The parts of a ukulele, and how to tune it
Before the first chord: what each part is called, and the four notes the strings are tuned to.
A small guitar
The ukulele is a small guitar that comes from the machete, a four-stringed guitar brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese in the 1870s. Britannica: ukulele A ukulele is seldom more than 60 cm (24 inches) long. Britannica: ukulele
The parts
From the top: the headstock holds the tuning pegs, which you turn to tune each string. The strings run over the nut, down the neck, which has metal frets across it, over the sound hole in the body, to the bridge. Pressing a string just behind a fret makes a higher note.
The tuning: G, C, E, A
The ukulele is tuned G–C–E–A, all in the octave around middle C. Britannica: ukulele Britannica also gives a second tuning, D–F♯–A–B. Britannica: ukulele
On a chord diagram, and on this site, the strings are always shown in that order, G C E A, from left to right, as you look at the ukulele facing you.
Checking your tuning
A simple way to check the tuning is to strum all four strings with your thumb and sing “My dog has fleas”. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
The Smithsonian says checking the tuning by ear takes a well-trained ear, and many professional musicians use a chromatic tuner. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
What each fret plays
Each fret makes the note one step (a semitone) higher. This table is worked out by our build from the four open strings Britannica: ukulele.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 | Fret 6 | Fret 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | G | G♯/A♭ | A | A♯/B♭ | B | C | C♯/D♭ | D |
| C | C | C♯/D♭ | D | D♯/E♭ | E | F | F♯/G♭ | G |
| E | E | F | F♯/G♭ | G | G♯/A♭ | A | A♯/B♭ | B |
| A | A | A♯/B♭ | B | C | C♯/D♭ | D | D♯/E♭ | E |