Feedback from Fun Facts - The Ukulele

About 60 years after the introduction of the guitar, a Portuguese immigrant introduced the small four-stringed instrument called the braginha. This replaced the guitar as the preferred range instrument because it was small and fit in the saddlebag. The Hawaiians adapted this instrument and named it the ùkulele. Ùkulele means “jumping flea” referring to how fast the fingers move on the strings. According to Queen Liliuokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, the name means “the gift that came here”, from the Hawaiian words “uku” (gift or reward) and “lele” (to come).

Today the ukulele is a common instrument found in almost any Hawaiian music and is known internationally as “the Hawaiian instrument.” Ukulele′s come in four sizes, soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone.