The ukulele has an anatomy of parts slightly different than a guitar or other stringed instrument. Before you begin playing it, make sure you understand the basic layout of the instrument.
- The body of the uke is the hollow wooden part that makes up the majority of the instrument. It has a small hole under the strings that you strum above.
- The neck of the uke is the long wooden piece that the strings sit above. The neck refers to the slightly rounded bottom part, while the flat top part of the neck is called the fingerboard or fretboard.
- The frets are sections of the fingerboard divided by metal fret dividers. Each fret divides the strings into different notes.
- The head of the ukulele is the topmost part of the uke where the tuners are located.
- There are four strings on a ukulele, although depending on the type of uke you buy they may be different. The lowest or thickest string is known as the 1st string, moving upwards to the highest or thinnest string which is the 4th string.
