Thursday, November 13, 2014

Where the Name Ukulele Came From

Did you know that the name Ukulele can roughly be translated as jumping flea in Hawaiian?  The Ukulele is a small guitar with 4 strings which is seldom more than 24 inches long. It is tuned in the octave middle-C.  The ukulele's origins are attributed to three Portuguese immigrants, Manuel Nunes, Joao Fernandes and Augustine Dias. It is said that they introducing the instrument to the Hawaiian Islands in 1879. They based the design of the ukulele on instruments from their native home. The Hawaiians loved the sounds these small guitars made and the fast speed the musicians played them.  The speed of the player's fingers is what the name Ukulele most likely refers to.




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