What is Ukulele D Tuning tuning?
D tuning raises every string of a standard ukulele by a whole step: A–D–F♯–B instead of G–C–E–A. The intervals between the strings are identical, and the 4th string is still the high, re-entrant one, so every chord shape still works — each just sounds a whole step higher. The shape that plays C in standard tuning plays D here, which is where the name comes from.
It was once the usual tuning for the small soprano ukulele: a great deal of sheet music from the 1920s and 1930s prints ukulele chords for A–D–F♯–B, and it is still used in some teaching traditions, often with a low 4th string. The higher tension makes a soprano sound brighter and a little louder.
The highlighted strings are the ones that move. Tap a string to hear its target.
String notes and frequencies
The exact pitch of each open string at concert pitch, A = 440 Hz — the numbers a strobe or a frequency counter would show. The tuner above works from the same targets.
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | A4 | 440.00 Hz | G4 → A4, 2 semitones up |
| 3rd | D4 | 293.66 Hz | C4 → D4, 2 semitones up |
| 2nd | F♯4 | 369.99 Hz | E4 → F♯4, 2 semitones up |
| 1st | B4 | 493.88 Hz | A4 → B4, 2 semitones up |
Tuning up to D tuning
- Raise each string a whole step. G to A, C to D, E to F♯, A to B. The dial passes the note in between on the way up.
- Check the octaves. The targets are A4, D4, F♯4 and B4. The 3rd string, D, is the lowest; the 1st string, B, is the highest.
- Tune up slowly and re-check. Every string is gaining tension, and nylon keeps stretching for a while afterwards.
Where the notes are
The first five frets of every string in this tuning. Each fret is one semitone, so this is also how to check a string against its neighbour: find the fret where the lower string plays the higher string’s open note.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| 2nd | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B |
| 3rd | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| 4th | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
Frequently asked questions
What do my chords become in D tuning?
Everything is a whole step higher than the shape’s usual name. The C shape is D, the F shape is G, the G shape is A, the A minor shape is B minor and the G7 shape is A7.
Why do old ukulele songbooks say A–D–F♯–B?
Because that was the standard tuning for the soprano ukulele when they were printed. The chord diagrams in those books are drawn for D tuning, so on a ukulele in today’s G–C–E–A the same diagrams come out a whole step lower — still in tune with themselves, just in a different key from the printed melody.
Is D tuning the same as putting a capo on the 2nd fret?
It gives the same notes. A capo at the 2nd fret of a ukulele in standard tuning produces A–D–F♯–B without changing the tension of the strings.
For everything else about tuning the instrument itself — strings that slip, pegs, and what the dial is telling you — see the ukulele tuner and the standard ukulele tuning this one is measured from.
Common chord shapes in Ukulele D Tuning tuning
Where the everyday chords fall on a ukulele tuned this way. Each shape is found by searching this tuning’s own strings for the frets that sound the chord — nothing here is copied from a standard-tuning chart — and each plays when you press it.
- C3211
- F0331
- G2010
- Am0231
- Dm0333
- Em2210
- G72313
- D0003