Ukulele Tuner
A free ukulele tuner: pluck a string and the needle shows whether it is flat or sharp, for high G, low G, baritone and D tuning.
Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent.
Keyboard: Space starts and stops the tuner.
How to use the ukulele tuner
This ukulele tuner online works from the four open strings. Press Start tuner, allow the microphone and pluck a string with the pad of your thumb. Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent.
Auto spots the string for you, and it knows that in standard tuning the G sits above the C, so the string order will not confuse it. The four big buttons play a plucked G, C, E or A and hold the tuner on that string. From a keyboard, 1 is the A string, 4 the G string, A hands control back to Auto and Space starts or stops. The Tuning menu covers Standard (high G), Low G, Baritone and D tuning. How the needle and the cents work is on the chromatic tuner page.
Standard ukulele tuning: G C E A
Ukulele strings are numbered from the one nearest the floor when you play: string 1 is A, string 4 is G. In standard tuning, string 4 is the G above middle C, higher than the C next to it. This is called reentrant tuning, and it lets chords sit in close harmony, which is where the bright ukulele sound comes from.
| String | Note | Frequency at A4 = 440 Hz | Quick check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | G4 | 392.00 Hz | Same G as string 3 at the 7th fret |
| 3 | C4 | 261.63 Hz | Lowest note in high G tuning |
| 2 | E4 | 329.63 Hz | At the 5th fret it matches string 1 |
| 1 | A4 | 440.00 Hz | The A4 reference itself |
Strummed open, the four strings make a C6 chord (C E G A). Because string 1 is A4, the reference pitch itself, you can also match it straight to a piano or a tuning fork.
Ukulele sizes: high G, low G, baritone and D tuning
| Tuning | Notes, lowest string first | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (high G) | G4 C4 E4 A4 | The usual tuning. The G string is higher than the C next to it. |
| Low G | G3 C4 E4 A4 | String 4 an octave lower, so the strings run low to high. |
| Baritone | D3 G3 B3 E4 | The notes of the top four guitar strings, for the larger baritone ukulele. |
| D tuning | A4 D4 F#4 B4 | Every string a whole step above standard. |
The soprano (about 21 inches long) and concert (about 23 inches) are normally tuned high G. The tenor (about 26 inches) is common in both high G and low G; low G needs a thicker string 4, because a normal high G string tuned an octave down would be floppy. The baritone (about 29 inches) is tuned D G B E like the top four guitar strings, so guitar chord shapes carry over. D tuning, a whole step above standard, was common during the Hawaiian music boom of the early 20th century.
Tuning tips for the ukulele
- In high G, begin with string 3 (C): it is the lowest note, and the others are easy to hear against it.
- Ukulele strings are nylon, synthetic gut or fluorocarbon, and new ones keep stretching for days. Expect to retune often until they settle.
- Keep the phone near the sound hole and pluck gently: a hard pluck starts sharp and takes a moment to settle.
- After switching to low G or D tuning, go round all four strings twice.
Tuned up? Find shapes in the ukulele chord chart and practice changes with the metronome. If you play guitar too, the guitar tuner shares the same A4 setting.
More for ukulele: Ukulele Chords · Guitar Chord Finder · Fretboard Notes · Chord Chart Maker
Questions
What are the notes of a ukulele?
Standard tuning is G C E A: G4 C4 E4 A4 from string 4 to string 1. The G is tuned higher than the C.
Is ukulele tuning the same as guitar?
No. Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles use G C E A. Only the baritone ukulele uses D G B E, the notes of the four highest guitar strings.
Why is the G string higher than the C string?
It is reentrant tuning: the G is placed above middle C instead of below it, which keeps chords close together and bright. Low G tuning puts it an octave lower.
Can I tune a ukulele without a tuner?
Yes. Tap each string button to hear its note and match your string to it by ear. Then check string 3 at the 7th fret against open string 4, and string 2 at the 5th fret against open string 1.