Ukulele tuner

Standard (high G), from the 4th string to the 1st: G C E A. Frequencies are for A4 = 440 Hz.

Other tunings on this tuner

Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles share one standard tuning: G C E A, from the 4th string to the 1st. The size changes the tone and the space between the frets, not the notes, so the same setting works on all three. The old phrase My Dog Has Fleas, sung over the open strings, follows the four notes in order.

Standard tuning is re-entrant: the 4th string, G, is tuned higher than the 3rd string, C, instead of lower. That is where the ukulele's bright, close-voiced chords come from, and it is also why beginners sometimes tune the G an octave too low by mistake. The string buttons show the octave next to each note: standard tuning wants G4, the G just below the A string, not G3. A G an octave low is nearer to C4 than to G4, so in Auto the tuner takes it for the C string; tap the G button and the reading shows the full distance, about −1200 cents.

The tuning select has four ukulele tunings, and the one you pick is remembered in this browser for your next visit.

• Standard (high G), G4 C4 E4 A4: the classic sound that most songbooks and chord charts assume.
• Low G, G3 C4 E4 A4: the 4th string drops an octave and needs a thicker string, often a wound one. It adds five notes at the bottom and a fuller sound, and it is popular on tenor ukuleles.
• D tuning, A4 D4 F♯4 B4: every string a whole step above standard. It turns up in older songbooks; the chord shapes stay the same and simply sound a whole step higher.
• Baritone, D3 G3 B3 E4: the largest of the four common sizes, tuned like the four thinnest strings of a guitar, so guitar chord shapes work on it as they are.

Expect a new ukulele to go out of tune a lot. Nylon and fluorocarbon strings stretch far more than steel, so a freshly strung uke can slip flat within minutes and needs retuning many times over the first few days. That is normal, and it settles.

Some ukuleles, especially vintage and budget models, have friction pegs that point straight back, with no gears. A tiny turn moves the note a long way, so nudge them. If a friction peg won't hold, tighten the small screw on the end of its button a little.

A ukulele is quiet and its notes fade fast. Pluck each string firmly with the thumb, hold the phone close, and read the needle during the first second of the note.

Playing with a guitarist, tune to their guitar rather than on your own. The ukulele's E is the guitar's open high E. Its A is the high E string at the 5th fret, its high G the high E string at the 3rd fret, and its C the B string at the 1st fret.

On a piano, standard ukulele tuning is four notes just above middle C. The C string is middle C itself; counting middle C as the first white key, E is the 3rd, G the 5th and A the 6th. Low G tuning takes the G an octave lower, below middle C.

Look at the 4th string first. In Auto the tuner measures each string against the nearest string of the tuning, so a G string that starts far too low is taken for the C: follow its Tune up and the G ends on C, the C button gets a check mark, and every chord sounds off. A high-G string with Low G picked in the select is pulled up toward A the same way. Pluck the 4th string and make sure the G button is the one that lights up. A thick low-G string belongs on the Low G setting; forced up to G4 it is under strain and may snap. After a restring, also check that each string sits in its own slot: in a standard high-G set, the 4th string is thinner than the 3rd.

If the open strings read in tune but chords further up the neck drift, compare the note at the 12th fret with the open string on the chromatic tuner. Inexpensive ukuleles often have imperfect intonation, which a luthier can sometimes improve at the saddle.