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How to properly tune your ukulele?

How to properly tune your ukulele?

Do you have a ukulele? If so, it must be tuned regularly because it is a musical instrument that goes out of tune quite easily. If you have a musical ear, you can tune it with your hearing. Otherwise, you will have to equip yourself with a good tuner. Now let's see how to do it correctly.

The gestures to have to properly tune your ukulele

To tune your ukulele, you will manipulate the four tuners or tuning keys located on the head of the instrument and on which one end of the strings is fixed. The operation consists of modifying the tension of the strings in order to change the notes. The direction in which to turn can change from one tuning key to another. Often, the two mechanics on the same side are to turn in the same direction. By tightening the string, the note will be higher. And by relaxing it, you will naturally lower the note. Be careful not to overtighten the strings at the risk of breaking them.

Set the tuning type of your ukulele

You need to know the tuning used by your musical instrument. In general, soprano, concert, and tenor deploy GCEA tuning. In other words, these three types of ukulele are based on the notes sol, do, mi and la:

  • G: the upper string corresponding to the G note.
  • C: the third string corresponding to the note do.
  • E: the second string corresponding to the note mi.
  • A: the first string at the bottom that corresponds to the note A.

On the other hand, the baritone uses DGBE tuning and is based on the notes re, sol, si and mi:

  • D: the fourth string corresponding to the note re.
  • G: the third string corresponding to the note G.
  • B: the second string which corresponds to the note B.
  • E: the lower string which corresponds to the E note.

Choosing the right ukulele tuner

A confirmed ukulelist can tune his soprano, concert, tenor or even baritone by ear and very quickly. If this is not your case, you will definitely need a tuner. In this, you will have the choice between a software tuner, a chromatic tuner and an electronic tuner. A software tuner is convenient because you just need to install it on your computer or smartphone and the microphone of the device will pick up the sound of the instrument. You can then tune each string one at a time. There are also many software tuners directly available on the web. You won't have to download or install anything, just log on to the right site and tune. The other alternative is to use a chromatic clip-on tuner that allows you to tune your ukulele anywhere, without a computer, smartphone or Internet connection. This is a small device to attach to the end of the handle. It is equipped with a piezo sensor used to measure the vibration of the string for precise and fast tuning. The third option is to opt for an electronic tuner with microphone. You can simply install it near your ukulele to tune. But unlike the chromatic tuner, which does not allow itself to be disturbed by ambient noise, it tends to pick up everything unless you connect it directly to the instrument via the input jack. But for this, your ukulele must obviously have a jack output.


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