Interested in string instruments? But don’t know which will suite you the best? Ukulele vs Guitar is the confusion in your mind? Then this is the right place to resolve all your confusions. Although both Ukulele and Guitar look much similar, they are quite different and are played differently. As a beginner choosing between them can be tough but we will help you choose the best one for you.
First things first, whether you choose to learn Ukulele or Guitar, it is important to note that to learn any musical instrument you must have dedication, commitment, discipline, and persistent practice to master the skill. Without that, you cannot learn any musical instrument. Let’s delve into the similarities as well as difference between Guitar and Ukulele.
What is Ukulele?
Ukulele is often termed as smaller version of guitar by laymen. Born in Hawaii, Ukulele is a small 4-stringed musical instrument made from wood. Ukuleles are of 4 types, differentiated in terms of the number of frets they have. Like baritone ukulele has 18-21 frets, a tenor ukulele has 17-19 frets, a concert ukulele has 15-18 frets and the soprano ukulele has 12-15 frets in it.
What is Guitar?
Born in Spain, guitar is a 6-stringed musical instrument that is loved for its versatility. It has several frets that combined with strings generate a variety of musical tune. There are classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars that are used for different purposes. You can select the guitar as per the type of music you wish to play.
Ukulele vs Guitar – The Similarities
Before getting into the difference between ukulele and guitar, it is important to note some of the similarities that both the instruments hold. These similarities are:
1. Ukulele and guitar both are string instruments that are played through plucking or strumming of strings over the hollow hole reverberates.
2. The method of playing both ukulele and guitar are same which involves pressing, plucking or strumming the strings on frets which eventually produces the sound
3. They are both easily portable from one place to another unlike some other instruments like piano, drums, etc.
Difference Between Guitar and Ukulele
Now that you know that guitar and ukulele are little similar musical instruments, let’s delve into how different they are from each other. Here is the difference between guitar and ukulele.
1. Size Differences
As said earlier, Ukulele are smaller than guitar. They are almost half the size of an acoustic guitar. Ukulele and guitar both comes in different sizes. The largest ukulele is the bass ukulele but they are still smaller than a guitar.
When it comes to guitar, the smaller sized ones are known as guitar less and the large sized ones are known as acoustic. You can choose the instrument as per your size requirements. A large guitar size might not be a good option for everyone. Similarly, a small ukulele wouldn’t be convenient to be played by everyone.
2. String Tension
An ukulele has 4 strings while a normal guitar has 6 strings, except for bass guitar which sometimes may have four to five strings and sometimes even seven. Most guitar has 18 frets and ukulele’s have 12 frets (generally), so this increases the number of sounds a guitar can create compared to an ukulele.
Ukulele strings are made of nylon and guitar strings are steel or nickel plated. The string tension in terms of ukulele and guitar means that since the ukulele strings are made of nylon, they easier to press and get sound from compared to steel or nickel-plated guitar strings. Hence, it is safe to say that ukulele for beginners is more friendly.
Since guitar strings are quite straining from fingers, if you are looking for s string instrument for young children, then you can go for ukulele. Once they learn playing ukulele, then you can shift to guitar which is similarly played. So it will be easier for them to grasp.
3. Sounds
The biggest difference between an ukulele and a guitar is the kind of tone they produce. An ukulele produces different sounds – as per the type of ukulele. For example, a soprano ukulele produces high-pitch sound but that happens with little and sometimes no bass tone. As per the size of an ukulele, the sound production differs. The larger the size of an ukulele, the deeper the sound it creates.
A guitar normally produces sound from the hollow hole that it has, except for the electric guitar for which the sound is generated through several complex means. Hence, the sound produced by different types of guitars are different. But they are all melodious to hear. This is the reason that guitar is one of the most loved musical instruments.
4. Tuning Differences
An ukulele’s strings go in the G-C-E-A order while a guitar’s strings go in E-A-D-G-B-E order. An ukulele’s strings are positioned to tune from high to low pitch whereas, a guitar’s strings are positioned to tune from low to high pitch. Though the strings to be tuned are placed differently, tuning both ukulele and guitar is tuned in similar fashion.
An electronic tuner can be attached to both the instruments to check the tunes and match the required tone. Or, one can match the tone using the piano in corresponding to ukulele or guitar depending upon the tone you want your instrument to be played. You can also learn how to tune a guitar with us.
5. Scale Length
Since ukulele and guitar come in different sizes, scale length of each instrument is different. Here is the metrics for each of them:
Ukuleles:
- Baritone Ukulele Scale: 17-19 Inches
- Soprano Ukulele Scale: 12 Inches
- Concert Ukulele Scale: 15 Inches
- Tenor Ukulele Scale: 17-19 Inches
Guitars:
- Classical Guitar Scale: 6 Inches
- Electric Guitar Scale: 5 Inches
- Acoustic Guitar Scale: 24-25.5 Inches
- Bass Guitar Scale: 34-43 Inches
6. Price Difference
One of the very important factors we all consider before purchasing any instrument is the price factor. The prices of ukulele and guitar differ as per the type of instrument you wish to purchase. In general, guitars are more expensive compared to the ukuleles when choosing a qualitative product. For example, if you are looking for a high-quality beginner string instrument, an ukulele can cost you around $50 while a guitar can cost you around $150.
Also Read: About Mandolin vs. Ukulele
Ukulele or Guitar – Which is Better and Easier to Play?
After going through all the factors, which instrument did you find that is most relevant to you? Both ukulele and guitar produce great sounds, so choosing any of them will offer a great experience.
From what is compiled above, guitar is a sturdy, long instrument with a variety of tones and is a little expensive. Whereas, ukulele is a small portable instrument that caters majorly to young children and beginners to start with the basics and is affordable.
So, select the instrument that suits the most for you and let us know in comments which one did you select and why!