National Play Your Ukulele Day is celebrated on May 2 every year. The day is celebrated to get more and more people interested in the instrument while also encouraging those playing it to strum their favorite tunes. The ukulele belongs to the guitar family of instruments. While the guitar is recognized by its six strings, the ukulele has only four. When it comes to its size, a ukulele is much smaller than a guitar. This makes the instrument easy to carry around and play for those who have smaller hands — for example, children.
The first thing to know about a ukulele is that it has four notes — the notes that you can play on the ukulele are G, C, E, and A. The word ‘ukulele’ has Hawaiian roots. In the language, the word means ‘jumping flea.’ The name was probably picked because the musician’s fingers look like fleas jumping on the strings when skillfully played! Even though the instrument’s name has Hawaiian roots, it was brought to the island of Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants.
The ukulele was brought to mainstream music in the early 20th century, and it quickly became a popular instrument for jazz music. The ukulele, sometimes also known as the ‘uke,’ is also a part of country and pop music. You must have seen musical superstars like Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest V, Taylor Swift, Eddie Vedder, and George Harrison playing the ukulele during their performances. The skillful tunes of the ukulele make it the perfect accompaniment to most genres of music! And, of course, those who sing covers also prefer to sing along to the rhythm of the ukulele.
Mike Lynch, also known as “Ukulele Mike,” is the man behind National Play Your Ukulele Day. The day was first celebrated in 2011, and Lynch was a school teacher and an online ukulele instructor. He passed away in January 2018, but his memory lives on through National Play Your Ukulele Day. The day is celebrated by those who enjoy music and love playing the instrument. This is also a great day to learn how to play the ukulele!
