In total, there are around seven different types of ukuleles. These are soprano, contrabass, pocket, concert, bass, tenor, and baritone. They differ mostly in size.
Soprano
These are the standard ukuleles and are used most commonly. These are also the smallest among all the ukuleles. In general, a standard soprano is around 20 inches in length. The range of these ukuleles is from C4 to A5 with the tuning of G4-C4-E4-A4. These produce a mellow tune.
Tenor
The tenor ukuleles are another popular kind of ukulele. These are around 26 inches in length and are preferred by professionals. Compared with the soprano, the tenor produces a louder sound with higher sustainability, making it more useful for playing melodies. Their range lies between G3 to D6.
Pocket
Another name for these pocket ukuleles is “piccolo.” They measure around 16 inches in length. This makes them the smallest ukuleles among them all. They usually have 10 to 12 frets and cover a range of G4-E6 with the tuning of D5-G4-B4-E5. These ukuleles are not very common and don’t come in a lot of variety.
Concert
Compared to the sopranos, the concert ukuleles are larger and heavier. They are around 22 inches. This increase in length allows space for more frets with more spacing. These are more suitable for players that prefer a slightly bigger size ukulele. The tuning of G-C-E-A is applied on the concert ukulele.
Baritone
Baritone, like its name, allows a deeper sound to resonate from the ukulele. It is around 29 inches long. They have the longest scale with 18-21 frets and wider fret spacing. It sounds similar to acoustic guitars. The range of a baritone is D3-A5.
Contrabass
These ukuleles are also called “rumble” and “U-bass” ukuleles, and they cover the opposite end of the bass sound. Their standard length is around 32 inches. As their name suggests, these ukuleles produce a deeper sound with a range from E1 to B3 with the tuning of E1-A1-D2-G2.
Bass
Like contrabass ukuleles, the bass ukulele isn’t very popular either. They are similar to a bass guitar but smaller. The stings in a bass ukulele are made from polyurethane, thicker and denser than those used in traditional ukuleles. It is around 51 inches in length with a range of E2 to B4 and tuning of E2-A2-D3-G3.