Some of the differences between a ukulele and a guitar are pretty obvious, size being the biggest distinguishing characteristic between the two. But there are actually several less than obvious differences that many people might not be aware of. I’ve even heard some folks wrongly assume that the ukulele is just a small guitar, like a kind of kids toy.
The ukulele is not a kids toy (though it is a perfect instrument for kids) nor is it just a small guitar. It is distinctly unique and should be considered as a serious instrument. But how different is it from a guitar, really?
Standard ukuleles are half the size of an acoustic guitar and have two fewer strings: four strings on a ukelele vs six on a guitar. Additionally, ukuleles are tuned differently and have different types of strings. These key differences make the ukulele a distinctly different instrument that has a warmer and softer sound than the guitar.
It’s true that you’ll also find many similarities between the two instruments, and many aspects will be interchangeable between them. If you’re interested in similarities, we share those in our post over here. But for this post, let’s address the differences in more detail.
Fundamental Differences Between the Ukulele and Guitar
Size
The ukulele comes in four standard sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The soprano is the smallest at around 20 inches long while the biggest is the baritone at 30 inches in length.
Compare that to a standard acoustic guitar of around 38 inches and you can see why size is one of the key distinguishing differences between each instrument. In fact, just the scale length alone on an acoustic guitar is roughly the same length of an entire soprano ukulele.
With an overall body size that can be nearly 50% smaller than a guitar, everything about the Ukulele is small. This includes the neck which is both thinner and shorter than on a guitar. And, with a smaller neck, the Ukulele has just 12-19 frets vs the guitar at 19-24. Even with fewer frets than the guitar, there is still less space between each fret on a ukulele. Again, everything is smaller.
Due to the compact size, especially the space between frets, it is commonly suggested that people with large hands consider getting a tenor or baritone ukulele. Those two being the larger of the ukulele family have extra frets and space between them. It’s still less space than you will find on the guitar but provides a bit more room to accommodate thicker fingers.
The size of a ukulele vs a guitar is more than just an aesthetic factor or a matter of fit. The surface size of the two instruments actually impacts their sound as well. Additionally, length also plays a major part in how and what an instrument can be tuned to, which as you know will impact it’s sound.
That is true even when comparing differences between the ukulele family. From one class to another, we see distinct differences in sound. Soprano ukuleles produce higher tones while the baritone ukuleles produce the lowest. In fact, you’ll be able to access lower notes on a baritone (handy for those solos) that sopranos won’t get you.
Strings & Tuning
At first glance, we all see the differences in scale between the two instruments, but it might take a second look to realize the Ukulele only has four strings while the guitar has six.
If you look even closer, you might see that the strings are actually made of different materials. Most standard guitars have steel or steel wound nylon strings. Those strings give the guitar it’s trademark tinny sound (not including the classical guitar). Ukuleles tend to have simple nylon strings or a nylon material called Nylgut. Nylgut being the preference over simple nylon for many styles of Ukuleles and their players. Fluorocarbon based strings are becoming popular as well along with a host of options for strings that would take us beyond the scope of this post. However, we do walk you through them over in our ukulele strings guide. If you’re new to the ukulele we highly recommend it. Strings make a huge difference in the sound of any stringed instrument.
The differences between guitar and ukulele strings will also result in different playing experiences. Strumming and fingering have a different feel and some differences in technique.
For the Guitar: Guitar strings require more tension which makes for a bright and loud sound, but the higher tension can be harder on fingers (more painful) for beginners. In general, you can be a bit more heavy-handed with the guitar using heavier gauge picks and attacks.
For the Ukulele: Ukulele strings hold less tension which creates a warmer yet softer sound that is easier on fingers (less painful) for beginners to play on. In general, playing the ukulele takes a lighter touch and gauged pick. “Attacking” the ukulele requires more technique than force.
Additionally, if you’ll reference our graphic above, standard guitar strings and standard ukulele strings are actually tuned to different notes. Or rather, a ukulele is not just a guitar with the 5th and 6th strings removed. Although, you will employ similar finger positions when forming chords for each instrument. In fact, any chord on a guitar can be played on a ukulele by simply dropping the 5th and 6th string finger positions while keeping the 1st through 4th. Reference our graphic below to see examples.
If you have a guitar and capo nearby you can actually practice ukulele chords with a little tuning hack. Simply place the capo on the 5th fret of your guitar and avoid strumming the number 5 and number 6 strings (the two top strings when holding your guitar in a playing position).
Please note, as I said above, the ukulele is not just a guitar with a couple of strings removed. This capo trick will only let you practice the chords of a ukulele. It will not get you the exact same sound. This is due in large part to the ukulele’s tuning being what is called re-entrant tuning. If you’d like more on re-entrant tuning, we have you covered over here. Re-entrant tuning cannot be reproduced with the capo hack as the 4th string on your guitar will be a full octave different than with an actual ukulele.
Sound
Due to everything we mentioned above, the sound of each instrument is quite different (even with a capo on the 5th). Guitars are often said to have a bright and tinny tone while ukuleles are often described as a mix of bright with warm tones. The volume of the two differ as well. Guitars are much louder than ukuleles and many describe the ukulele as being a softer instrument than the guitar.
Re-entrant tuning, as mentioned above, is what really gives the ukulele it’s distinct sound vs the guitar. Players who want to pick instead of strum the ukulele often choose to change to a low G tuning, but this gets it away from its distinct ukulele sound which comes from the first strummed string being higher than the following strings (re-entrant). Mandolins and banjos also share in this bright sound from Re-entrant tuning.
Playing Style
Many Strummers do play the Ukulele like a mini guitar. As a beginner, you are going to be learning chords, and strumming patterns so your first steps will be similar on bother. But as you advance the difference between the two should grow. You can play the ukulele like a guitar, but you can’t play the guitar as only a ukulele can play. The two instruments have many similarities, but when you find someone who knows how to make a Uke sing you will appreciate the difference. If you’ve not heard him, Roy Smeck is well worth your time over on youtube. You can also search for great teachers and players like Lil Rev who teach how to play the Ukulele like a Ukulele. This art form is kept alive in the community and once you learn your first Ukulele tricks you will have a blast growing your Uke tool kit.
But to better express the sound differences, here are a couple of fantastic videos of two of the best at their craft explaining some subtleties in what they do on the Guitar and the Ukulele. By watching both videos, you’ll get an excellent feel for each of the characteristics we mentioned above and how they contribute to the differences in sound and technique.
GUITAR
UKULELE
If I Can Play One Can I Play the Other?
As we briefly mentioned above, finger positions for chords are nearly the same, even though they actually represent different chords. If you already play the guitar, the biggest struggle you will face is making the mental shift of connecting one finger position you already associate with a chord to another chord. But, that shift tends to come naturally or fairly quickly for many.
Additionally, chord progressions are the same on both instruments. So, if you can’t quite make the mental leap to change your associations but still want to just jam a little, you can play any song you would play on the guitar on a ukulele with the same chord positions and progression and it will still sound good. Don’t mistake that as sounding the same. You will actually be playing different chords, so the song will sound quite different. However, it will sound good and pleasing to listen to due to both instruments having the same chord progressions.
But unfortunately, if you learned the ukulele first, the transition is not quite as seamless. This has to do with added finger positions for many chords. Additionally, if you learned the ukulele first you quite possibly were taught to use slightly different finger positions for some chords. Many guitar first ukulele players make the shift after playing ukulele for some time, but right out of the box a ukulele to guitar switch would require more “shifting” and learning. Although, much of the muscle memory, rhythm, and finger control that you need to play the guitar is developed with the ukulele. So the change from a ukulele to a guitar is also more of a mental shift than a physical one. Which makes the transition fairly simple as well, but still more challenging than from the guitar to the ukulele.
Which is Easier to Play?
With fewer strings and finger positions for most chords, the ukulele is a far easier instrument to learn. But, I would argue that mastering each of these instruments takes a very long time and requires a great deal of skill and technique to accomplish. Both can be as easy or as hard as the musician wishes to make it. But if by play we mean, learn, then I would give a resounding victory to the ukulele. It takes less time, in my experience and understanding, to learn and become proficient in it.
Which is Better to Learn First?
This is a very common question, and I think it has three common answers. Each answer has more to do with an individual’s personality than anything else.
Do you need quick success? If you need to see success quickly before losing interest, you might likely need to start with the uke. The ukulele is going to get you to your first full song far sooner than with the guitar. And I’m talking a real song, the one you decided to get into this instrument for. I doubt it’s Hot Cross Buns, right? You could possibly get there in a few days or weeks with the ukulele.
Now, it’s not going to be concert ready by any means, but you’ll likely be able to strum and sing along to something that closely resembles the real thing. With the guitar, it’s highly likely that your song will contain a chord or two that will be a bit too challenging to swing in and out of smoothly and efficiently enough to sing and play after just a few weeks.
Don’t need quick success? I’d say start with the guitar. You will have an easier transition later on down the road and have access to far more resources at your disposal. The guitar world is massive compared to the ukulele scene. Don’t get me wrong, uke players hold it down. There are plenty of resources available for the ukulele, but you’ll have an easier time finding resources for guitar. We like to think we’re helping to shrink the gap here at Uke Planet, but it is helpful to point out that some songs might not have tutorials readily available for the uke.
Why not Both?
These two instruments really play well together. If you have the funds and space for both, they really are a good combo for learning. And you really open yourself up to be able to have that early success on the uke while tackling the added finger positions from the guitar.
If you’re in the hunt for a ukulele, check out our top picks for beginners here.