Guitalele

Other names	Guitarlele, Guilele, Ukitar, Soprano Guitar, Petite Guitar, Kīkū'
Classification	String instrument
Related instruments
Classical guitar, Tenor ukulele, Requinto

A guitalele (sometimes spelled guitarlele or guilele), also called a ukitar,^[1] or kīkū,^[2][3] is a guitar-ukulele hybrid, that is, "a 1/4 size" guitar, a cross between a classical guitar and a tenor or baritone ukulele.^[4] The guitalele combines the portability of a ukulele, due to its small size, with the six single strings and resultant chord possibilities of a classical guitar. It may include a built-in microphone that permits playing the guitalele either as an acoustic guitar or connected to an amplifier. The guitalele is variously marketed (and used) as a travel guitar or children's guitar. It is essentially a modern iteration of the Quint guitar.^[5]

A guitalele or guitarlele

A guitalele is the size of a ukulele, and is commonly played like a guitar transposed up to “A” (that is, up a 4th, or like a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret). This gives it tuning of ADGCEA, with the top four strings tuned like a low G ukulele.^[6] This is the same as the tuning of the requinto guitar, although the latter are typically larger than a guitalele, and as the most common tuning for the guitarrón mexicano, albeit at a higher octave.

Several guitar and ukulele manufacturers market guitaleles, including Yamaha Corporation's GL-1 Guitalele,^[7][8] Cordoba's Guilele^[9] and Mini,^[10] Koaloha's D-VI 6-string tenor ukulele,^[11] Mele's Guitarlele,^[12] Kanilea's GL6 Guitarlele^[13] and Islander GL6,^[14] Luna's 6-string baritone ukulele,^[15] the Yudelele, the Lichty Kīkū,^[2] the Kinnard Kīkū,^[3] and the Gretsch guitar-ukulele.^[16]

Some manufacturers' (e.g., Luna) use of the term "6-string ukulele" (or the like) in describing their six-string, six-course guitaleles can lead to confusion with the common six-string, four-course ukuleles that are typically referred to by the same name.^[17] These four-course "6-string ukuleles" are usually strung with a single G string, a closely spaced course of two (often octave-tuned) C strings, a single E string and a closely spaced course of two (often unison-tuned) A strings. This means that chord formation is more akin to a traditional four-string ukulele, while the Guitalele's is more akin to a six-string guitar.

Terminology

In Latin America, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain, this instrument type is often referred to as a kind of Requinto. In that sense, the new English portmanteau word Guitalele is a commercial brand used to promote a locally unfamiliar variant of the guitar. Despite the Hawaiian origin of the word Kiku', the term is also a commercial, Anglo-Saxon creation.

Perhaps for these reasons, many sellers avoid naming the instrument altogether, preferring instead to use descriptive terms like '6-string ukulele' or 'Guitar-Ukulele'.^[18] In English, the alternative term Ukitar emerged in parallel, but its usage is not widespread among instrument vendors.

References