“Isn’t it just a small guitar, though?”
As a “ukuleleist,” hearing this inquiry is something I’ve grown increasingly accustomed to over the past couple of years. At this point, I have a perfectly passive-aggressive response rehearsed in my head, explaining why the ukulele is more than just a miniature copy of a similar stringed instrument. You see, my instruments are incredibly close to my heart. So much so that I’ve given names to my ukuleles (yes, ukuleles, plural): Skye, Miles, and Gerard.
When someone wrongly classifies my gorgeous teak-coloured instruments, an air of disgust and vengeance slowly overcomes me. Admittedly, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It’s not like I’d bring out a machete and threaten to hurt you for your ignorance. I would, instead, like to enlighten you. The ukulele is a happy instrument—it’s a fact! Seriously, students at the University of Illinois have actually researched and supported this proposition. Yes, it has a lot to do with concepts stemming from physics, such as the tension of the ukulele’s strings or the size of its sound box. To me, however, it’s just a small, four-stringed bundle of joy and listening to it is always a delight.
The ukulele’s mellow sound coupled with the sheer simplicity of learning to play it is what drew me to the instrument. Little did I know, it wouldn’t be as easy as I’d assumed. When I got my first ukulele, back in 2018, the amount of pain I felt in my fingertips while desperately trying to hold down chords severely deterred my spirits. Nevertheless, I’m so glad I kept going and grew to love this instrument as much as I do today.
It’s strange how something that was so agonising to figure out—bringing with it bandaged fingers and truckloads of despair—has now become my favourite pastime.
Be it randomly putting together compatible chord progressions or composing complete melodies for my own music, playing always puts me at ease and calms my nerves. Another added, and often unsung, benefit of playing the instrument is how easily it can help in filling up awkward silences at social gatherings; it’s a good source of entertainment and an even better conversation starter. The list of perks is endless.
So, if you ask me what I'd recommend to a beginner looking to get their hands on an instrument, it’s almost definitely the ukulele (I play the piano as well, but I think you can tell that I’m partial to my “small guitars”). Maybe, on special request, I’ll play you a little tune and you can judge for yourself. I bet it’ll put a smile on your face—it is proven to be a happy instrument, after all!
Written by Anoushka Ichpanani
Designed by Vrinda Gianchandani
Image taken from Unsplash
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