Is Ukulele Easier to Learn than Guitar? Here is your Answer

People often think the ukulele is easier to learn than the guitar, and different people give their different reasons, some say it is because of its smaller size, some say because it only has 4 strings, etc but is it really true? is the ukulele easier to learn than the guitar? well, today you will get your answer.

Ukulele and guitar, if ignore the size, both look identical, but when you play them side by side you will start to notice the major differences in terms of sound, strings, etc. But we will talk about all aspects later, let me quickly answer the question of whether is ukulele easier to learn than the guitar.

Well, Ukulele is indeed easier to learn than the guitar because first of all, it is smaller in size which makes it easier to hold, another reason is it has 4 strings only whereas the guitar has 6 strings. Strings of ukuleles are made up of nylon which is very soft to the touch and you can push them down and upwards very easily. 

Now, I hope you all get your answer, but now let’s get deep into the topic and discuss further why I am saying the ukulele is way easier to play than the guitar.

Is Ukulele Easier to Learn than the Guitar? If Yes, then why

Now as I already said above the ukulele is comparatively easier to play and learn than the guitar but that doesn’t mean you can learn to play songs on the ukulele within a few days of purchasing.

Just like any other string instrument or any instrument for that matter, you need to invest your time to learn the basics of that instrument, and then you need to practice a lot.

Now let me explain to you in detail why the ukulele is easier to learn.

1) Chords formation is easier than guitar

Well, the number one reason why I think the ukulele is easier to learn than the guitar is because of chord formation. Whenever a beginner picks a string instrument like Guitar, the number 1 difficulty they face is the formation of chords.

Especially in guitars, beginners have to spend a lot of time learning how to do chords in guitar, for a newbie, it can easily take a few weeks just to make the muscle memory.

Now talking about the ukulele, most of the chords in the ukulele are very easy to form and some of them can be formed even with single fingers. There are some chords like the G chord that demand three fingers but since three of your fingers and very close to each other on strings, it is not a big deal either.

I believe this is a very important fact that the ukulele has as compared to guitars, and that’s why we have seen people say that ukuleles are good for kids because even kids can easily do chord formation on Ukulele.

Now let’s move to our second point.

2) Ukulele’s strings are made of nylon

I still remember the time when I purchased the guitar for the first time, the one thing that really pissed me off at that time was the strings of the guitar. However, now I am a professional guitar player and playing guitar as my professional career.

Believe it or not, my figure used to hurt a lot even after a small session of playing guitar, thanks to the steel and nickel material that is used in making the strings of guitars.

Many new guitar players complain about this factor that their fingers hurts a lot when they play guitar, however, once you play it for a few weeks, you do get used to it, and then it doesn’t bother you that much.

However, Ukulele has the advantage here, the strings of ukuleles are made up of nylon and sometimes rubber. Believe me, ukulele strings are a blessing to our fingers. They are very soft to the touch and even after playing ukulele for a few hours, your fingers remain like before without any fatigue.

3) Fewer Strings in Ukulele

Another reason why I consider the ukulele easier to learn than the ukulele is because it has only 4 strings, whereas, on guitar, it has six or eight strings.

Fewer strings are also one of the reasons why the ukulele’s chord formation is easier than that of the guitar. Because the ukulele has four strings only, you can easily make chords,  there are so many widely used chords in the ukulele that you can form with just one finger.

4) Smaller Size

If we compare ukuleles with guitars then the major difference you will notice is size. The size of the ukulele is way too smaller when compared to guitars. Even the tenor and baritone sizes of ukuleles are smaller in front of the guitar.

Soprano ukuleles look like a baby when both guitar and ukulele are kept side by side. Now, this smaller size of the ukulele really makes a difference when you learn to play the ukulele.

First of all, ukuleles are easier to hold and thus make it more comfortable to play for a longer time, guitars are usually very big and heavy and can make you feel tired after some time.

Also, the smaller size of the ukulele is very well suitable for kids, since the size is small,  and kids with smaller hands can easily hold it and play with it.

5) Lower tension in the ukulele makes it easier to learn than the guitar

There is no doubt about the fact that the ukulele strings have lower tension if compared with guitars. Less tension on the strings of the ukulele makes it easier to push down and play.

The reason why ukulele strings are under lower tension is because of the scale length. The scale length is basically the distance between the nut and the saddle.

It also depends upon the different ukuleles and guitar brands, so, if you are buying offline then try to test them both side by side and you will understand what I meant.

When can Ukulele become difficult to learn?

It is already concluded that as compared to guitars, the ukulele is often easier to learn and play. However, if you are someone with no prior experience with guitars or ukuleles then at that time it can be difficult for you to learn ukuleles.

When I picked up my very first string instrument, I also faced a lot of difficulties, and the same goes for someone who has bought a ukulele for the first time.

Strumming progression is somewhat easier and it just requires a few days to master it. However, where people actually feel the difficulty is chord formation.

However, ukulele chords are easier to learn and form, there are so many chords like ‘C’, ‘A’, etc that only requires one finger but chords like ‘G’ requires 3 fingers.

From what I have seen it nearly takes 2-3 weeks to build muscle memory, but keep in mind you need to practice a lot in starting. Once you have practiced enough, you will see that chord formation isn’t difficult at all because now your muscle memory has developed.

Is the ukulele easier for guitar players?

Well of course, yes, it is. Guitar and Ukulele both belong to the same family. So, if someone is already familiar with the guitar then they can easily pick up the ukulele in no time.

Since the strumming pattern doesn’t really matter much, the only difference is chord formation, ukuleles and guitar chords both are different, the G chord in a ukulele is formed differently than that of the guitar.

But if you are someone who already knows how to deal with guitar then it will only take a few days to master ukuleles.

Another area where you will feel that the ukulele is different from the guitar is during notes. The notes in ukuleles and guitars both are different. The lowest and highest pitch of the guitar goes from bottom to top whereas in the ukulele the lowest pitch is located at the second bottom string.

Wrapping Up Everything

Is the ukulele easier to learn than the guitar – you got your answer now right? There is no doubt that ukuleles are often considered easier to play than guitars.

But don’t think that you can learn to play the ukulele without any effort. You do have to invest your time, and just like any other musical instrument, the ukulele also demands commitment.

So, if you can stick up with your commitment then there is nothing stopping you to become a good ukulele player. If you have any queries that you wanna ask us, do comment down below and I will try to help you in every possible way. Thanks!