Is Ukulele Better Than Guitar?! Time to settle this once and for all. Which one is better, the ukulele, or the guitar? THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!
Ok, just having a bit of fun there… In truth, we are probably a bit too biased here at Uke Like The Pros to answer that question objectively, and really, we don’t want to. Both the ukulele and the guitar are great instruments! So if you are looking for a stirring Animal Farm esq, four strings good, six strings bad! manifesto, you’ll have to keep scouring the internet.
In the meantime, we are here to tell you not why the ukulele is better than the guitar, but instead why we think it’s the best instrument for you, the potentially future ukulele player!
The Ukulele is Easier!
The guitar is widely known for being an instrument a lot of people pick up casually and teach themselves how to play using videos and tabs. It’s true, when compared to instruments like a violin, or trumpet, a stringed instrument like a guitar has a much smaller learning curve for the beginner to get started. Well, the ukulele is even easier!
Here’s why:
Fewer Strings
This one is pretty simple, most ukuleles have 4 strings to a guitar’s 6. For the beginner, this means having two less strings to worry about when learning to finger chords.
Read more: How To Chuck On The Ukulele
Softer Strings
While most guitars have steel strings, which can be painful to play until the user developes calouses on their finger tips, ukuleles generally use various forms of plastic strings made from materials like nylon or fluerocarbon, which are much softer on the hands and less painful to play.
It is true, some guitars use nylon strings (classical guitars), and some ukuleles can have metal strings (baritones or tenors/concerts with low G strings), but these are far less common.
Easier Chords
While the ukulele and the guitar are tuned different, they use very similar chord shapes. Less strings means less notes to worry about when making chord shapes, which means easier chords!
The Ukulele is Less Expensive!
For a beginner who is just looking to get started with an instrument, price point is usually a big consideration. You don’t want to invest too much money in something you are just trying out, but you also don’t want to end up with an instrument that is such low quality that it turns you off from playing it.
The goal is quality, at an affordable price, and that is where the ukulele shines! To get a quality beginner guitar, prices start at around $150 and go up quickly from there. Sure, you can find guitars for cheaper than that, but at that price range you’ll find the quality dropoff is steep. For a comparison, quality laminate ukuleles start closer to $80.
The Ukulele is More Portable!
The average ukulele comes in at around 21 inches long, compared to the average length of a guitar which is 40 inches. Even bigger baritone ukes (which are tuned/sound more like a guitar) come in at 30 inches. That may not need like a huge differences, but also consider the size of the body of the instrument, and the weight. Ukulele’s weigh about 8-28 ounces (that’s half a pound to just under 2 pounds), while guitars weigh 40 to 80 ounces (2.5 pounds to five pounds).
Imagine putting your instrument in the car to take it on a weekend trip with the family or carrying it on your back to the park and suddenly these differences in size and weight really start to seem like a big deal!
The Ukulele Comes in More Shapes and Colors!
Simply put, the ukulele offers a lot more shapes and color options than the guitar. Not only do ukuleles commonly come in 4 different sizes (there are actually 6 sizes available), but they also come in a wide variety of shapes and colors too!
Conclusion
Well, I hope we can all agree after reading that – the ukulele is the greatest instrument of all time, and you would be a fool not to give it a try!
In all seriousness though, I hope you found this article helpful as you try to decide which instrument is right for you as you begin your musical journey. You can’t go wrong no matter what you choose, as long as you are having fun!
For more lessons on chords, techniques, and songs to help you along on your own uke journey, make sure to check out our site www.ukelikethepros.com. We offer you a bunch of great ukulele content that comes hand-in-hand with an awesome ukulele community that will support you in this journey.
