusion of an electronic pick-up.
Both types of electric ukuleles are able to be plugged into an amplifier for better sound projection, or to be recorded directly. In fact, solid bodied electric ukuleles are really meant to be played through an amp as they produce very little sound when unplugged.
Electric ukuleles will typically use humbucker or single coil pickups which requires the use of metal strings. Acoustic-electrics use what’s know as a piezo-electric pickup, which allows the use of nylon strings instead. This gives acoustic-electrics a more bright and cheery tone, similar to a normal non-electric ukulele.
Ukulele Harps
Probably the weirdest, but also one of the coolest types of ukuleles on our list is the harp ukulele.
The harp ukulele saw only a brief period of mainstream popularity in the early 1900’s. The instrument was first seen in 1910, around the time when the harp guitar was deemed fashionable and the ukulele was starting to become more popular in the United States following the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915.
Modern harp ukuleles typically have an arm extended from the upper side of the ukulele. This increases the size of the hollow body and can really give rise to some rich, beautiful sounding full tones. Often you’ll find the arm includes a number of additional bass strings that are unfretted – just like a harp.
Harp ukuleles are not very popular anymore, which makes one extremely difficult to get a hold of. You’re more than likely going to need to find a luthier who is able to custom make an instrument for you, as there just isn’t the demand for them.
To hear this incredible instrument in action, check out this video of Sungha Jung playing “Dust In The Wind” by Kansas.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. A world of different types of ukuleles for you to go off and explore. Hopefully now, armed with this knowledge, the music store won’t seem so overwhelming. Have fun!
Jay Searle
Website Founder & WriterJay is a self-professed music nerd and ukulele lover. When not working on the website you’ll find him strumming along to his favorite tunes, spending time with his family, or learning to play the piano.
