http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:47:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Image via Wikipedia Roughly translated as “jumping flea”, the ukulele has long been associated with music from Hawaii, where it originated and was developed as a concoction of the Madeiran braguinha and raj√£o.  Being similar in appearance as the cavaquinho, the braguinha originated from the city of Braga, thus its name.  ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/ukulele-history/ Image via Wikipedia Tapered Wood Tuning Pegs – Vintage ukuleles, in the old times, make use of round tapered piece of wood that has knob on one end and a slit on the other to keep the string in place.  It is very much similar to the tuners used for violins.  ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/tuner-types/ Image by bunky's pickle via Flickr Gut Strings – Italian gut strings have already been in production in the beginning of the 17th century, in places such as Verona, Venice, Padoa, Vicenza and Treviso.  Historical data provides evidence that these type of materials were manufactured consistently well going into the 20th ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/string-types/ Image via Wikipedia Different kinds of wood can be used in making ukuleles.  Each one will bring a unique beauty, tone and luster to your musical instrument. One of the more commonly used species of wood is the Koa wood.  This wood has gained reputation as the best hardwood in Hawaii.  The ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/wood-types/ Image by Monsieur Gordon via Flickr There are different varieties of finishes for ukuleles, these include gloss, satin and varnish.  Ukuleles with satin finish have a matte and soft appearance, making them very appealing for customers who have a taste for natural-looking instruments.  In this setting, nitrocellulose lacquer finish is used.  ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/wood-finish/ Image via Wikipedia Intonation Intonation, as taken from the definition of Wikipedia, states: “Intonation, in music, is a musician’s realization of pitch accuracy, or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument.”  Having what is known as “bad intonation” means that the musician is playing or singing out of tune.  Intonation can also ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/intonation/ Image via Wikipedia Most people usually conceptualize that because the strings of a ukulele are fixed at each end, they will resonate in the same frequency.  As it turns out, this idea is false.  The idea here is, in the event that the string induces vibrations on the soundboard, standing wave ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/tone-and-harmonics/ Image via Wikipedia For this type of stringed instrument, four sizes are available, to which the volume and tone are relative to its size. In Hawaii, the standard-sized Soprano is the preferred ukulele and is also the smallest in size. By the year 1920, changes have been made with the ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/sizes-of-ukulele/ Roy Sakuma wanted to combine the best elements of the various full-size ukuleles he'd played over the years while at the same time going beyond the instrument's familiar sound. The result? The KoAloha Ukulele. Sakuma combined forces with friend, musician and craftsman Alvin Okami, who had already made a miniature ukulele that ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/the-koaloha-ukulele/ Roy Sakuma is truly one of the gifted ones. As a young protege of Herb "Ohta-San" Ohta, dean of Hawaii's ukulele artists, Roy Sakuma quickly proved himself as a stellar student. When Ohta-San encouraged his disciple to venture out on his own, Roy didn't follow in Ohta-San's footsteps as a performing ... http://www.ukulele-roysakuma.com/ukulele/roy-sakuma/