International holidays - World Ukulele Day

What comes to your mind when Hawaii is mentioned in conversation? Colorful shirts with eye-catching patterns, exotic cocktails in glasses made of coconuts and lush leis made of flowers, and also small guitars To the accompaniment of one of these musical instruments, Israel Kamakawiwoole, nicknamed The Gentle Giant, performed his famous medley of songs by Louis Armstrong and Judy Garland, which later became classics On February 2, the world celebrates International Ukulele Day In its native lands it was given a different name - “ukulele”, which is translated from Hawaiian as “jumping flea” This is a very miniature guitar that resembles a toy It has only four strings, but the musical instrument is very popular For the first time, plucked musical instruments, reminiscent of the modern ukulele, appeared in Europe more than five centuries ago At that time, string production reached a new level Guitars and mandolins were made in famous workshops, but the technology itself was quite complex, which led to the high final cost of the instruments Bards, minstrels, or simply traveling musicians earned their living by performing songs during their long travels Their income was below average, so not every musician could afford an expensive guitar Due to the increasing demand for cheaper instruments, an alternative emerged - the miniature plucked instrument cavaquinho or macheti It had twelve frets and only four strings The instrument was popular in Portugal It is believed that the first macheti-based ukulele was made by three cabinetmakers - Manuel Nunez, José do Espirito Santo and Augusto Diaz in 1879 on the island of Madeira Subsequently, at the end of the 19th century, it was brought to Hawaii, which became its second home The first small guitars made on the islands cost only 75 cents—a fairly small sum by those standards Initially, Hawaiians did not like the four-string ukulele at all The Portuguese even deliberately staged concerts to charm the local public The sounds that the instrument made were liked only by the Hawaiian monarch David Kalakaua He began taking ukulele lessons from one of the Portuguese immigrants He liked the little guitar so much that he added it to the list of musical instruments of the royal orchestra Gradually, the Hawaiian hula dance and folk songs began to be performed to the accompaniment of the ukulele Hawaiians have reconsidered their attitude towards the four-string guitar They liked the fact that it was made from wood In Hawaii, residents revered trees as symbols of nature To make ukuleles, local craftsmen began to use acacia koa, which grew in abundance on the islands Previously, folk songs were performed only to the drum It is believed that the instrument received its unusual name “jumping flea” due to the fact that the musician’s fingers literally jump along the fingerboard while playing The ukulele has become widespread far beyond Hawaii The instrument is loved by both professional musicians and amateurs American astronaut Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to set foot on the moon, loved to play the ukulele in his spare time In the cult American film Some Like It Hot, the heroine Marilyn Monroe also plays a small ukulele during her performance in the orchestra It is believed that learning to play this instrument is quite simple The small ukulele suddenly became popular even in Japan The Japanese managed to set a world record On July 28, 2012, 2,134 people in Yokohama simultaneously played a ukulele song Although the length of a ukulele is usually no more than 1 meter, there are record holders The largest ukulele is 3 meters 99 centimeters long Such dimensions should have changed the sound of the instrument, but the giant guitar produces the same sounds as traditional small instruments