Soprano Ukulele (21" scale length)

About Soprano: The soprano is the smallest and most traditional ukulele size. This is what most people picture when they think of a ukulele—it's the classic Hawaiian sound that started it all. The soprano has a compact body with less space between frets.

Tone Character: Sopranos produce the brightest, most quintessentially "ukulele" sound. They have more perceived treble and a zingy quality that's instantly recognizable. However, they have less volume and bass response than larger ukuleles.

Considerations: The smaller fret spacing can be challenging for players with larger hands. Some advanced songs require more frets than a soprano offers. At Easy Music Center, we sometimes encourage adult beginners to consider a concert or tenor for better playability.

Variation: Long neck soprano—combines a soprano body with a concert scale neck for more fret space while maintaining the soprano sound.

Concert Ukulele (23" scale length)

About Concert: The concert ukulele is the perfect middle ground between soprano and tenor. It has a longer neck and bigger body than a soprano, with more space between frets for comfortable playing.

Tone Character: Concerts produce a deeper, more mellow tone than sopranos while maintaining the classic ukulele brightness. They have considerably more volume and bass tone with slightly less treble emphasis than soprano ukuleles.

Why We Recommend Concert: At Easy Music Center, we find that concert is often the sweet spot for adult players. It's easier to play than a soprano due to increased fret spacing, produces more satisfying volume, and still maintains that classic ukulele character.

Variation: Long neck concert—combines a concert body with a tenor scale neck for maximum fret access.

Tenor Ukulele (26" scale length)

About Tenor: The tenor has an even larger body and longer fretboard than soprano and concert ukuleles. It offers the most fret space and the fullest sound of the standard ukulele sizes.

Tone Character: Tenors deliver the warmest, richest tone with the most volume and resonance. They have excellent bass response and sustain, making them ideal for both strumming and complex fingerstyle work. The larger body produces a more guitar-like fullness while maintaining ukulele character.

Body Size Consideration: At Easy Music Center, when we help customers choose a size, we often have them hold different sizes against their body. For example, as a 5'9" person with average-sized hands, I find tenor most comfortable—it fits naturally under my elbow when playing standing up. The soprano and concert feel too small for my frame.

Professional Choice: Both Jake Shimabukuro and the late Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole played tenor ukuleles, despite their very different body sizes. This shows that tenor works for a wide range of players.

Low-G Option: Many tenor players use a low-G tuning (replacing the high 4th string with a lower octave). This adds six more bass notes, creates linear tuning like a guitar, and produces an even warmer, fuller sound. It's particularly popular with guitarists transitioning to ukulele.

Cutaway Feature: Some tenor and concert models feature a cutaway design—a missing portion of the traditional body shape that provides easier access to the highest frets for advanced playing.

Baritone Ukulele (30" scale length)

About Baritone: The baritone is the largest standard ukulele and is tuned differently than soprano, concert, and tenor. It uses D-G-B-E tuning, which is the same as the top four strings of a guitar.

Tone Character: Baritones produce a deep, mellow, warm sound that's quite different from traditional ukulele tone. The lower tuning gives it a bass-heavy character that some describe as guitar-like.

Important Note: Because baritone uses different tuning (D-G-B-E instead of G-C-E-A), the chord shapes are different from other ukuleles. This means if you're playing with other ukulele players using standard tuning, you'll need to learn different chord positions. For this reason, we don't typically recommend baritone as a first ukulele.

For Guitarists: If you play guitar, the baritone will feel familiar since it uses the same tuning as a guitar's top four strings. The chord shapes you already know will transfer directly.