A piece of musical technology I’m familiar with is the ukulele. The ukulele is a string instrument similar to the guitar but with four strings. It originated in Hawaii in the 19th century, and comes in four sizes: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. The soprano is the most common, with 12-14 frets. They are generally made from wood; cheaper ones are made with plywood, and more expensive ones are made from solid hardwoods like mahogany. The tuners are located at the head of the ukulele. After tuning, the notes from left to right on each of the strings should be G, C, E, and A. Guitar players strum above the sound hole; on the ukulele, one should strum a little higher, on the neck. My experience with the ukulele first started three years ago when my mom began taking lessons and attending ukulele jams around the area. I bought a ukulele and joined her, finding much joy in being able to accompany myself while singing. Every now and then when no one’s home, I like to look up easy songs to play on UkuTabs and sing along.

In the song Riptide by Vance Joy, the singer uses a ukulele as the main instrument to accompany himself. The ukulele helps achieve that simple and light sound which matches the energy of the song. Vance only uses four chords: Am, G, C, and F. The strumming pattern is repetitive throughout the song and is fairly easy. As a transition into the bridge, he does a more complicated fingerpicking pattern.