Tuning a Ukulele
All instruments need to be set to exact pitches in order to play music in modern scales. This process is called tuning, in which the instrument is tuned to specific pitches. String instruments like the ukulele have tuning pegs, which can be turned in both directions to either raise or lower the pitch that corresponds to one of the ukulele strings. Below, we'll go through more details of the common ukulele tunings.
This tuner supports the most popular ukulele tunings. Standard tuning is gCEA, which is the most common ukulele tuning. The tuning aDF#B (called D tuning) is shifted two frets, and brings out a sweeter ukulele. UKULELE ONLINE TUNER. Tap the note, tune the string to the tone. Switch Instrument. Acoustic Electric Bass Ukulele. Standard G C E A. Traditional A D F♯ B. Themes & Variations is committed to providing quality music curriculum materials to schools at affordable prices. The company was founded by music teacher Denise Gagne. Denise has taught band, choir and classroom music from pre-school to college since 1978 and holds degrees in music and education as well as certification in Kodaly and Orff training.
Microphone Ukulele Tuner
The simplest method for tuning a ukulele is to use a microphone-based tuner. You can play each string on the ukulele directly into a microphone, which can provide real-time feedback as you play. You will be able to see visually whether the note is either too flat or too sharp, which you can use to adjust the tension of the ukulele string. As long as you are on a device with a microphone (like a phone, tablet, or laptop), you can use our microphone-based tuner.
Ukulele Tunings
The ukulele can theoretically be tuned to a very large range of tunings. Each string can be set to any note, as long as it's within range, based on the minimum and maximum tension for the string. However, there are a handful of tunings that are most widely used for the ukulele. It is recommended to use these tunings for playing popular music, but other tunings can be useful for more experimental work. On the uke, the botttom-most string is typically tuned to a note that is higher than the note on the 2nd bottom-most string. Tunings denote this with a lower case letter, as in the standard tuning, gCEA. Each of the four letters of the tuning name denote the corresponding string on the ukulele, starting from the bottom (the string closest to your chest).
gCEA — Standard Tuning
The most popular ukulele tuning is known as gCEA. The vast majority of song tabs, chord charts, and other ukulele resources, are written with the assumption of gCEA tuning. This makes it the easiest tuning option for playing along to songs, or when jamming with other uke players. This tuning makes it very easy to play in the key of C major, which is a popular song key for a lot of music.
aDF#B — D Tuning
D Tuning, which uses the notes aDF#B, just takes the original standard tuning and shifts everything up by one whole tone (two frets). Just like how standard tuning makes it easy to play in the key of C major, this D tuning makes it simple to play in the key of D major. This tuning was more popular during the 1920s and 1930s, so it will match up better with songs from that era.
dGBE — Chicago Tuning
The dGBE tuning, which is sometimes referred to as Chicago tuning, is more popular on some of the larger ukuleles, and is the most common tuning on the baritone ukulele. This tuning matches up exactly with the top 4 strings of the guitar. Because of this, dGBE tuning works very well when translating songs and chords between guitar and ukulele. It is an excellent tuning for playing along to more guitar-based songs.
fA#DG — A#/Bb Tuning
The fA#DG tuning is less common than other ukulele tunings, but it still useful in some situations. This ukulele tuning shifts all musical pitches down by one whole tone (two frets), which makes it easier to play music in the key of A#/Bb. This tuning is also useful for cases where you would like to bring the ukulele pitches slightly lower, to fit with certain songs, or to make it easier to sing along in certain musical keys.
Tune your ukulele with the built in microphone
Online Ukulele Tuner Free
Tuning the Ukulele
The simplest method for tuning a ukulele is to use a microphone-based tuner. You can play each string on the ukulele directly into a microphone, which can provide real-time feedback as you play. You will be able to see visually whether the note is either too flat or too sharp, which you can use to adjust the tension of the ukulele string. As long as you are on a device with a microphone (like a phone, tablet, or laptop), you can use our microphone-based tuner.
Ukulele Tunings
The ukulele can theoretically be tuned to a very large range of tunings. Each string can be set to any note, as long as it's within range, based on the minimum and maximum tension for the string. However, there are a handful of tunings that are most widely used for the ukulele. It is recommended to use these tunings for playing popular music, but other tunings can be useful for more experimental work. On the uke, the botttom-most string is typically tuned to a note that is higher than the note on the 2nd bottom-most string. Tunings denote this with a lower case letter, as in the standard tuning, gCEA. Each of the four letters of the tuning name denote the corresponding string on the ukulele, starting from the bottom (the string closest to your chest).
gCEA — Standard Tuning
The most popular ukulele tuning is known as gCEA. The vast majority of song tabs, chord charts, and other ukulele resources, are written with the assumption of gCEA tuning. This makes it the easiest tuning option for playing along to songs, or when jamming with other uke players. This tuning makes it very easy to play in the key of C major, which is a popular song key for a lot of music.
aDF#B — D Tuning
D Tuning, which uses the notes aDF#B, just takes the original standard tuning and shifts everything up by one whole tone (two frets). Just like how standard tuning makes it easy to play in the key of C major, this D tuning makes it simple to play in the key of D major. This tuning was more popular during the 1920s and 1930s, so it will match up better with songs from that era.
dGBE — Chicago Tuning
The dGBE tuning, which is sometimes referred to as Chicago tuning, is more popular on some of the larger ukuleles, and is the most common tuning on the baritone ukulele. This tuning matches up exactly with the top 4 strings of the guitar. Because of this, dGBE tuning works very well when translating songs and chords between guitar and ukulele. It is an excellent tuning for playing along to more guitar-based songs.
fA#DG — A#/Bb Tuning
The fA#DG tuning is less common than other ukulele tunings, but it still useful in some situations. This ukulele tuning shifts all musical pitches down by one whole tone (two frets), which makes it easier to play music in the key of A#/Bb. This tuning is also useful for cases where you would like to bring the ukulele pitches slightly lower, to fit with certain songs, or to make it easier to sing along in certain musical keys.
Tune your ukulele with the built in microphone
Online Ukulele Tuner Free
Tuning the Ukulele
If you are new to Ukulele it is probable best to use a tuning tool to begin with. You can download our tuning app for guitar. At first we will go through some basics and give some instructions on how to tune the Ukulele using our our app.
The most common way for a standard Ukulele is to use a tuning called 'C Standard'. The open strings are tuned to the notes 'GCEA' from the top to bottom. All of the strings' pitches will have a range within the same octave, i.e the fourth octave. When representing the octave you can usually find a number together with the notename. The standard C tuning can thereof be written as G4C4E4A4.
The beginner gets easily confused by the order of the strings. This is really understandable due to the naming praxisis. For instance, you will see this representation in our tuning application:
Online Ukulele Tuner Get Tuned
- A4, the 1st string
- E4, the 2nd string
- C4, the 3rd string
- G4, the 4th string
So why do we change the string order from top to bottom? This is made to match the standard of ukulele tabs and might be more intuitive from the players perceptive. However, it is more or less the standard representation so you better learn it. If you hold the ukulele in your hands and turning the fretboard towards you, this representation is actually what you will see.
If you still confused you will get one more description. When you hold the ukulele in playing position the string closest to the floor is called the 1st string and should be tuned to A4. Equally, the string closest to the roof is called the 4th string and should be tuned to G4.
Ukulele Tunings
Online Ukulele Tuner
When reading about how to tune the ukulele you might find terms such as 'high-G', 'standard or 're-entrant tuning. All these are the same as the 'C Standard' descibed above.
With that being said. There are alternative ways to tune an ukulele. Our ukulele tuner can be used for any of these alternative tunings. Note that the tunings are suited for different ukulele sizes and might require using other than the standard strings. Here comes a list over the included ukulele sizes in the library.
If you want to tune any other stringed instrument read how to configure the guitar tuner for other instruments.
