The Ukulele was invented in 19th century Hawaii. It is the Hawaiian version of the Portuguese instrument called the Machete. The word Ukulele translates to "jumping flea" in the native Hawaiian language. The Ukulele comes in four sizes; soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The Ukulele has four strings. When held properly the strings top to bottom are: G, C, E, A.
Hawaiian girls playing Uklele during the time of last monarch of Hawaii
He is famous for his rendition of Somewhere over the rainbow. He died on June 26, 1997 due to respiratory insufficiency. His music promoted the preservation of Hawiian culture.
He is famous for his rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. He was one of the first people that got viral on YouTube. He is considered a master of the Ukulele. He popularized complex technique in Ukulele playing.
Jake Shimabukuro performing at the Highline Ballroom in New York in 2010
The ukulele has nine parts shown that are shown in the diagram below.
The easiest song to play on Ukulele is He`e Roa by Kolohe kai. He`e roa means long wave in Tahititan. This is Kolohe Kai playing the He`e Roa at the 21st Annual KWXX Ho`olaule`a.
There are two chords in this song. The numbers in the diagrams below indicate which finger should be used to play the chord on which strings. 1 is the index finger, 2 is the middle finger, and 3 is the ring finger.
There are two strumming patterns for this song. One is for the intro and verses. The other is for the chorus
The strumming pattern for the Intro and Verses is shown below.
The strumming pattern for the Chorus is shown below.
My goal for the narrative project is to introduce people into the instrument known as the Ukulele and help them learn their first song. My older brother first introduced the Ukulele to me when I was in 6th grade. He and his friends were major fans of the music that was being made exclusively on youtube at the time. Artists such as: AJ Rafael, Timothy Delaghetto, and Tori Kelly; were some of the major ones I remember. Many of these songs used Ukulele so many of my brother and his friends learned how to play them. I would see them walking around school playing which made me want to play. One song I can fondly remember is "We Could Happen" by AJ Rafael. I remember this song fondly because it is associted with a good memory that happened in 7th grade. I am 19 years old now which makes this my eigth year playing. I learned the majority of my skills from YouTube videos. Even though I have been playing for a while now, I do not consider myself an expert.