Types of Ukulele - Concert and Cutaway

There are several different voices of ukulele and several different body designs. The soprano is the smallest of the models and has the highest voice. The concert model is one size larger, followed by the tenor and the baritone. This is among the best selling sizes for ukuleles. The body is large enough that it has good resonance and the pitch is pleasant; high enough for melodies and low enough for rich bass. Many professionals choose this size of ukulele. Concert cutaway models have an additional feature that makes the useful for those who play challenging pieces.

The body of a ukulele generally joins the neck around the 12th fret. This makes it difficult to maintain correct hand position while fretting notes above the octave on any string. A cutaway allows the player to slide their hand underneath the neck and to fret any note among the smallest frets with greater precision and, thus, better tone. For difficult pieces, this is a necessary feature for a ukulele. Concert cutaway body styles also allow players to preserve their energy, as they're not required to stretch their hands into odd contortions to hit certain notes. When one is playing a long piece, this is a huge benefit.

Some players prefer a traditional ukulele. Concert cutaway models do make using the upper frets easier for most players, but some will actually prefer more "meat" around the higher frets. Especially for players with larger hands, the junction of the body and the neck can be used as a leverage point, helping them to maintain good finger pressure without exhausting their hands. There are plenty of concert-sized ukuleles on the market that are not cutaway models. If a cutaway doesn't seem particularly beneficial, try one of these models to see if it is preferable.

There are plenty of custom body options for any brand of ukulele. Concert cutaway styles are but one option. Exotic body styles sometimes employ rounded backs, square shapes and innovative woodworking where the neck and body meet. Electric ukuleles offer till more body style options, as the body isn't required to actually resonate the sound. Changing the body style on an electric uke, however, will change the sound quality somewhat, so there are still plenty of options for body styles where these instruments are concerned. As ukuleles have become taken more seriously as instruments, there has been more effort put toward making them more versatile.

There are a few things to consider when selecting a non-traditionally shaped ukulele. Concert cutaway types will take the same style of case as any traditionally-shaped ukulele, but others will not. It may be more difficult to find cases for custom shapes and it may be more difficult to find stands that can accommodate ukuleles without rounded bottoms. Make sure to keep this in mind before buying. For cutaways, however, there should be no problem finding several different options for a suitable case. Other shapes generally come with custom cases.