This is a free online ukulele tuner that listens through your microphone. It opens on standard G C E A, the tuning of soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles, and the low G and baritone presets are one click away in the menu. Press Start, play one open string, let the note settle, then aim for 0 cents. No account, no download. It sits alongside the rest of our free guitar tools.
Standard ukulele tuning: G C E A
Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles are tuned the same way: G C E A, from the string nearest you to the one nearest the floor. The three sizes differ in body and scale length, so they sound different, but the four pitches do not move. One preset covers all three.
The surprise for anyone coming from a guitar is the fourth string. On a standard ukulele that G is the HIGH G, above the C and the E beside it, so the strings do not rise in order from the thickest to the thinnest. That arrangement has a name, reentrant tuning, and it is the reason a strummed ukulele chord sounds like a bright cluster rather than a stack from the bottom up. It is also why a tuner is useful here: you cannot assume the next string up is the next note up.
Standard, high G
G C E A
The tuning this page opens with, and the one soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles share. The G is the high one, above the C and the E next to it.
Opens with ?tuning=uke
Low G
G C E A, with the G an octave down
The same four note names, with the fourth string replaced by a thicker one an octave lower. The strings then run low to high, like a guitar.
Opens with ?tuning=ukelowg
Baritone
D G B E
A larger ukulele, tuned a fourth below the others. The same four notes as the top four strings of a guitar.
Opens with ?tuning=ukebaritone
| String | Standard, high G | Low G | Baritone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth, nearest you | G4, 392.00 Hz | G3, 196.00 Hz | D3, 146.83 Hz |
| Third | C4, 261.63 Hz | C4, 261.63 Hz | G3, 196.00 Hz |
| Second | E4, 329.63 Hz | E4, 329.63 Hz | B3, 246.94 Hz |
| First, nearest the floor | A4, 440.00 Hz | A4, 440.00 Hz | E4, 329.63 Hz |
The frequencies show you the reentrant tuning as a number. On the standard high G, the fourth string reads 392.00 Hz against 261.63 for the third next to it: higher than both of its neighbors, though still below the first string at 440.00. Only that one cell changes between standard and low G, and it changes by an octave.
If you want to hear what those four strings can carry on their own, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole recorded his version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow on a ukulele in G C E A, in a single take. It is four chords, a soft strum and a voice, which is roughly the whole argument for the instrument.
How to tune a ukulele, string by string
Five steps, in this order. The names below are the standard tuning, fourth string first.
- Press Start and allow the microphone. Nothing is recorded or uploaded: the signal is analyzed in your browser and discarded.
- Play the open fourth string, the one nearest you. It should read G. Mute the other three with your palm so only one note reaches the microphone.
- Wait for the reading to settle, then look at the cents. Flat means too low, so tighten the string. Sharp means too high, so loosen it. Nylon strings respond slowly, so turn the peg a little and give the pitch a second to arrive.
- Do the same for the third string, C, the second, E, and the first, A.
- Strum a chord you know, then go back over all four strings. Tightening one pulls slightly on the neck, so the first pass is never quite the last word.
Low G vs high G
Same four note names, one string an octave apart, two quite different instruments to play.
High G, the standard
The fourth string sits above its neighbors. Strums sound bright and compact, with no bass under them, which is the sound most people picture when they think of a ukulele. Chord shapes behave as every beginner chart assumes, and almost every ukulele is sold this way.
Low G
Swap the fourth string for a thicker one, usually wound, and tune it an octave down. You gain four lower notes and a fuller sound, which suits fingerpicking and single note melodies. Chord shapes are unchanged, but their lowest note moves, so a chord can sit differently under a melody than you expect.
Pick the preset that matches the string on your instrument, not the sound you would like. If you are unsure, play the fourth string and then the third: a high G sounds higher than its neighbor, a low G sounds lower.
Baritone ukulele tuning: D G B E
A baritone is the large one, and it is tuned a fourth below the others: D G B E, low to high, with no reentrant string. Those are the same four notes as the top four strings of a guitar, which has two consequences worth knowing.
- Guitar shapes transfer directly. A guitar player already knows the fingerboard of a baritone, minus the two lowest strings.
- Standard ukulele charts do not. A G C E A chord diagram played on a baritone gives you the right shape in the wrong key, a fourth below. Look for baritone diagrams, or transpose.
If you came here from a guitar, the online guitar tuner covers standard and alternate guitar tunings, and there is a bass tuner page as well. If the whole business of getting an instrument in tune is new to you, start with how to tune a guitar: the method is the same on four strings as on six.
Why a ukulele goes out of tune so fast
A ukulele that drifts within minutes is almost never a broken ukulele. Three ordinary causes cover nearly all of it, and the first one ends on its own.
- New nylon strings stretch, for days. This is the big one, and it surprises guitar players: nylon keeps giving far longer than steel. A fresh set needs several playing sessions over a few days before it holds. Tune, play, tune again. You can speed it up by pulling each string gently away from the fingerboard, then retuning, a few times over.
- Friction pegs slip. Many inexpensive ukuleles have friction tuners, a simple peg held by nothing but its own tightness in the hole. If one string alone keeps falling flat, look for a small screw at the end of that peg and tighten it a quarter turn. Geared tuners, the ones that stick out sideways, do not have this problem.
- Temperature and humidity move the wood. A small instrument with light strings reacts quickly. A ukulele carried in from the cold, or left next to a radiator or in a car, will be out of tune when you pick it up. Let it come to room temperature before you chase it.
Winding also matters. Two or three tidy turns down the post, with no overlap, hold far better than a bundle. And if a string is years old and sounds dull, no amount of tuning will fix it: nylon is cheap, change it.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with a phone microphone?
Is soprano tuning different from concert or tenor?
How do I know if my ukulele is high G or low G?
Do I need a special ukulele tuner?
My ukulele sounds wrong even though every string reads 0 cents
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris. He teaches adults, which shapes everything here: people with jobs, limited practice time and a clear idea of the songs they want to play. The tools come out of his lessons, which is why none of them asks you to sign up before it works, and why this one shows you cents rather than a green light. The rest of our free guitar tools work the same way.