Parts of the ‘Ukulele

Back -The piece of wood that forms the back of the body

Bridge – The bridge holds the strings in place and transfers string vibration to the ‘ukulele’s body.

Cutaway - (not shown) Part of the body is “cut away” on the ground-side of the fretboard to let players access the higher frets easier.

Headstock – The part of the ‘ukulele that holds the machine heads/tuning pegs. You usually find the ‘ukulele brand’s logo on the headstock.

Machine Head or 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.

Fret dots – Little markers on the fretboard that are made out of plastic, abalone, or other materials and give you an idea of where you are at when you are playing.

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.

Label – The label is located inside the soundhole and shows info about maker, model, and serial number.

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.

Pickup Jack – located on the bottom (not shown), this is where you would plug in an instrument cable to amplify the ‘ukulele

Sides – The pieces of wood that make up the sides of the ‘ukulele’s body

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.

Saddle – The saddle sits on top of the bridge and holds the strings above the fretboard.

Top – The soundboard