Why Guitarlele? | KoAloha Guitalele 

I have a complete step-by-step video guitarlele course at ukelikethepros.com/p/guitarlele-course.

A guitar with a permanent fifth fret capo.

He's 90 and 30 at the same time.

so it is like when a classical guitar and a ukulele *made a baby*

In my language (Indonesian), lele means catsfish, so when I found this, I thought the guitar is made of catfish.

From an organological perspective, this instrument is indeed a type of guitar: a small bodied requinto guitar. Requinto guitars are tuned a fourth higher than standard guitars. I think the term “guitarlele” is a marketing term, since most English speaking people know what a guitar and a ukulele are, but they don’t know what a requinto guitar is. Historically, most instruments were developed as a family based on the SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) ranges of the human voice. The guitar is no different. In addition to the standard/prime guitar, there are also requinto, alto, and bass guitars, each covering a different tonal range. Like orchestral strings, these can be assembled into a guitar orchestra. I personally picked up a Yamaha GL-1 recently, and find it delightful. I don’t bother to transcribe the music I play on it, but since I play alone, I treat it simply as a standard guitar that sounds a fourth higher using standard guitar fingerings. I play classical guitar and ukulele, and this little requinto combines the best of both worlds in a very portable package.

I actually really love this concept/hybrid instrument! I played guitar a bit in my twenties, but did not like the bulkiness, or the hard strings, so I gave up....fast forward a few _decades_ ...I'm now 56 and yesterday morning, seemingly on a whim, I picked up a simple soprano beginner's Ukulele. I say 'seemingly' because I have actually thought about picking up the Ukulele for quite a number of years and so, I finally stopped thinking about it and just did it. Now, I have no illusions about quickly "mastering" the Ukulele...I'm just enjoying the process one mellow happiness-inducing step at a time. Even so, I'm still very surprised at how fast I was able to start making far more than passable simple melodies, and how much gentler the strings are on my finger tips! Again, I got my first Ukulele *yesterday* I've subscribed to this channel, because the tutorials are wonderful. Thank you! _ps: I'm definitely thinking about a Guitarlele purchase down the line_

I have a Yamaha version and I appreciate that it is like starting on the 5th fret of a guitar. There is relatively easy access to high notes used in solos that otherwise might be hard with a traditional guitar that is not cutaway.

Thinking about getting a guitalele although I’ve never played a guitar or a ukulele before, I think this page may help me out a lot :) so glad I found it

I love my guitalele. I have a Kala. I’ve only played an ukulele, but I love the deeper tones of the guitalele. Thanks for putting tutorials out there. Much appreciated!

Good to know about this instrument Guitalele.. thank you for sharing..

The chart was really helpful, thank you so much, my parents always ask me to learn these weird wacky instruments they find and buy, and I had given up guitalele, but this really helped.

Just order my first Guitarlele yesterday after 4-month on learning Guitar. The travel size and the low A,D string amaze me! Thanks for the video, Now I get excited to go on my "guitar" learning journey on a Guitarlele!

This could be the answer to my prayers! I have struggled to learn the guitar - small hands and small brain! LOL. I gravitated to the baritone ukulele but it lacks the depth of sound. I am going to definitely check this instrument out now. Thank you Terry for a really educational video.

Bought a Yamaha a few years ago and just picked it up again to play. Thank you for your videos, they were perfect to get me going. I’ve studied Suzuki violin and played some worship guitar so very excited to learn this instrument!

I bought a Luna Guitalele about a year ago. I struggled with it for a long time and then since I used to play the guitar just tuned it as a guitar. I like playing it like a guitar but your video is making me think of trying again to try to tune and play it like a ukulele. Thanks!

Thank you! This is very informative - I just started playing ukulele and I love it. For me it's a perfect instrument - perfect size and form. So it's great to hear that there's even a little guitar in the same shape and size - with all the possibilities to expand into new areas in the future! Great channel, like your other videos too!

To anyone that's thinking about getting a Guitalele, for whatever reason, I love mine. First off, you don't have to break the bank to afford one. I have a Yamaha GL1 Guitalele, in Persimmon Brown; they're available on Amazon and from music stores like Sam Ash & Guitar Center for $100. You can pay between $100 & $200 depending upon wood type and finish, but you don't need too. From what I've seen, the GL 1 is probably the most common of these instruments and it plays and sounds just great. I own and play a Kala KA-CE (and just got a KA-8E) and the GL 1 - or any Guitalele - does what the video says. It rounds out that sound and makes it thicker, adds low end, and makes it easier to play different types of music that are simply much more difficult on a Ukulele.

As a guitarist I use it to texture parts and as my travel companion. I’ve gotten a really cool sound recording my guitalele with a light overdrive. I think its main advantage IS the size. I’ve come up with a lot of interesting chord voicings. Even when capo’ing a guitar, you still see the neck as a capo’s guitar.

So, I just got a Donner Guitarlele for Christmas. I started on a soprano Moukey Ukelele last Christmas and have loved it. I always wanted to play guitar but my hands seemed too small to reach many of the chords. Excited to get started! Love the sound and the added richness of the lower 5th and 6th strings!

I bought a Yamaha gl1 because I wanted a travel guitar and here in Brazil we do not have a lot of those availible. I tried every trick around the internet to tune it like a regular guitar (E-B-G-D-A-E) - but sounded horrible. Then I realized how great was the original tuning in A - and now I play the guitalele a lot. Lots of fun.

I recently got one as my first instrument and I’m pretty excited to learn it

I thought about the guitalele for the reasons you mentioned: the cumbersome nature of the guitar, and was looking for a small-body guitar and landed on its 4-string descendant of a Portuguese branch of the guitar family tree. I"m happy with my choice of tenor-sized ukulele.

Been playing ukulele for a while (not very well), and just got a Yamaha GL1 Guitalele. Super excited to learn it but finding it a little hard at the moment as I'm not used to the extra strings. Super cool instrument though. Thanks Terry for making these videos, there's not much else around to help learn this instrument.

I just got an guitarlele for my birthday and so it's time to practise:)), It is my first time with a instrument with strings:)

I just got an Ibanez EWP13 - I love the sound and I can’t wait to familiarise myself with it! Thanks for the useful videos, I’ll be checking out the full course, of course...

Been playing Ukelele for 5 yrs years , wanted to try guitarlele first time saw it. Purchased a Sound Smith, Love it . Not alot of tutorials,Thank you for the easy to follow lessons.

I had my instrument for almost 2 years before I found out online how to tune it properly so I could enjoy playing it, and that was on the year 2014 when I bought it, thank you for your video, I could use that information.

just ordered up a baritone uke.. electrics and occasional acoustic guitars have been what i mostly played. I appreciate the tuning which carries over the same scales that Iam finally learning how to use and the easier finger placeing will be a win-win for me... Of course this 6 string uke has possibilities.

I have a Yamaha Guitalele. Great little instrument and I look forward to learning more about this one. Might be another purchase in my future!

This reminds me of when the 7 string electric guitar was invented in the 80's and then the 8 string in the early 2000's. Extended range instruments really open up some cool possibilities.

I've been playing a soprano uke for about 2 years and I love it. I'm going to get a guitalele next month and start learning that. I won't stop playing the uke though. I really like the deeper sound on the guitalele more guitar like as you mentioned. I tried a low G string on the uke but I didn't like it so I took it off. it just didn't sound right to my ear. Thank you for the guitalele chord chart. That's really going to help when I bring the guitalele home. So far I like the Yamaha guitalele

I have a Yamaha GL1 i bought second hand. Very useful for making sense of you tube guitar tutorials.

I just ordered the yam. Iv owned a few Ukes been a bassist for 21 years. I play double bass and a lot of acoustic guitar in my punk band and sing. This thing is something I am really pumped about. A fellow bassist friend of mine owns own and loves it. Can’t wait.

I just purchased the Sound Smith Guitalele. Waiting for it to ship....Your video is most helpful. Thank you!

I bought a Guitarlele and I do not have any regrets (Yamaha G1). I am originally a guitar player, but I had to move and couldn't take my guitars with me, so the guitarlele came into my like. I can play almost everything that I used to play, even shredding.

Have recently purchased the Yahama guitalele. I don’t fit around a more standard sized guitar, but wanted more than just four strings on a uke. Absolute beginner, so some interesting times ahead!

i was really having hard time deciding what to buy because my budget is limited. I thought ukulele would be best because its not pricey like guitar but it feels like ukulele is not the sound that i wanted. but after watching this im convinced, i need guitalele. A good way to start

This would be perfect for me! The bossa flair is perfect on this, I need one right away

I purchased an Ibanez Ewp14opn Piccolo guitar/ guitarele a little over a year ago. I've been a gigging jazz vocalist for years so I've always had great players around; never gone past dabbling with guitar, in spite of my husband being an instructor. This little thing got me playing! It's so much fun to strum and sing with! Then I realized the high four strings were the same as the ukulele so I started playing ukulele chords on those strings. Got a Breedlove concert uke coming in tomorrow and I'm also getting the Luna 8-string tenor ukulele. Without knowing any of this my daughter got a soprano uke from a friend when the FB buyer didn't show up! Haha, simultaneously I'm playing bass and saving for an upright! Back to piano to make reading music and music theory more accessible. Exciting!!

Funny. This evening I was actually working on mine. I don't care much for the size, but for the harmonic colour. So, it is a full scale cheap travel guitar fitted with the normal first strings (E-B-G), but with the 3 big ones (D-A-E) tuned one octava higher using swaped string gauges. With it's limited size body and table (sustain killer) and a 5th fret capo, the illusion is quite good.

I bought the Yamaha guitarlele and am using regular guitar tuning. AEDGBE. It sounds fine. Later I may experiment to see the difference in tunings.

The baritone ukulele is like the perfect instrument to play before learning guitar man that’s how I learned it

I appreciate your videos. Thank God for RU-vid. I can learn from home. I have a Yamaha GL1 and love it. :-)

Well, in latin América exist the "Requinto", it has the same tunning but bigger (like a little Martin Scale) and has more frets

My son got me a guitarlele for Christmas and I really want to learn.

I play classical music in a guitar trio FORCOLA. We use 2 guitarlels and ukuleles and combine these instruments with classical guitars. I use guitarlele mostly for solo parts in the works of Bach, Mozart and other composers. Guitalele beautifully sounds in a band with classical guitars thanks to the interesting timbre of sound. It also allows you to use the first position in high solo parts. This has a beneficial effect on the timbre and technique. Guitalele has a wider scale compared to ukulele. Thanks to this, it can be used without limitations related to ukulele which has only 4 strings. I recommend checking the length of your guitalele strings and choosing the right tune and strings thickness. On my YAMAHA guitalele, I raised tune to H to get the right string tension. This made it possible to get a more clear and powerful sound.

I was just gifted a Yamaha guitalele and this will be my introduction to learning to play either instrument.

I don't have one but want one. I have a tenor, baritone, and a concert. Love the sound of this one and the option to expand.

I just bought the Yamaha GL1 Guitalele and love it already! Love the size, the sound, how nice the action is and love that it's so versatile. I learned to play my first string instrument which was a banjo ukelele. At the time I was the rhythm section to my Dad's lead mandolin. I hated that bango ukelele!! It was made of stainless steel, it was heavy for a child to play and to me always sounded tinny and too loud, plus my Dad's choice of music to play was light years from what I was interested in playing. I wanted to play guitar. When i was sixteen i finally had the opportunity to purchase my first guitar, a Yamaha. i have no idea what model it was but it would''ve been 1979 so maybe you can guess. All I know is i walked into a local music shop, told them i wanted to learn guitar and the guy handed me this Yamaha. Well, I hated that guitar!! It was too big (a dreadnought), the action was too high which made effective chording almost impossible for me, and too loud in my opinion. Consequently the guitar lessons didn't go too well and ended up with me paying to hear my teacher show off what he knew and could play on his guitar. So endeth the first attempt at learning guitar. Many, MANY years later when I hit my late forties I realised that i really did want to learn how to play a guitar reasonably well and set out to accomplish this goal. I bought a mint used Seagull Artist Mosaic accoustic guitar for $500 from a guy who didn't realise what it was worth and signed up for more lessons. I loved that guitar!! Nice easy action, great sound, perfect size for me. I ended up with a great teacher but sucumbed to a long episode of dealing with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome after I'd only had maybe two lessons. I underwent the surgery, a huge success but by that time was needing to make some money and sold my guitar to a guy who knew what it was worth, much to my economic advantage! So endeth the second attempt at learning guitar. Now we're about five or six years later and again, as winter comes on I get the itch again, you know the one. I decide to start at the beginning where I would start a child. I purchase a ukelele and fool around on that for awhile.Then I ask for and receive a lovely little Seagull Merlin for Christmas 2017. Lot's of fun to fool around on and pick out melodies but the set up is more like a dobro and I have no idea how to attack chording on this thing, despite all the online stuff. And, it's just not a guitar. What I REALLY want to learn is the guitar so I can cross it off my list of "To Do's" in my lifetime. Hence the purchase of the GL1. I'm really, REALLY hoping this will be a good place to start yet again and then transition to a guitar when I start to feel the BIG itch! So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! I'm hoping that by watching some of your videos I'll learn some things and start to feel more confident and ready to take on a full size guitar again. I think though that this time I'll hang onto this sweet little thing and have it as a travel instrument! Cheers! Lynda Armstrong

Wow! When I grow up, I will be a guitarlele... Maraming salamat po!

Great introduction to the instrument! Thanks for the video

Interesting. This video didn't really make me crave a Guitarlele, as I already own more guitars than I have room for, but it did make me think more seriously about trying a low-G on my concert ukulele. What would be the right gauge of string for that?

Hi there! Can you PLEASE tell me... for the guitalele course, is it for brand new beginners who have NOT played the uke or guitar?? I am brand new to the guitalele and enjoyed your videos, playing along the best of my ability. I keep going to your checkout/complete my purchase for this course but am afraid it will be too hard! I have never played guitar or uke. THANKS and I hope to hear back from you with hopefully good news so I can purchase your course!!! CHEERS and much thanks!

Nice video. Just wondering, can you tune the Guitarlele in the standard guitar tune? If to do so, would it damage or bend the neck of the guitarlele in the long run? Thanks

My mum got me one for my birthday and I’m loving it

I just got the Guitalele Bible a month ago, now I have all the chords and inversions

Hi, would you only recommend this to guitar and uke players or also for beginners in general? Im interested in picking up a string instrument for the first time and was strongly thinking uke. what would your suggestions be? Thanks

Awesome 😎🤷‍♂️👏

Hi. I just got a Yamaha Guitarlele GL1 and I am an absolute beginner. I have never played any instrument before! Hoping to learn more about guitarlele from you!

I've been hmming and hawing about one for awhile. I don't own a guitar and primarily play a Ukulele (well, or my steel lap guitar) but a small guitar sounds nice. What are you playing at 3:48 ? Sounds almost like Raindrops....

I just started getting into the ukulele and I am reading about different sizes and came across the guitalele.

I’m thinking about getting a guitarlele. A starter one. I’ve been messing around with the Córdoba Mini. I’m just not sure if I should try it. I’ve always wanted to play guitar but found it to be challenging. So you recommend trying one?

I'm a multi-instrumentalist, mostly guitar, bass, mandolin, violin, viola, and ukulele. I've probably paid less attention to the uke than to any of the others, but in a recent fit of curiosity I also rolled the dice on a Cordoba Mini M. It's essentially a guitarlele, but with spruce top and mahogany laminate back and sides. And okay, I'm hooked. These things are roughly the size of tenor ukes, but closer to the guitar's versatility. I'll be literally downsizing over the next couple of years in terms of both quantity and size, and I think a good quality guitarlele will wind up featuring prominently in my pared-down instrument lineup. I'm thinking about one of the bass ukes too, as it'll definitely take up less space than a standard Fender P-bass. In short, you have my attention. :)

My son just bought me a Yamaha guitalele and I'm excited to learn to play it. I've only played guitars.

I Love your content, your dedication and enthusiasm:)

How would you compare the guitarlele with the baritone ukulele? My first guess would be that the baritone ukulele sounds louder, lower and is easier to play, but is a bit limited by the 4 strings. Is this right? How would you compare them?

Even though you have to get used to a new tuning, could the guitar skills transfer over exactly the same way for this instrument? ALSO: is English your secondary language? I noticed a few differences in how you pronounce things.

I went to Brazil with my ukulele but had to leave it there so I could bring my partner's newly made guitar. Now we just moved into a new place and I was looking into buying a ukulele (preferably) or a guitar, but I entered a music shop and saw the Yamaha guitarlele and ended up buying, after all, why not? The guy said I could return it the next day in case I didn't want it. So now I'm looking for videos to learn more about it and see if I will continue with this or return it to get a ukulele. This video was very clarifying, I'm most likely keeping in now! Thank you very much! The only thing that I'm uncertain about is that I'm not used to using a low G so will have to see how adapting will turn out (I'm not a great player of anything, but sure can learn:) ).

Hi I am a novice regarding string instruments have been learning ukulele for a while and I find the tone a bit limited. So I am thinking about either getting a baritone or a Guitar, but this Guitalele seems to have the best of both worlds. What would you recommend (to get more fun learning) taking into account resources available online are basically for guitars or standard tunning ukes?. In my country the selection fo baritone ukes is limited (the makala is the best you can get or an overpriced oscar schmidt) and the only guitaleles around are the yamaha GL1

helpful for me confusing decision thanks a lot

Hi, I'm strongly considering the purchase of the guitarlele, especially after seeing this video! I've played guitar since 14 yo, but never a ukulele. I really like the sound of the guitarlele vs the ukulele, so now it's about finding the right maker and tonal woods. Any suggestions/advice?

You have increased my interest in the Romero Creations TT6. I like the additional breadth that it gives . . .

I only JUST learned that a guitarlele is a thing. I'm intrigued by the idea, as I have started to think I might like to learn to play the guitar. I have been to the Koaloha factory/store and, now that I think about it, they may have mentioned the guitarlele, but it didn't stick in my memory. I would LOVE a Koaloha instrument, wink wink. But for now, there is a local music store that has them or would be able to get them.

It’s music, it’s artistic, it’s moving, not static. Awesome guitalele or guitarlele, whatever, it’s awesome! Music is moving and changing

I got one from my local friendly music shop kind of as a joke. It was like 90 bucks, its a cheap yamaha. I totally love it haha. Its really fun to play.

Nice.,,glad im found you...thks

Do you know the Gretsch G 9126 ACE ? Is it better than the Yamaha guitalele ? Thanks !

I somehow accidentally found out about Guitalele today, and then found my way here to your video. I’m intrigued by this instrument. I’ve mostly avoided ukulele because I tend to like instruments that have some low end also. I play guitar and bass. This instrument is really interesting though. I’ll check out your other videos about it.

Will nylon strings for the 4th,5th, and 6th string be tighter than using non nylon strings? My guitalele came with 3 nylon for the 1, 2, and 3 string and a non nylon for the 4, 5, and 6th which seems to be a bit loose? Will I get a tighter fit if I replace them? Thanks.

Thank you!

To everyone saying that this sounds like a small guitar and feel like there’s nothing unique about the guitarlele, Uke Like the Pros did another video comparing the Requinto guitar and the guitarlele in a sound comparison if you want to hear what makes the guitalele different / unique.

Cool video! Thanks.

I'm lefty, Can i play if change the position of string or i got change the bridge too

I would like to learn how to play the guitar, ukulele, and this guitalele. I also have a guitar already. What do you recommend learning first among the three? Would the transition from guitar to ukulele be easier or the other way around? Realistic, I'll probably only buy a guitalele or a ukulele though. Which would you recommend. Thanks for your videos.

I have a question. I have musical goals. I have a concert and soprano ukulele. I’m in the process of learning and still have a ways to go. I also play piano. Piano skill is a bit all over the place. I can sit down to a lot of music and play or figure it out and play but I’m working on basic fundamentals that either I never learned or I forgot. The next instrument I want to learn ( maybe in a year) is a 6-string banjo. Then a year later I want to start guitar. (My first guitar will be a Fender because I have always wanted one) In any case, I want to know, first, are the strings and fingering on the banjo (6-string) like a guitar or something else entirely? I just love the banjo and that’s why I want to learn it before guitar but is that a bad idea or just a preference? Any advice would be great. Covid has made me more musically diverse and I’m loving it!

I have some electric 19 inch scale guitars with steel strings. Some people tune them to A, but if you use heavy strings (.013) you can standard tune with low E. I can play my nylon string soprano uke but can't get a good sound if I try to play the 4 high strings of a small guitar. Makes a great travel guitar.

Just got the Yamaha one. I mainly play guitar but wanted something to write melodies on the couch or to take for travel and camping. I really want an 8 string Cuatro but don’t want to spend a lot of money so this will have to do. Fun little instrument.

Right. I’m gonna buy one

I ve got one. I bought it by mistake. I actually wanted to buy a mini guitar but hey... LOL... I tuned it like a guitar first like E A D G B E ... it sounded sloppy and I wasn't happy. but when I tuned it like UKULELE I was surprised with it.... Now I play it all the time and I love it and I have it as my additional next to my Ukues... My problem was I couldn't find lots of lessons videos on the Guitalele, thanks

hey i have a guitarlele now in the past i found it difficult to play wit others like a normal guitar player becuase the tuning of the Guitarlele is the same as putting the capo on the 5th fret of the guitar how do you play with others

Thanks for the explanation. I had thought a guitarlele was just a small guitar. I prefer the baritone scale over my tenor so this makes me think of the possibilities of accessing the lower range of those bottom two strings. It’s something I will need to look into further. I look forward to your upcoming videos.

As a bassist, the guitalele is perfect because I get a ukelele plus the low end that calls to me. Also I see it as the equivalent to a 5string bass for ukelele

Just learning ukulele and often get restricted by the things that can be done on a uke, this is a blessing. Could take hotel California to whole new level with this thing.😂😂😂

What does it perform like tuned to standard E tuning?

Can it be tuned like a guitar (eadgbe)

Ukulele is basically the first 4 strings barred at the 5th fret up and the low string being an octave higher, so this is basically a guitar with a capo at the 5th fret and use the CAGED theory or regular open chords, it's easier to figure out if you have a real good concept of guitar chords.

I was hoping to find someone like you! I rescued a kitten around Christmas time. And my sons bought a Yamaha Guitarlele for me for Christmas. So, it's my kitten guitar. I come from the guitar side. Transposing, it's easier for me, usually, to go down a fifth, than up a fourth. That doesn't always work. But I'm faster thinking, 'Okay. I'm playing a C." Go down a fifth. (Skipping 7ths, etc. just going with the base chord.) "What basic chord has C on top? " F It takes me an extra second to think a fourth. Usually not a big deal. But I'm faster, for some reason, thinking, "Okay. E chord. What basic chord has e on top? " ("Where is E the dominant? " A, C#, E. So, E is A. It all hurts my brain. Lol) In a hurry, it's easier for me to remember fifths. Singing wise, my git kittie is great for me. It being more "pointed", but with a nice, balanced resonance seems to keep my voice in an easy balance.

Hi Terry! Maybe I ask the same question like 528.638 others did.... I do it again: which brand is this wonderful Guitarlele in your video? Is it available in Germany also and how much? Thank you in advance. Sepp Wylde

Hello, thanks for your lesson. But i can't get an access to your chord chart link. Do you know why?