Tenor Ukulele: What Are the Advantages?
The tenor ukulele is a relatively recent invention. The earliest ukuleles were all soprano sized (the smallest size of ukulele). The soprano ukulele is what most people think of when someone says ukulele- it’s the classic ukulele size and has the classic uke sound.
However, the soprano ukulele does have some drawbacks. Most notably, it’s small size meant that it was difficult to play fast paced, highly complex runs. Also, the sound of the soprano can be quite thin and doesn’t have a great deal of resonance. Both these problems are solved by the tenor ukulele.
The tenor ukulele has a much greater scale length than the soprano. Scale length is the actual playable length of the string i.e. from the bridge to the nut. Soprano ukuleles have a scale length of around 13 inches whereas tenor ukuleles can have a scale length of anything from 16 to 18 inches. This give the player much more room to play. Their fingers will have more space to move on the fretboard which means they can play more intricate and interesting parts (particularly solo parts). This is why it has become particularly popular with solo style ukulele players such as James Hill and Jake Shimabukuro.
As well as the longer neck, tenor ukuleles also a have larger body. The greater size (or, more accurately, the greater volume inside the body) means it has a more resonant tone and a fuller sound. This is also a big advantage over soprano ukuleles for solo players. When playing alone, the sound of a soprano ukulele can be too thin to be used as a solo instrument (particularly in the lower end of the price range).
These two factors have meant that the tenor ukulele has become increasingly popular. Nowadays, the tenor ukulele is coming to rival the soprano ukulele as the most popular size of ukulele. It is even becoming a serious consideration for people who are just starting out playing the ukulele. It’s no longer just for the experts. Everyone is playing the tenor ukulele.
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