The ukulele appeared in Hawaii in the 1880s, when Portuguese immigrants from Madeira brought their machete instrument. Hawaiians adapted it, reduced its size, tuned it to happier chords — and the ukulele was born (from Hawaiian, it roughly means “jumping flea,” probably from the performer's rapid finger movements).
There are four main sizes: soprano (standard, about 53 cm), concert, tenor, baritone; a tiny sopraninho also exists. The classical tuning G-C-E-A gives the characteristic cheerful “sunny” chords.
The 20th–21st centuries brought a ukulele renaissance: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” — one of the most famous performances); Jake Shimabukuro, the virtuoso of the modern ukulele; Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) released a solo album on ukulele. In Ukraine the ukulele is loved for how easy it is to learn — popular courses at music schools in Kyiv and Lviv.
