This time, why to look for a Ukulele tuner! Why to pay him many dollars for such a simple task that you can even do by yourself! Why not to tune your Ukulele yourself! Well, if you don’t have any idea about how to tune your ukulele then no need of worries because here you will find the best techniques for Ukulele tuning.
Having Ukulele is not a big deal and many people have it but actually maintaining it is very important. If you will not keep your ukulele tuned then it will not produce the best quality of music. After all, music is to please and relax the minds but not to scare the people so if your uke is out of tune then it is not fit for producing good music but it can only make weird sounds.
Ukulele Tuning- How to do it?
Well, tuning your ukulele is not a big deal and in fact, it is seriously important to keep this musical instrument tuned properly if you want to enjoy its real sounds. So let’s get started and let’s know about the best method s for tuning your Ukulele. There are basically 4 open strings in any Uke and these are the following:
- G- The leftmost string on the Fretboard
- C- The third string
- E- 2nd string on the Fretboard
- A-1st string
These 4 are actually the basic strings that you find on any standard Ukulele.
Now, when we discuss the types of Ukulele tuning, we come to find two basic ones that are the following:
- Electronic tuning
- Standard Tuning
Electronic tuning:
These days, electronic tuning is the trendiest thing and people prefer electronic tuners because these are the simplest as well as most accurate. You can find a great number of electronic tuners out there. You can either find an electronic tuner in the local areas or even these are available online. The best thing about electronic tuning is that it is very reasonable and everyone can afford it easily. Anyways, you should be very careful while choosing an electronic tuner and you should make sure that it is good enough to tune different notes.
Method:
Now let’s have a look how to do electronic tuning yourself! All that you have to do is to put the tuner in your lap. Then you have to pluck the strings by clipping it on the headstock. In this way, you will be able to see the notes that you would be currently playing. With the help of tuning pegs, you can then adjust tune the strings so as to get the best tones.
Standard tuning:
Standard tuning is quite different from electronic tuning and many people also name it as relative tuning. Do you want to know why! It is because of the reason that you tune up four strings in this method and those four strings are relatives to each other. It is the most common and the traditional method of tuning a Ukulele. If you want to tune all the four strings of your ukulele then you will find this method simply perfect as you will be able to get the desired sounds. However, this method is not as much accurate as much is the electronic tuning.
Method:
Let’s have a look at standard tuning method here:
In this method, you use “A” string as the base in order to adjust all the other strings. Because of this reason, you don’t get accurate results as you cannot adjust all the strings using a single base. On the “E” string, you have to put your fingers right behind the fifth fret. It is actually “A” note. At that time, when you pick “A” string, its sound should exactly be the same as to “E” string. If the sound is different then you can adjust it using the tuning pegs that are present on the headstock.
Then, on the “C” string, you have to put your fingers right behind 4th fret. It is actually “E” note. Now you should note that the sound of “E” string should be same as to that of “C” string. If there is a difference in the sounds then you can tune up the tuning pegs present on the headstock. Adjust it in a way that the sounds will become same. You have to follow the same method with “G” strings and finally, your Ukulele will be perfectly toned.
Why is GCEA method so common?
GCEA tuning method is being followed for centuries because it is very simple and everyone can do it by himself. You can apply this method to almost all the types of Ukulele and most commonly, it is suitable for Tenor, Soprano and Concert Ukuleles. Next time, I am sure that you will not depend on anyone else but you will tune your ukulele yourself because you are not familiar with the best methods of ukulele tuning.
Conclusion:
Tuning a Ukulele is not as much difficult as one may think. Those people who are expert in using Ukuleles usually tune up their ukes themselves but even if you are a new user, you will not have any problem in doing this. The tuning of Ukulele also depends on the choice of the players. Therefore, you can adjust its stings and notes according to your own choice and requirements. Basically, the tuning of a Ukulele depends on length, thickness and the tightness of its strings.