How to tune a ukulele: with a tuner and by ear

Standard tuning: G C E A

This layout is called re-entrant tuning: the strings don't rise in pitch one after another — the 4th string jumps back up and sits higher than the 3rd. That is what gives the ukulele its bright, familiar sound. Strings are numbered from the thinnest, as on a guitar; the string nearest your face when you play is the 4th.

With a tuner, step by step

1. Put the tuner in chromatic mode. Guitar-only modes expect E A D G B E and may not recognise C; chromatic mode shows every note. That is the only condition for tuning a ukulele with a guitar tuner.
2. Pluck the open 4th string and read the display: the target is G. If the needle is on the flat side, tighten the peg; if it's sharp, loosen a little below the note first and then tighten up to it.
3. Repeat for the 3rd string (C), the 2nd (E) and the 1st (A).
4. After the last string, check them all once more. Nylon and fluorocarbon strings are stretchy; tightening one can nudge the others.

A phone tuner listens through the microphone; a clip-on tuner feels the vibration of the headstock. In a noisy room the clip-on is more reliable; in a quiet one the phone is enough.

Without a tuner: tuning by ear

Without a tuner you can still tune the ukulele to itself. First set the 1st string (A) from a reference: a 440 Hz tuning fork, the A on a piano, or the 5th fret of a tuned guitar's 1st string — that is exactly the same A.

1. Tune the 1st string (A) to the reference.
2. Fret the 2nd string (E) at the 5th fret: that's an A. Match it to the open 1st string.
3. Fret the 3rd string (C) at the 4th fret: that's an E. Match it to the open 2nd string.
4. Fret the 4th string (G) at the 2nd fret: that's an A. Match it to the open 1st string.

When two notes are close, playing them together produces a wavering beat; as you turn the peg the beat slows, and when it disappears the notes match. Final check: the 3rd string at the 7th fret should give the same G as the open 4th string.

Soprano, concert, tenor, baritone and low G

In low-G tuning the 4th string sounds an octave lower (G3, 196 Hz) and the strings rise from thick to thin as on a guitar; the sound is fuller but less “ukulele”. It needs a thicker, often wound 4th string — a normal string can't be slackened that far.

Ukulele chords are the shapes from a guitar's top four strings moved up a fourth. If you play guitar the shapes will look familiar; only the names change. For the guitar side, see how to tune a guitar.

Why does a ukulele keep going out of tune?

• New strings. Nylon and fluorocarbon strings stretch a lot at first; needing to retune often for up to a week is normal. Gently pulling each string away from the fretboard and retuning speeds this up.
• Temperature and humidity. A small body and stretchy strings react quickly; under stage lights, check again after the first few songs.
• Friction pegs. On some ukuleles the peg is held in place by a tension screw; if it's loose, the tuning drops by itself. Tighten the screw slightly.
• Capo. A capo can pull the strings a little sharp; check the tuning after putting it on.

Tuning a ukulele with Songlivo

Songlivo's guided tuner supports the ukulele. It's in the free version, shows no ads and needs no internet.

1. Choose Ukulele under Settings → Instrument. The tuner takes the number of strings and their notes from there.
2. Open Settings → Tools → Tuner, tap Start and allow microphone access.
3. The screen starts with the 4th string (G): “Play string 4”. Then it moves to the 3rd (C), 2nd (E) and 1st (A). Turn the peg as it says: “Tighten — flat” or “Loosen — sharp”.
4. Once the string holds within ±10 cents for a moment, the screen says “In tune”, the phone vibrates and plays a short beep, and the tuner moves on by itself. At the end it shows “All strings in tune”.

The tuner uses standard (high-G) G C E A tuning with A = 440 Hz as the reference. There is no separate profile for low G or baritone. If you play baritone, choose Guitar and tune only strings 4–1 (using the string buttons on the screen): those four guitar strings are D G B E, exactly the baritone tuning.