How to tune a ukulele: GCEA notes, frequencies and three methods

How to tune a ukulele is the first thing every new player has to learn, and the one they repeat at the start of every session. Four nylon strings drift with temperature, humidity and every new set of strings, and a chord played on a ukulele that is slightly out sounds wrong however well it is fingered.

This guide gives the notes and frequencies of standard ukulele tuning, then three ways to reach them: a tuner, a reference pitch from our tuning drone, and relative tuning by ear. It also covers low G and baritone tuning, the pegs, why new strings go flat, the common alternate tunings and the problems that make a ukulele refuse to stay in tune.

To tune a ukulele, tune the four strings to G, C, E and A, from the string nearest your chin (the fourth) to the string nearest the floor (the first). In standard tuning the G is tuned higher than the C next to it: the pitches are G4, C4, E4 and A4, or 392, 261.6, 329.6 and 440 hertz.

Standard ukulele tuning: G, C, E, A

Hold the ukulele in playing position and the strings are numbered from the floor up. The first string, nearest the floor, is A. The second is E, the third is C and the fourth, nearest your chin, is G. That is the same numbering guitarists use, so a chord chart that says “third string” means the C string.

Play the open strings from the fourth to the first and the pitch does not simply rise. It drops from G to C, then climbs through E to A. The G string is tuned above the C, inside the range of the other strings, and this arrangement is called re-entrant tuning. It is why a strummed ukulele chord sounds bright and close, with no deep bass note under it, and why melodies on the ukulele can move across strings in small steps.

The interval pattern is the same as the top four strings of a guitar, raised by five frets. G to C is a perfect fourth, C to E a major third and E to A a perfect fourth. The relative tuning method further down uses exactly those distances.

Ukulele tuning notes and frequencies

The table gives every string in the three tunings a beginner meets: standard high G, standard with a low G, and the baritone ukulele. The frequencies are the equal-tempered values at the concert pitch A4 = 440 hertz, which is what clip-on tuners and apps use by default. Middle C on the piano is C4. Each note links to the tuning drone page for that pitch, where you can play it as a steady reference.

Two numbers in the table help when a tuner seems confused. A low G is exactly half the frequency of a high G, 196 against 392 hertz, because an octave halves or doubles the frequency. And the C string, at 261.63 hertz, is the lowest note on a standard high-G ukulele, which is why the instrument has no bass.

How to tune a ukulele with a tuner

A tuner is the quickest and most accurate method, and it is the one to use while your ear is still learning. There are three common kinds. A clip-on tuner grips the headstock and reads the vibration of the wood, so it works in a noisy room. A tuning app listens through the phone’s microphone, so it works best in a quiet one. A pedal tuner is for an electric-acoustic ukulele plugged into an amplifier. Our online tuner works the same way in the browser: open it with the ukulele preset, allow the microphone and pluck one string at a time.

Set the tuner to chromatic mode, so it shows any of the twelve notes rather than guessing which guitar string you meant. Then tune one string at a time:

1. Pluck the fourth string and read the note name. If it shows G, look at the needle or the lights: left of center is flat (too low), right of center is sharp (too high).
2. Turn the peg slowly while the string rings, and watch which way the reading moves. Depending on the peg and how the string is wound, the same turn can raise or lower the pitch, so check rather than assume.
3. If the string is sharp, lower it below the note first, then bring it up to the note. Tuning up to a pitch takes the slack out of the string at the peg, so it holds.
4. Repeat for C, E and A, then go back and check all four. Raising one string pulls slightly on the neck and can move the others.

If the tuner shows the right letter but the chord still sounds odd, check the octave. A string tuned to G3 instead of G4 reads as G on most tuners, and a tuner with an octave display will show the difference.

Tune to a reference pitch with the tuning drone

A reference pitch is a steady note you match by ear: a piano key, a tuning fork, another instrument or a drone. The online tuning drone plays a sustained note in any octave from 2 to 5, which covers every string in the table, at A = 440 or another reference if your group tunes differently.

1. Open the A drone page, choose octave 4 and start the drone.
2. Pluck the open first string and listen to the two sounds together. If they are close but not equal, you hear a slow wobble in the volume, called beating.
3. Turn the peg in the direction that makes the wobble slower. When it stops and the two notes sound like one, the string is in tune.
4. Do the same with E4 for the second string, C4 for the third and G4 for the fourth, or G3 if your ukulele has a low G.

Tuning against a drone trains the ear at the same time, because the beating is the sound of two pitches disagreeing. After a few weeks you start to hear a string drift during a song, before any tuner would tell you.

Relative tuning by ear, using the frets

Relative tuning puts the ukulele in tune with itself, using one string as the reference for the next. It needs no device at all. It does need one string in tune to start from, because if that string is off, the whole ukulele is off with it and will clash with any other instrument. Start from the first string, A, tuned to a piano, a drone or another ukulele.

1. Second string (E): press it at the fifth fret. That note is A. Tune the open E string until the fretted note matches the open first string.
2. Third string (C): press it at the fourth fret. That note is E. Tune the C string until the fretted note matches the open second string.
3. Fourth string, high G: press it at the second fret. That note is A. Tune the G string until the fretted note matches the open first string.
4. Fourth string, low G: press it at the fifth fret. That note is C. Tune the G string until the fretted note matches the open third string.

Check the result by strumming a C chord (0-0-0-3) and a G chord (0-2-3-2). If one string sounds sour in both, retune that string against its reference and try again.

⤢

Low G or high G: which to choose

High G is the standard on soprano and concert ukuleles and the tuning nearly every beginner book and song chart assumes. It gives the bright, chiming strum people expect, and it lets fingerpicked melodies use the fourth string as a high note.

Low G replaces the fourth string with a thicker one tuned an octave lower, G3. The ukulele gains a bass note and five extra notes at the bottom of its range, which suits fingerstyle arrangements and jazz chords, and it is most common on tenor ukuleles. The chord shapes and names do not change, so every chord chart still works. What changes is the sound of a strum, which becomes fuller and closer to a small guitar.

Switching needs a low-G string made for the purpose, since a standard G string tuned down an octave goes slack and buzzes. Some low-G strings are wound and some are plain fluorocarbon; either works. A ukulele can go back to high G at the next string change.

Baritone ukulele tuning: D, G, B, E

The baritone ukulele is tuned D3, G3, B3 and E4, from the fourth string to the first, with no re-entrant string. Those are the same four notes as the four highest strings of a guitar, so a guitarist can pick up a baritone and play the chord shapes they know under the same names. The guide to guitar string names shows how those four strings sit on the guitar.

A baritone tunes the same way as the other sizes, with one change to the relative method. Start from the first string, E. Press the second string (B) at the fifth fret to match E, the third string (G) at the fourth fret to match B, and the fourth string (D) at the fifth fret to match G. Because the baritone shapes carry guitar names, a C-tuned chord chart does not match it: the shape a soprano player calls C sounds as G on a baritone.

Tuning pegs: friction and geared

Ukuleles use two kinds of pegs, and they behave differently under the hand.

Friction pegs point straight back from the headstock and hold the string by friction alone, with a turn of the peg moving the string the same amount. They are light and traditional, common on sopranos, and they can feel jumpy because a small turn moves the pitch a lot. A screw at the end of each peg sets how tightly it grips. If a string keeps slipping flat, tighten that screw a quarter turn at a time, only until the peg holds.

Geared pegs turn the string through a set of gears, so one turn of the button moves the string only part of a turn. Side-mounted machine heads, like a guitar’s, are geared, and so are planetary pegs, which look like friction pegs from behind but have gears inside. Geared pegs make fine tuning easier and rarely slip, which is why many beginners find them easier.

Why new strings go flat

New nylon and fluorocarbon strings stretch for the first few days of playing. Each time you tune one up, it stretches a little more and drops flat again, sometimes within minutes. That is normal and does not mean the pegs are faulty.

To shorten the settling time, tune a new string to pitch, take hold of it in the middle and pull it gently away from the fretboard a few times along its length, then retune. Repeat until the string stays at pitch after a pull. Expect to retune often for the first few days, then once at the start of each session.

Tuning stability also depends on the room. A ukulele brought from the cold into a warm room, or played under stage lights, drifts as the wood and strings adjust. Give it a few minutes before tuning.

Alternate ukulele tunings

Most players never leave G, C, E, A, but three other tunings appear in older songbooks and some arrangements.

• D tuning, A D F♯ B: every string a whole step above standard, with the pitches A4, D4, F♯4 and B4 (440, 293.66, 369.99 and 493.88 hertz). It was once considered standard, during the Hawaiian music boom of the early 20th century, and older songbooks may be written for it. The chord shapes are the same as in standard tuning but sound a whole step higher, so a C shape sounds as D. It puts more tension on the strings, so check that your strings suit it.
• Slack key, G C E G: the first string lowered from A to G, so the open strings make a C major chord.
• Baritone, D G B E: standard for that size, covered above.

Use a chromatic tuner or the drone for any of these, since the relative fret method changes with the tuning.

Common tuning problems

• The tuner reads the wrong note. The string is far off, or the tuner is hearing another string. Mute the other strings with your palm and pluck again, and bring the string up from below the note.
• Every string reads correctly, but chords sound wrong. A string may be an octave off, usually the G. Compare it with the table: a high-G string should sound higher than the C string.
• One string goes flat during a session. The string is new, the peg is slipping, or it was tuned down to the note. Stretch the string, tighten a friction peg’s screw slightly, and always finish tuning on an upward turn.
• The open strings are in tune, but chords higher up the neck are not. That is intonation, set by the bridge and the nut. A guitar or ukulele shop can check it in a short setup.
• The string buzzes after tuning. It may be too slack for its pitch, such as a standard G string tuned to low G, or it may touch a fret. Fit the right string, and if the buzz stays, have the setup checked.

A method book that covers the instrument itself makes this part easier, because tuning, holding and the first chords come in one sequence. The Hal Leonard Ukulele Method, Book 1, by Lil’ Rev, covers the types of ukulele and tuning alongside the first chords, strumming and music reading in 48 pages.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of a ukulele in standard tuning?

G, C, E and A, from the fourth string (nearest your chin) to the first (nearest the floor). The pitches are G4, C4, E4 and A4, or 392, 261.63, 329.63 and 440 hertz at A = 440. Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles all use this tuning; the baritone is tuned D, G, B, E instead.

Why is the G string higher than the C string?

Standard ukulele tuning is re-entrant: the fourth string, G, is tuned to G4, above the C4 of the third string. The arrangement keeps every string inside a narrow range, which gives strummed chords their bright, close sound. Players who want a bass note fit a low-G string tuned to G3 instead.

How do I tune a ukulele without a tuner?

Tune the first string, A, to a reference such as a piano key, a tuning fork or an online drone. Then press the E string at the fifth fret and match it to the open A, press the C string at the fourth fret and match it to the open E, and press the high-G string at the second fret and match it to the open A. On a low-G ukulele, match the G string’s fifth fret to the open C instead.

Can I use a guitar tuner to tune a ukulele?

Yes, if the tuner has a chromatic mode, which shows any of the twelve notes. In a guitar-only mode it looks for the six guitar strings and may misread the C string. Switch to chromatic, then tune to G, C, E and A as with any ukulele tuner. The free online tuner on this site has ukulele presets for high G, low G and baritone, so it shows the four ukulele strings instead of six guitar ones.

How often should I tune my ukulele?

At the start of every session, and again whenever a chord starts to sound sour. New strings need retuning several times a session for the first few days while they stretch. After that, most ukuleles hold well enough to need only small adjustments each time you play.

Tune first, then play

Standard ukulele tuning is G, C, E and A, with the G above the C. A clip-on tuner is the fastest way to get there, and a drone note trains your ear while you tune. With nothing else to hand, the fifth-fourth-second fret method keeps the ukulele in tune with itself. Once the strings are in tune, the guide to ukulele for beginners takes you through the first chords. The ranked list of ukulele songs for beginners gives you the first songs to play on them.