Fact 1
The ukulele was invented in Hawaii in the 1880s, it is believed to have descended from an instrument called a machete brought to the Hawai’ian islands by some Portuguese immigrants.
Fact 2
Ukuleles tend to have a figure-eight shape and look similar to an acoustic guitar - Ukuleles come in four different main sizes - soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. The soprano is the standard size ukulele
Fact 3
Less common ukulele sizes include the small sopranino ukulele which is also referred to as the pocket uke, bambino, or piccolo. There are also bass ukulele sizes, which are the largest.
Fact 4
Another common type of ukulele is often
oval in shape and is referred to as
'Pineapple' ukuleles.
Fact 5
The ukulele made it to
the top of the music charts
in 1968 with Tiny Tim's
"Tiptoe through the Tulips".
Fact 6
Ukuleles most commonly have four strings but some strings are paired and therefore an instrument may have as many as eight strings. A six or eight string ukulele is often referred to as a taropatch ukulele.
Fact 7
The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong loved to play the ukulele. In fact, after visiting the moon he spent several weeks in quarantine where he spent much of this time strumming his uke.
Fact 8
George Harrison of the iconic
band The Beatles was a ukulele
fan and had a collection of
hundreds. He often gave
them away to friends.
Fact 9
The most popular and best-selling ukulele song was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz in 2008. The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 76 weeks.
Fact 10
While you are at it, have a listen to some other very popular ukulele songs including: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, as performed by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Hey, Soul Sister by Train and Count On Me by Bruno Mars.
