Parts of the ‘Ukulele
Headstock – The part of the ‘ukulele that holds the machine heads/tuning pegs. You usually find the ‘ukulele brand’s logo on the headstock. The size of the headstock is linked with sustain, big headstock = big sustain.
Machine Head/Tuning Peg – A machine head/tuning peg holds a string of the ‘ukulele tight and controls the pitch of the string.
Nut – The nut holds the ‘ukulele’s strings in their correct positions over the fretboard.
Fretboard – The fretboard is a piece of wood that holds the frets in place and keeps your fingers from pushing the string any farther down than it needs to go.
Frets – Frets are little strips of metal that are placed in slots on the fretboard. When you finger a note the fret makes the vibrating length of the string shorter so that the pitch is raised up a certain amount.
Neck – The neck of the ‘ukulele holds the headstock, fretboard, and frets in line with the bridge so that notes may be played clearly without buzz.
Soundboard – The soundboard is the top of the ‘ukulele’s body. It holds the bridge and contributes to the sound of the ‘ukulele.
Sound Hole – The sound hole is an opening in the ‘ukulele’s soundboard that lets vibrations in the body out into sound.
Strings – The strings are the ’ukulele’s source of sound, they vibrate at various pitches when picked or strummed.
Bridge – The bridge holds the strings in place and transfers string vibration to the ‘ukulele’s body.
Saddle – The saddle sits on top of the bridge and holds the strings above the fretboard.
