Ukuleles

Ukuleles in soprano, concert, tenor and baritone, for classroom programs, teachers and players. Empire Music carries THE CLASSIC, our own line, alongside Ohana, EMUS and PUKANALA.

Size changes the sound and the reach rather than the difficulty. Soprano is the smallest and the one most people picture, bright and punchy with the frets close together. Concert is slightly longer, which gives a little more room between frets and a fuller tone, and it suits adult hands and older students. Tenor is larger again, louder and rounder, and is what most performing players settle on. Baritone is the largest and is tuned differently from the other three.

Tuning matters more in Canada than elsewhere, because many school programs here teach in D tuning rather than the C tuning used in most published material. A ukulele can be strung for either, so check what your program uses before ordering strings or a method book. Soprano, concert and tenor share the same tuning and fingerings, so a student moves between them without relearning chords.

Construction runs from laminate through solid top to all solid. Laminate resists humidity swings and knocks, which is why it dominates classroom sets. A solid top gives a richer tone that opens up with playing. All-solid instruments sound best and are the most sensitive to dry winter air.

Also here: cutaway models with pickups, a closed-back tenor banjolele, the O'Nina sopranissimo, and DIY build kits in soprano and concert.