Aloha!!
So today I wanted to give you guys some information about the different types of ukuleles as I have been reading through my books for my project. There are four different sizes of ukes. The smallest is the soprano, then concert, then tenor, and lastly the baritone ukulele. There are different sizes because each one makes a different sound from the other. Also, the longer and larger ukes have more frets than the soprano. Most ukes are also designed into a figure 8 shape, like a guitar. Many are also crafted into rounded boxes known as pineapple ukes or other similar shapes. Some even are specially designed to look like images and are painted as well.
For my project, I am going to be building a tenor uke and will probably have the figure 8 shape if I can make it look like an 8 :).
(Word of the day: Humuhumunukunukuapua'a/Hawaiian Trigger Fish)
Mahalo!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Day #3
Aloha everyone!
So today I thought that it would be a good idea if I looked up the history of the ukulele for you guys and gave you some information about it. I've used different credible websites, books, and also some personal knowledge to come up with the information so here it goes:
The ukulele was originally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1870s by Portuguese immigrants who came to work in the sugar cane fields. They brought along a traditional instrument known as the machete. After hearing the Portuguese play their machetes at night and really enjoying the sounds, the Hawaiians decided to make their own instrument that was similar to the machete. Before it became known as the ukulele, it was called the taro patch fiddle. Hawaiians experimented with different woods to find which made the best sounds and they found that acacia koa, a native plant used in many Hawaiian tools and weapons worked well. Although it became recognized as the ukulele after its name was changed, there are said to be different reasons for how the name came about.
The name ukulele means "jumping flea" which people say is describing how the fingers quickly move on the instrument. Another translation of the word ukulele is "the gift that came from afar" and is believed to describe how the machete came from the Portuguese. However, many believe that the uke got its name from a man named Edward Purvis. He was the chamberlain of the late Hawaiian King Kalakaua and was nicknamed ukulele. He was very talented at playing the machete and because of this, the new Hawaiian instrument was named after him.
Although there are many stories about how the name came about, it still is known as the ukulele and is one of the most famous Hawaiian instruments.
(Word of the day: Ohana/Family)
Mahalo!
So today I thought that it would be a good idea if I looked up the history of the ukulele for you guys and gave you some information about it. I've used different credible websites, books, and also some personal knowledge to come up with the information so here it goes:
The ukulele was originally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1870s by Portuguese immigrants who came to work in the sugar cane fields. They brought along a traditional instrument known as the machete. After hearing the Portuguese play their machetes at night and really enjoying the sounds, the Hawaiians decided to make their own instrument that was similar to the machete. Before it became known as the ukulele, it was called the taro patch fiddle. Hawaiians experimented with different woods to find which made the best sounds and they found that acacia koa, a native plant used in many Hawaiian tools and weapons worked well. Although it became recognized as the ukulele after its name was changed, there are said to be different reasons for how the name came about.
The name ukulele means "jumping flea" which people say is describing how the fingers quickly move on the instrument. Another translation of the word ukulele is "the gift that came from afar" and is believed to describe how the machete came from the Portuguese. However, many believe that the uke got its name from a man named Edward Purvis. He was the chamberlain of the late Hawaiian King Kalakaua and was nicknamed ukulele. He was very talented at playing the machete and because of this, the new Hawaiian instrument was named after him.
Although there are many stories about how the name came about, it still is known as the ukulele and is one of the most famous Hawaiian instruments.
(Word of the day: Ohana/Family)
Mahalo!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Day #2
Hey Everyone!
As you already know if you read my first post, over the summer I am going to be constructing my own ukulele for my personal project for the MYP Program. I really wanted to make the blog so that other people could read about a real life experience of somebody building an ukulele from scratch rather than just reading a book. I felt that I could make this project something that could benefit lots of people other than myself and something that would be interesting and educational. I really like this idea for the project already because besides building a brand new uke, this project will teach me skills like woodworking, planning, researching, how to use tools and blogging!
What I liked about making a blog would be that you guys could get the same knowledge from reading a book in a more interactive way that also will save you some money. I have personally ordered some guides to help me make my uke and as I get ready to start, I will keep you posted on things like the history of the ukulele to what kind of materials to use to the different parts of the instrument. It will probably take me most of the summer to finish the uke but, I'm looking forward to it and I hope you guys are as well!
(Word of the day: Aloha/Love, Hello)
Mahalo!
As you already know if you read my first post, over the summer I am going to be constructing my own ukulele for my personal project for the MYP Program. I really wanted to make the blog so that other people could read about a real life experience of somebody building an ukulele from scratch rather than just reading a book. I felt that I could make this project something that could benefit lots of people other than myself and something that would be interesting and educational. I really like this idea for the project already because besides building a brand new uke, this project will teach me skills like woodworking, planning, researching, how to use tools and blogging!
What I liked about making a blog would be that you guys could get the same knowledge from reading a book in a more interactive way that also will save you some money. I have personally ordered some guides to help me make my uke and as I get ready to start, I will keep you posted on things like the history of the ukulele to what kind of materials to use to the different parts of the instrument. It will probably take me most of the summer to finish the uke but, I'm looking forward to it and I hope you guys are as well!
(Word of the day: Aloha/Love, Hello)
Mahalo!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Day #1
Hey everybody!
My name is Dylan D'Andrea and I am currently a rising sophomore of Princess Anne High school in Virginia Beach, VA. This summer, I
have to do a project for the Middle Years Program at my school and I thought that it would be fun to make a
blog so people can keep up with my progress. For my project, I think I have decided to make an ukulele because I
thought it would be really fun and I also lived in Hawaii for three years. The
project had to be something that I was passionate about and Hawaii meant a lot
to me during the time that I spent there. I learned numerous things about
Hawaii and the Hawaiian culture and I felt that this blog would be a great way
to share my piece of Hawaii with people all across the world.
The product which is the ukulele is supposed to relate to at least one of the five Areas of Interaction
which are a big part of the Middle Years Program. They are Community and Service, Human Ingenuity, Health and Social Education, Approaches to Learning, and Environment. I decided that I would relate it to Human Ingenuity because I
will be constructing my own ukulele and learn about the many techniques that
the Hawaiians used to make these for hundreds of years. In order for other
people to read about and see how to make an ukulele for yourself by a real
person rather than just a book, I will be blogging almost every day about what
I did on that day and I will do my best to take pictures of each activity. I
will also teach things about the ukulele, its name, what wood is best to use,
and many other things. I hope it will turn out good and play even better!
(Word of the day: Mahalo/Thank you)
Mahalo!
Mahalo!
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