Tenor vs Concert Ukulele: Difference and Comparison

Ukulele is quite famous in Hawaii, yet its popularity is not limited to Hawaii. It is popular in many countries. In fact, the ukulele is a Portuguese origin instrument that belongs to the lute family and is very famous in Hawaii.

Besides, it comes in different sizes and is of four types, such as soprano, tenor, concert, and baritone. They have distinct sizes and construction although they have standard ukulele tuning. 

Key Takeaways

1. Tenor ukuleles are larger and have a longer scale length than concert ukuleles, resulting in a fuller sound and wider fret spacing.
2. Tenor ukuleles produce a richer tone, while concert ukuleles have a brighter, more traditional ukulele sound.
3. Tenor ukuleles are more versatile and suitable for fingerpicking, while concert ukuleles are ideal for strumming and beginners.

Tenor vs Concert Ukulele

The difference between the tenor and concert ukulele is that the tenor ukulele is bigger in size. On the other hand, the concert ukulele is smaller than the tenor ukulele. Moreover, the size difference is significant. However, there’ no extreme difference between tenor and concert ukulele. The tenor ukulele is 26 Inches long, while the concert ukulele is 23 inches long. 

The tenor ukulele is a type of ukulele that is 26 inches long. It is considered to be the second-largest type of ukulele among the types of the ukulele.

As the size of the tenor ukulele is quite large, therefore it has a more enriching sound as compared to another ukulele. Thereby, it has a much higher spring tension resulting in louder volume and projection. 

The concert ukulele is also a type of ukulele that is 23 inches long. It is considered to be the second smallest type of ukulele among the types of the ukulele.

As the size of the tenor ukulele is quite small therefore it also has an enriching sound. Thereby, it has a lesser spring tension resulting in average volume and projection. 

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	Tenor Ukulele	Concert Ukulele
Size	The tenor is the second-largest among the other type of ukulele.	The concert is the second-smallest among the type of ukulele.
Length	The tenor ukulele is 26 inches long.	The concert ukulele is 23 inches long.
Sound	The tenor ukulele has a much more intense sound.	The concert ukulele has a warm sound.
Spring tension	The tenor ukulele has higher spring tension resulting in more volume and projection.	The concert ukulele has lesser spring tension resulting in less volume and projection.
Scale length	The scale length of the tenor ukulele is 17 inches.	The scale length of the concert ukulele is 15 inches.

What is Tenor Ukulele?

Ukulele is an instrument belonging to the lute family and its origin is in Portuguese. However, it is famous in Hawaii. Based on size and construction, it comes in four categories, tenor, concert, baritone, and soprano.

Although ukes differ in size, some have a similar sound.

Tenor is a type of ukulele that is considered as second-largest amongst the types of a ukulele. The tenor uke is smaller than the baritone uke which is the largest amongst the ukulele. Moreover, the tenor is 26 inches long and the scale is 17 inches long. 

Aside from that, it also follows the same standard ukulele tuning, G-C-E-A. Additionally, the tunes, chords, and scales are quite similar to concert uke. As compared to concert uke, it is much heavier and has a wider neck. 

Moreover, the tenor ukes have a much deeper volume, thereby much enriching sound due to the large size of the uke.

With that, it has a higher spring tension, which results in louder volume and projection. Besides, the tenor uke is not much larger as it is only 10% larger than the concert uke, although it doesn’t include the neck. 

Furthermore, the fret of the tenor has wider space, therefore it is preferable for people with large hands. And there’s not much extensive difference between tenor and concert ukulele. 

What is Concert Ukulele?

The concert is also a type of ukulele that is considered as second-smallest amongst the types of a ukulele. The tenor uke is smaller than the baritone uke which is the largest amongst the ukulele.

Moreover, the concert uke is 23 inches long and the scale is 15 inches long. And it is also known as the alto ukulele. 

Aside from that, it also follows the same standard ukulele tuning, G-C-E-A. Additionally, the tunes, chords, and scales are quite similar to concert uke. As compared to concert uke, it is much lighter than tenor uke but heavier than soprano uke. 

Moreover, the concert ukes have a much fuller volume, thereby enriching the sound with a warm tone. With that, it has a lighter spring tension than tenor uke, which results in lesser volume and projection.

Besides, the concert uke is not much smaller as it is only 10% smaller than the tenor uke, although it doesn’t include the neck. 

Furthermore, the concert uke has a lighter-tension string, yet there’s not much difference between the string tension of tenor and concert uke. 30-50% tension string difference is present between them.

In fact, there’s almost no difference, a subtle volume is produced. Additionally, the concert uke is on budget costing as compared to tenor uke. 

Main Differences Between Tenor and Concert Ukulele

Based on sizes and construction, there are four types of ukulele, such as soprano, tenor, concert, and baritone.

There’s no extreme distinction between tenor and concert ukulele, yet they have some distinct characteristics. Size and construction impact volume, bass, and spring tension, thereby impacting the overall sound produced by the ukulele. 

1. The tenor is the second-largest among the other type of ukulele, while the concert is the second-smallest among the type of ukulele. 
2. The tenor ukulele is 26 inches long, while the concert ukulele is 23 inches long. 
3. The tenor ukulele has a much more intense sound, while the concert ukulele has not. 
4. The tenor ukulele has higher spring tension resulting in more volume and projection. In comparison to the tenor ukulele, the concert ukulele has lesser spring tension resulting in less volume and projection. 
5. The scale length of the tenor ukulele is 17 inches, while the scale length of the concert ukulele is 15 inches. 

References 

1. https://search.proquest.com/openview/f35ac238661adb9302f9ad3bab5ef58d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bdZNkZ0kJ8IC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Tenor+ukulele+vs+Concert+Ukulele&ots=Art8pzv5Kl&sig=m07vHl_Y5UxeCovUEVC7q8CQLog