The traditional size of ukulele is the soprano. And this has also been the most popular ukulele. But increasingly the tenor ukulele is taking the place of the most popular uke. This is no doubt due to the influence of professional ukulele players like Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill who use tenors in their work. So the tenor is becoming popular with all types of player – even beginners.

Defining A Tenor Ukulele

The tenor ukulele, like all ukuleles, is classified by its scale length (i.e. the distance from bridge to nut). The tenor ukulele is the largest of the high-G ukuleles – being two inches larger than the concert ukulele at 17 inches.

Along with this larger neck is a larger body. This produces a bigger, richer sound than the smaller ukuleles.

Why Play A Tenor?

The tenor’s greater scale length gives your fingers more room to pull of fancy ukulele tricks. This makes it the ukulele of choice for highly skilled ukulele soloists such as Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill.

The tenor also offers greater volume and tone than the smaller ukuleles. This is not, however, always the case. It will, of course, also depend on other factors such as the wood, the skill of the construction and how the ukulele is played. But, all other things being equal, this will be true.

What’s the Downside to the Tenor?

Although the greater tone of the tenor is an advantage, it can be counted as a disadvantage. It is closer to the guitar in its sound and loses some of the punch of the smaller size ukes.

One the flip-side of the tenor’s suitability for picking is its decreased suitability for for strumming. Not that you can’t strum a tenor. It just doesn’t feel as natural as strumming a smaller ukulele.

If you have a budget of under $100, then your choice of tenor is likely to be very restricted. They tend to be more expensive than sopranos – even in the beginner range. So if you have a limited budget, you may have to start with a soprano.