Difference Between Ukulele and Guitar

As music lovers, we must choose carefully when it comes to musical instruments. Every instrument comes with a range of variety. In this article, you will get to know about two favorite music instruments- Guitar & Ukulele. If you are a music lover or a singer, you must have heard the names before. Though the name of a guitar is familiar to all, ukulele might not seem so familiar to all people. Although they look same, only the music lovers know the differences between them. If you still don’t know, this article is for your help.

Origin:

Guitar, it was first used to make some local music by the Moors around 4000 years ago in Spain. Later on, it was gradually improvised day by day, and now we know the guitars today.

On the other hand, Ukulele is a Hawaiian music instrument which is well known for its raw sound. It is also called a long lost brother of a guitar.

Shapes:

If you see guitars, they come in different shapes, and it depends on the artist how he is going to play with his material. Moreover, customers demand is also an essential factor here. Still, every guitar is made keeping the base structure in mind.

Ukuleles come in some basic shapes like triangle, flat bottom or pineapples.

Strings:

A guitar usually has six strings, though it varies sometimes depending on the structures and customisation. Ukulele has four strings.

You can play with those strings with a pick or your fingers in guitar. But in Ukulele you have to play with your fingers.

People usually use nylon strings in Ukulele, but in guitars strings made of steel are used. Still, some people use nylon strings sometimes.

In guitars, the sounds made nearer to the head are stronger. They usually have stronger bass than others.

In ukulele, if you tighten the strings, the sounds will be louder if you loosen them the tones will be low.

Types:

Guitars come in two varieties: acoustic & electric where on the other hand Ukuleles come in four models: Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone. Soprano is the standard and easy to play, and Alto is used in concerts and Baritone has the most precious sound of all. This is also the most significant type of ukulele.

The similarity is that you have to tune both ukulele & guitar if you want to produce a right kind of music.

Ukulele v/s Guitar:

Ukulele and Guitar are different for their unique tuning concepts. There is also a difference in the patterns of chords. The baritone has some similarities with guitars. Still the process of fingering sometimes can be different. As you see, fingering in ukulele is easier than fingering guitar. If you play both guitar & ukulele, you will gradually understand their difference.

Moreover, the ukulele is more natural to play than the guitar. If you are struggling at your beginner level, ukulele will be a better choice than guitar. But if you want to learn some real music, then go for guitar.

Which one to choose? :

Ukulele is a beautiful rhythmic instrument. The strumming patterns are quite comfortable here. If you want to learn ukulele, only some basic chords are needed.

Guitars come with a greater range of tones. You can play every kind of music with guitars. You will be having a broader option for lessons in guitar.

If you play the ukulele, you will need to have a good voice as the sound is very raw. But with guitar, it eases the fear of singing if you don’t want to.

Moreover, ukulele comes at a cheap rate for the availability of the materials, but you have to pay a little much to buy a good guitar.

Now it is in your hand, which one to choose, ukulele or guitar?