Ukulele Sizes – Different Ukulele Size and Scale Length Guides

Ukulele Size Chart

Regardless of what the Ukulele manufacturers say in the descriptions about the Ukulele Size Inches, there are majorly four basic sizes available today for Ukulele. But there are some manufacturers that put a new Ukulele off the existing inches or sizes, but the reality is that there are only four different Ukulele Sizes. This includes the Soprano, Concert, Baritone and Tenor. Below is the Ukulele Size Chart for you which would give you a clear picture of the differences in sizes of these four variants.

Ukulele Sizes Comparsion

The Ukulele Size Inches mentioned above are based on averages. As per the chart, the Sopranos are the smallest Ukulele of the Ukulele family and hence it is focused on producing the treble tones as compared to the mid and warm tones of concert Ukulele or the Tenor sizes. Baritone Ukulele is the largest of all the Ukulele models and it produces the deepest tone. In order to achieve the deeper bass tone with any size of Ukulele, you need to replace the high g string with the lower g strong.

There is not any universal standard for the Ukulele Size Inches and most of the Ukulele available today is near to the figures that are mentioned above in the chart. However, the actual measurement in inches and sizes may vary depending upon the manufacturer but it relives around these mentioned Ukulele Sizes.

How to Know What Size Ukulele To Get?

Every Ukulele model that is available in the market offers great fun, whether it is Soprano, tenor, concert or the largest of all Baritones. But each Ukulele comes with specific tone and purposes and you need to choose the best that suits your purpose. Playing the soprano Ukulele is very challenging for most of the musicians because of its compact and small size. Since the frets are spaced narrowly, making it difficult to play the tunes. But being the solo instrument, it offers the typical Hawaiian feeling to all Ambitious musicians.

The Concert Ukulele Size offers some more spaces for the fingers of the musician and it also volume higher than the soprano. So, it is the best bet for the common sizes and it is a golden mean if you willing to have it.

On the other hand, the Tenor Ukulele comprises the voluminous sound and they are easy for the learners because of the greater scale length. But it has complex guitar chords which make it difficult for playing precisely because of its larger sizes.

So, it completely depends on personal preferences and the best suited Ukulele Sizes are the ones on which you feel comfortable. You must have the right grip and it must not have the bigger spaces in between the strings or chords which make it difficult for playing. The Baritones and Tenor Ukuleles are best for veteran musicians, while for beginners and learners, the best suited Ukulele is the Soprano.

How to Measure a Ukulele?

The musical instrument like Ukulele can be broken further into four different classes, soprano, tenor, concert and baritone and the main differences between these Ukuleles are their scale length, full-lengths, and the number of frets. As you increase from soprano to the baritone Ukuleles the number of frets, scale lengths and full lengths of Ukulele would rise up.

The Ukulele is actually measured right from the top of the headstock to the bottom of the Ukulele’s body. Here the scale length of Ukulele is measured between the nuts where the chords or strings are held below the headstock and the saddle where the strings are attached to the body at the bottom of the soundhole. However, the Ukulele Sizes and scale length may vary depending upon the brands and hence you need to choose the right size and Ukulele Size Inches before making the selection and ensure that it is best suited for personal music playing.

Best Ukulele Size for Beginner?

As per the experts, there is no one size fit all Ukuleles out there and there is no single Ukulele Size for beginners. Despite the Ukulele Sizes, the Beginners are also required to look for the good quality instruments and try out some hands-on it to know the perfect size suitable for them. Being a beginner in the world of Ukulele, you must first start your career with the tenor and concert size as they are compact in size and little more comfortable for beginners than the other models. They also make it easier to play the music because it has a longer scale length and this makes the beginners play it easily and comfortably to produce richer and warmer tone from tenor and concert Ukuleles.

Being the beginner, there is no harm in starting with Soprano as it helps you to learn the basics of Ukulele comfortably and gradually you can move up to the tenor and concert Ukulele as you progress with the soprano Ukulele.

What is Scale Length?

The Scale Length is basically the distance between the neck and the nut. The scale length in Ukulele usually impacts both the tone of strings and the force that is needed to play the instrument. The longer the scale lengths are in the Ukulele, the higher the resonate would be with increased volume. However, the longer length may reduce the warmth of the instrument.

Different Size Types of Ukuleles

Soprano Ukulele

The most common and the smallest of all Ukuleles is the Soprano. It is also referred to as the child-size guitar and this instrument offers a variety of benefits. They are very light in weight and compact in size and this makes it the perfect companion for you while traveling. They are very affordable than the larger sized Ukulele and the actions are very light, thereby you don’t have to strain your finger to fret the strings.

But the drawback associated is that the neck is small and this poses challenges to the musicians with larger hands. It has a limited range of all Ukuleles.

Concert Ukulele

Also referred to as alto Ukulele, the Concert Ukulele is very close to the size of a soprano as they are tuned the same way as soprano Ukulele and it serves as the best beginner instrument. They are also priced closely to soprano and the prime difference is the width and length scale of the neck. So, if you want to experience the benefits of both the world, then settle with Concert Ukulele. It has a larger neck to accommodate bigger hands and sights and sounds of the soprano.

The drawback associated is that the string tensions are very low and hence they are prone to bending, thereby making the note slightly fades away.

Tenor Ukulele

This is the larger body with larger-scale Ukulele that remains the top choice of many musicians. It produces warmer tone and has a longer scale and larger body to accommodate the larger hands of musicians. The stringing the 4^th string with low “D” ensures to stay traditional to linear tuning like other instruments.

However, there is a small drawback with this Ukulele size and that is the larger scale length & larger body which makes it challenging for beginners to try a few hands on it.

Baritone Ukulele

The last on the list is the Baritone Ukulele size which is a darker, deeper sounding instrument. This Ukulele is tuned lower than all other Ukuleles. All four strings are tuned in the same as the lower four strings of the guitar and then they are again blurring the lines between guitar and Ukulele. Since the gapping of strings are the same as the classical guitar, it makes easier and appealing to play with different variations and fingerpicking styles.

It is not suitable for new learners and the large scale length and gapping between strings make it challenging for many musicians to play the instrument.

Conclusion – Choosing suitable ukulele sizes

After reading this, you should have a better understanding of different sizes of ukulele and to check out reviews on the best ukuleles by our team.

Whether you an experienced musician, adult beginner or the young student, playing the Ukulele is always an awe-inspiring and amazing experience and when it chooses the right suited Ukulele, you must not go wrong in the ukulele sizes. It is clear now that there are four different sizes found in Ukulele and each comes with their own character and this makes them unique. Each size of Ukulele has its own qualities and there is a lot of joy to explore different sizes of Ukulele.