Art & Entertainment: Tuning the Ukulele: Seven Ways to Do it

Author: Al Wood

When it comes to playing the ukulele, nothing will make you sound worse than being out of tune. For beginners, getting in tune can be a tricky task. There are many options for tuning. Some methods are easier than others, some methods are more accurate and some methods are cheaper. Find out which suits you best.

Tuning Notes Online

There are a number of websites on the net that will give you notes to tune to. You listen to the note and then try to match is as closely as possible on your uke. You will need to put in some practice until you can consistently find the right notes. But improving your ear is beneficial in many ways and is well worth the effort.

Downloadable Tuners

There are a number of tuners available free online. My personal favorite is the AP Tuner. You install these onto your computer, play into the mic and the tuner will tell you if you are sharp, flat or on pitch. The disadvantage of this is that you have to be near your computer.

Ukulele Tuners

Buying a tuner will mean you can get your ukulele in tune anywhere. The best type to buy if you play gigs or are a member of a ukulele club is a clip on tuner. Rather than picking up the sound, they work by picking up the vibrations of the ukulele. This means they can be used in noisy environments.

Using Pitch Pipes

Pitch pipes are the pre-digital era version of online tuning notes. They work like a mouth organ and have four holes: each one producing the right pitch for one of the ukulele strings. You play one note then tune your ukulele to match it.

Using a Piano

If you have a piano on hand, you can find the notes you need to tune your ukulele on there. The C on the uke is the middle C on the piano. E is two white keys up from that, G another two, then one more to A.

Using a Guitar

If you are playing with other instruments, it's vital that you are tuned to the same pitch. The tuning notes for the ukulele can be found on the guitar here:

G = 1st string, 3rd fret
C = 2nd string, 1st fret
E = 1st string open
A = 1st string, 5th fret

Using the Ukulele Itself

If you have none of these things to hand. It's possible to tune the ukulele to itself. You need to take one string as your base. Since the C string tends to hold its tuning best, we'll use that. Playing the C string at the fourth fret will give you the note for the E string. The E string at the third fret will give you the G string. Play the second fret on the G string to get the note for the A string.

Having a ukulele tuner will mean you can be sure you are in tune. However, it's a good idea to practice tuning by ear. This is an essential skill to pick up. You can always test yourself against the tuner to see how close you are and how much you are improving.