Ukulele is one of the most common string guitars in the Central Pacific part of the world, especially in the country of Hawaii.
It actually originated in the late 19th century and developed after Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde attempted to recreate the instruments that they were familiar with from back home.
The usual shape of a ukulele resembles a small acoustic guitar, but with just four strings in total.
Nowadays, manufacturers have already explored the greatness of this cute musical instrument and made them in a variety of different shapes such as square, boat paddle, or ovular.
If you are planning to buy a ukulele to study and learn how to play it, then you are on the right page.
In this article, you will know all the 5 best beginner ukuleles you can consider buying. In addition, you will also learn tips for a beginner ukulele player like you.
Contents
5 Best Ukuleles for Beginners
- Lohanu (LU-C) Concert Ukulele
- Cordoba 15TM Tenor Ukulele
- Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele
- Lanikai LU-21 Soprano Ukulele
- Mahalo Ukulele MK1TBR Kahiko Series Soprano Ukulele
Also Great | Editor's Choice | Budget Pick |
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Lohanu (LU-C) Concert Ukulele
This might be the best ukulele bundle for beginners like you. When you buy this, you will not just get the concert size ukulele itself but with other accessories too like bag, strap, pick, tuner, and more. You will also have an unconditional lifetime warranty.
Lohanu offers a variety of ukulele: concert, tenor, and soprano but the nicest buy is the concert type ukulele. The concert ukulele is 24 inches long, mahogany top, neck, back and side ukulele, with rosewood fingerboard design. Two strap buttons are installed so you can easily put the strap if you want to play standing or walking.
Aside from this, Lohanu Concert ukulele also features an Arched Back to give longer sustain and fuller sound. With its price less than $90, surely, you will learn not just the basics but you can also be a good player as time goes by.
- Complete accessories
- Durable
- Great design finish
- Fretboard size is not consistent
Cordoba 15TM Tenor Ukulele
The 15TM is Cordoba’s best-selling 15CM string musical instrument. Aside from being very reliable and powerful, it is great for beginners because this tenor design ukulele turns head around when playing.
The body, top, neck, back and side or Cordoba 15TM are made of mahogany wood material with a smooth and clear finish. With the weight of 1.5 pounds, this is really great for beginners because it is easy to play and very lightweight.
Additional features include a sleek satin finish, silver tuners with pearl buttons, and premium Aquila strings.
- Lightweight
- Has a powerful and rich sound
- Great design finish
- Some may have a problem on where this uke was made
Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele
Kala is one of the most well-known ukulele manufacturers and their instruments are really good. And they again prove it with this Satin Finish Kala KA-15S. The body and the neck are made of the best mahogany wood design with Premium Aquila Nylgut strings.
This uke features a traditional look but produces a really great and solid sound that can take you to shore while listening.
Thanks to its rosewood fingerboard and bridge, the uke are able to provide us with excellent sounds. If you are a beginner, this is is a great buy since for its price.
- Has a great sound
- Durable, great finish
- No warranty
- No accessories
Lanikai LU-21 Soprano Ukulele
Compare to other beginners ukulele, this might be sort of expensive but really worth the price. It is soprano size, meaning it is longer and 12 frets of this uke have more space compared to other types such as Tenor and Concert.
Lanikai LU-21 features an all-nato body which makes the instrument to give an excellent sound. The fingerboard is made of rosewood and the overall sound produces by this uke is warm and sweet.
Even if its dimension is small (21 x 6.6 x 2.4), it is surely durable and produces a sound that is something a beginner will love.
- Great finish, durable
- Comes with warranty
- Perfect for beginners
- No accessories included
- Comes with cheap strings
Mahalo Ukulele MK1TBR Kahiko Series Soprano Ukulele
The company claimed that this uke is one of the simple models that features the basic needs of a beginner. This is made up of Mahogany fingerboard and bridge and bass frets with a semi-glossy finish.
Mahalo’s Soprano ukulele comes in different colors: red, brown, blue, butterscotch.
Of all the ukuleles mentioned here, this I can say is the cheapest yet produces a really great sound that is good for recording your own song cover.
Since it has an affordable price, you might want to consider changing the strings when you buy this uke since it only comes with the generic brand.
- Cheap, affordable
- Great starter uke for beginners
- Has variety of colors to choose from
- Comes with a generic cheap strings
Buying Guide
1. Own a Ukulele
Before anything else, of course, the first you should consider is buying a decent and durable ukulele. Actually, this tip is the most important because you cannot start learning how to play the uke if you do not own one of it.
I am telling you, it is difficult to just borrow a musical instrument to others especially if you are really hooked on learning it.
When you buy your first ever uke, it should not be expensive, the quality is the most important. There are a few good uke’s in the $100 range, but you can almost be sure that a ukeunder $50 is not that good. Always consider your budget and your needs as well.
2. Learn the Basics of Ukulele
The first thing you need to know is how you should hold your uke properly while playing. This includes the right position of your two hands and each finger plus the correct positions while you are sitting, standing, or even walking.
More than that, you must also know the basic chord patterns. No need to be fancy, first thing foremost is for you to memorize the major and minor chords before you proceed to more complicated gestures.
There are lots of chord charts you see on the internet that is why it will not be hard if you want to study on your own.
Once you know the basic chords, its time for you to know and learn basic strumming patterns. Strumming is the style of sweeping the thumb or a plectrum up or down across the strings of a ukulele (or other stringed musical instruments).
A decent strumming makes all the difference and can make the sound really good.
3. Play as Slowly as you Can
If you already know the basic chords and the different strumming patterns, you can eventually start to change in between chords. Do not rush yourself and forced to play. The key to being good at playing the ukulele is time and patience.
Play as slowly as you can, it is better to be accurate instead of being quick.
Take time to listen to ukulele songs and watch tutorials on YouTube. In this way, you will feel the groove that will help you grow in your study and goal to be a good uke player.
4. Record Yourself
Learn one whole song (the easy one of course) and try to record yourself when you think you are finally done practicing. First, you can play along while the song is running, then after that, record your own version.
Second, listen to your recording and notice what should be fixed so that when you record it again, it will be perfectly fine.
5. Have Fun!
Learning how to play the uke requires a lot of time, effort, memorization, and patience. If you are only self-studying, you really need to allot time for you to learn and schedule things for better discipline.
However, if you are learning from a musical school or center, it is better since you are obliged to attend each session. Every minute is paid that is why you really need to focus and learn everything the teacher will teach you.
But you need to have fun while doing it because if you are stressed about it, the result will not be good.
Our Choice
If you really want a complete package of the uke with accessories and everything, it is better to go with the Lohanu (LU-C) Concert Ukulele. Aside from its good price, it also comes with all the accessories you will need when you start learning how to play the uke.
However, this decision still depends on your budget and what you need.
Whatever your judgment is, remember that some beginners’ ukuleles are only suitable for practical lessons. Hope this list and reviews helped you in choosing the best uke that might suit you.