Ukulele

A ukulele is a small, four-stringed instrument from the guitar family. It was developed in Hawaii in the 1800s from little guitar-like instruments brought over by Portuguese settlers. It has nylon strings, a bright and happy sound and a reputation as one of the easiest instruments to learn. Small, light and impossible to play grumpily.

The soprano is the smallest and the classic, with that sunny, plinky sound you'll recognise straight away.

The concert is a touch bigger, with more space between the frets for grown-up fingers. The tenor is bigger again, with a richer, fuller tone that suits fingerpicking.

The baritone is the largest. It's tuned like the top four strings of a guitar, so it sounds deeper and a bit more serious. Only a bit, though.

Your Activity Leader starts with how to hold the ukulele, how to tune it and how to strum. Standard tuning is G, C, E and A, which generations of players have memorised as My Dog Has Fleas. Then come the chord shapes. Learn C, A minor, F and G and you've unlocked a huge number of pop songs.

You'll practise a simple down and up strumming pattern, work on switching between chords without the awkward pause and then put it all together. The aim is to be playing and singing actual tunes as a group by the end.

Pretty much anything. The ukulele is closely tied to traditional Hawaiian music, but it's equally happy with pop, folk, indie and a surprisingly moving version of a power ballad. Strumming chords while everyone sings is where most people start. Fingerpicking, where you pluck single strings to play the melody, is the next level up. Serenading your tent neighbours is optional.

Then the ukulele is your instrument. It has only four strings, the nylon is kind to fingertips and some chords need just one finger. You don't need to read music, as chords are learned as simple shapes. It's also a very sociable instrument, made for strumming around a campfire with friends. If you already play, a beginner session will feel quite gentle, but it's still a lovely sing-along.

You might also like African Harmonies, Junkyard Samba and STOMP Body Percussion.

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