Reference tones
Tap a string to hear its correct pitch. Tap it again to stop.
1. Confirm Standard High-G GCEA first
These steps are for a soprano, concert or tenor ukulele fitted for Standard High-G GCEA: G4, C4, E4 and A4 from the fourth string nearest your face to the first string nearest the floor. A Low-G ukulele uses G3 for the fourth string, and a baritone normally uses D3, G3, B3 and E4. Do not force those string sets toward the pitches on this page.
2. Match the four reference tones by ear
Use the G4, C4, E4 and A4 buttons above as a pitch source; they do not listen through your microphone. Play one tone, stop it, then pluck the matching open string. If the ukulele sounds lower, tighten the correct tuning peg in a very small movement. If it sounds higher, loosen the string slightly below the target and approach the pitch from below.
When two nearby pitches sound together, you may hear a pulsing or wavering beat. The pulse becomes slower as the string approaches the reference pitch. Repeat the comparison until the pitches blend, then move to the next string and check all four again at the end.
3. Use one known note and tune the other strings relatively
If you can obtain only one reliable note, use middle C on a piano to set the open C4 string or an A440 tuning fork to set the open A4 string. Once the C string is correct, its seventh fret should match the open G4 string and its fourth fret should match the open E4 string. After the E string is correct, its fifth fret should match the open A4 string.
Without any outside reference, choose one string as an anchor and use the same fret relationships. This can make intervals and chord shapes sound consistent, but it cannot prove that the anchor is at concert pitch. Recheck with a known note before playing with another instrument.
4. Borrow pitches from a piano or standard guitar
On a piano, match the open strings to G4, middle C (C4), E4 and A4. On a guitar in standard EADGBE tuning, match ukulele G4 to the third fret of the guitar’s high E string, ukulele C4 to the first fret of the guitar’s B string, ukulele E4 to the open high E string and ukulele A4 to the fifth fret of that high E string.
The piano or guitar must already be in tune. Play the reference briefly, let it stop, then compare the ukulele so overlapping sounds do not hide which pitch is higher.
5. Make small peg movements and protect the strings
Always identify the correct peg before turning it. If a string feels unusually tight, the pitch rises suddenly, or the string shows damage, stop immediately and confirm the target note and octave. A common safe habit is to loosen a sharp string slightly below the target, pluck again and tune upward in small steps. Never keep tightening merely because two notes share the same letter.
6. Check the result with open strings and a simple chord
Play G, C, E and A one at a time, then strum a familiar C or F chord gently. Sourness can reveal a string that drifted while the others were adjusted. Relative tuning is often good enough for solo practice, but use the online microphone tuner before playing with a recording or another musician when exact concert pitch matters.