The notes of a ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G–C–E–A. It is used on soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles — three sizes, one tuning. Reading across the instrument as you hold it, from the string nearest your face to the one nearest the floor: the 4th string is G, the 3rd is C, the 2nd is E and the 1st is A.
The surprise is the G. It is tuned to the G above middle C, which is higher than the C string beside it — so the lowest note on the instrument is the 3rd string, not the 4th. This is called re-entrant tuning, and it keeps all four strings within one octave, which is what gives a strummed ukulele its close, bright sound. The old mnemonic for the four notes, sung in that order, is “My dog has fleas”.
Tap a string to hear its target pitch, then match your own to it.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | G4 | 392.00 Hz |
| 3rd | C4 | 261.63 Hz |
| 2nd | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
| 1st | A4 | 440.00 Hz |
Tuning the four strings
- Start with the 3rd string, C. It is middle C and the lowest note on the instrument, so it is the easiest to hear clearly.
- Tune the 2nd string to E and the 1st to A. Each is higher than the last. The A is the A the whole orchestra tunes to.
- Tune the 4th string to the high G. Watch the octave on the dial: it should read G4, a little below the A string, not G3. If you have to slacken the string a long way to reach G, you have gone to the wrong octave — or you have a low-G string fitted.
- Go round again. Nylon stretches for days after a restring. A new ukulele that will not stay in tune is almost always just new strings.
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 | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| 2nd | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| 3rd | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F |
| 4th | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C |
Frequently asked questions
What notes are the strings on a ukulele?
G, C, E and A, from the 4th string to the 1st — the 4th string being the one nearest your face when you hold the ukulele to play. In full, G4, C4, E4 and A4: the G above middle C, middle C, the E above it and the A above that.
Why is the G string higher than the C string?
That is re-entrant tuning, and it is deliberate. A high G keeps all four strings inside a single octave, so a strummed chord is tight and bright rather than spread out with a bass note under it. A ukulele with a low G string instead is a real and common variation, and has its own page.
Are soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles tuned the same?
Yes — all three are G–C–E–A. The sizes differ in scale length, volume and how much room the frets give your fingers, not in their notes. The baritone is the exception: it is tuned D–G–B–E, a fourth lower.
Is ukulele tuning the same as the top four strings of a guitar?
The intervals are the same and the pitches are not. A ukulele is tuned like a guitar’s top four strings with a capo at the 5th fret — and with the lowest of the four raised an octave. So a guitar’s D chord shape is a G chord on a ukulele.
For everything else about tuning the instrument itself — strings that slip, pegs, and what the dial is telling you — see the ukulele tuner.
Common chord shapes in Ukulele Standard 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. Every other chord is on the ukulele chord chart.