Ukulele
my little joy
The instrument was probably introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by Portuguese settlers from Madeira who brought with them a small guitar called the braguinha. The settlers included three men, Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias, and Jose do Espirito Santo who knew how to make braguinha. The small guitar quickly became popular with Hawaiians and by 1888 Nunes, Dias, and Espirito Santo were all producing examples for the local market. The instrument was modified to suit local musical tastes and the Hawaiian 'ukulele was born.
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Uke facts
- Ukulele means 'jumping flea' in Hawaiian, but nobody calls it that. People call it by its common nickname: the uke
- Early ukulele strings were made from cat or sheep gut. Most modern ukulele strings are now made of nylon.
- Jason Mraz's 2008 single "I'm Yours" is the best-selling ukulele song of all time.
- Neil Armstrong loved to play the uke. In fact, after visitong the moon he spent several weeks in quarantine as scientists at the time feared he may have picked up strange bacteria while in space. He spent musch of his time in quarantine strumming his uke.
