Ukulele how is it tuned

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. 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 s and s, so it will match up better with songs from that era. 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. The fA DG tuning is less common than other ukulele tunings, but it still useful in some situations.

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. Login Register. Please allow microphone permissions to use the microphone ukulele tuner. If you keep twisting, you will finally get to C.

Likewise, if you twist clockwise, you will go down in pitch. So if you are on B again, and twist clockwise, you will end up on Bb, or somewhere between B and Bb. Now think about it for a minute: You have your ukulele tuned to middle C, and now you need to get an E sound, so you can try to tune the next string to that E. If you count up from C, you will eventually get to E. The first fret is C , the second fret up from there is D. If you hold down the fourth fret, you will hear an E that you can tune the next string to.

Twisting clockwise will tighten the string and make it go up in pitch. Twisting counter-clockwise makes the string loosen or go down in pitch. Now that you have your E, count up until you find the G which is before the A string and tune it. The first fret on the E string will be F, the second fret F , and the third will be the G. The first fret is G and the second fret is A. Once you think you get your instrument in tune, your strings will probably have stretched a bit.

Sometimes, depending on your strings, the humidity, the types of tuners you have, and the type of wood your ukulele is made of, your ukulele will not be in tune immediately after you tune it.

So you have to go back through the whole process two or three times to fine-tune your ukulele. Now you might have one of several types of ukuleles. Here is a chart that covers the various types of ukuleles and the notes of their standard tuning. You can create a few fun alternate tunings by tuning each string up or down two steps. I find that if you try tuning more than two steps, you will break strings.

What goes with G? The E chord would work. You could try Open C tuning and tune your top A down to a G. Or try C7 tuning, and tune the A to a Bb. There are so many different types of tunings that you can try. If you find an alternate tuning you like, let us know in the comments section below!

Simply download a ukulele tuning app on your smartphone or tablet. Looking for some of the best ukulele tuner apps? There are many good ukulele tuning apps for free out there.

Here are a few I recommend checking out:. You will have your ukulele sounding its best in no time! To tune a ukulele, hold your instrument with the fret board pointing up. The lower left of the 4 pegs tunes the G string, the peg above tunes the C string, the upper right peg tunes the E string, and the peg below tunes the A string. To find the correct pitch for tuning, use a reference instrument, such as a piano, or an electric tuner. Tighten the strings to raise the pitch, and loosen the strings to lower the pitch.

To learn about correct hand placement, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings.

Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Memorize the string pitches. Each string is tensed or loosened with a tuning knob at the top of the fretboard. Locate the tuning pegs. To refer to the strings on your ukulele correctly, hold it with the fret board pointing up. The lower left of the 4 tuning pegs tunes the G string, the peg above it tunes the C string, the upper right peg tunes the E string, and the peg below it tunes the A string.

Which direction you turn them can often vary between instruments, so experiment. Directionality is usually the same for the pegs on a single side of the instrument. Tighten the strings to raise the pitch. Loosen the strings to lower the pitch. Absolutely do not tighten the strings too much. This can break your instrument, and the strings may snap off. Find the string locations. The strings are numbered from the furthest away to the closest to you, assuming you play the ukulele right-handed.

The first string is the A string, the second the E string, the third the C string, and the fourth the G string. Find the frets. Frets are numbered from the tuning knobs to the sounding board, with the fret nearest the knobs labeled the first fret. Pressing a string against a fret when you pluck it raises the pitch of the string. Part 2. Choose a reference instrument to tune your ukulele to.

The easiest way to tune your ukulele is to tune its strings to match the pitch of another musical instrument. You have several options: a piano, an online tuner, an electronic tuner, or a pipe tuner. You can tune just a single string this way and tune the rest based on that string or you can tune all the strings using a tuning instrument.

Tune using a piano or keyboard. You press the keys and strum the corresponding strings, adjusting the knobs until the ukulele string pitch matches that of the key. Tune using a pitch pipe. You can use either a round chromatic pitch pipe or a pitch pipe made especially for the ukulele, which resembles a small pan pipe.

Blow into the pipe or opening corresponding to the ukulele string, strum the string, and then adjust the knob until the string's pitch matches that of the pipe. Tune using a tuning fork. If you have a tuning fork for each string, you can strike each fork and adjust the string until its pitch matches that of the fork. If you have only 1 fork, use it to tune 1 of the strings and then tune the other strings against that one. Tune using an electronic tuner.

Electronic tuners come in 2 types. One type of tuner plays a tone you have to match; the other analyzes the pitch of the string and tells whether the string is sharp pitched too high or flat pitched too low.