HAWAIIAN GUITAR

HAWAIIAN GUITAR

UKULELE a small four-stringed guitar that developed in Hawaii in the 19th century from the Portuguese *machete, which was brought there by sailors. It is a different instrument, however, from the HAWAIIAN GUITAR. Shaped much like classical guitar but only half as large, the ukulele has four strings, today usually of nylon, and a fingerboard provided with frets. The strings, usually tuned either A D F# B or G C E A, are plucked with the fingers or with a small plectrum. The ukulele is used almost wholly to accompany the singing of popular songs or folk songs. Music for ukulele is often written in a kind of tablature that consists of a drawing of the fingerboard, showing the stopping positions required to produce the desired chords. It is used in dance music and is closely related to the *banjo.