Ukulele Strings Explained

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Published on  |  Last Updated on October 26, 2024

One fine day, you look at someone playing a music instrument and you are inspired to play an instrument. Stringed instruments are so unique in the world. Ukulele comes handy for this scenario because it’s easy to tune, carry and play. Now that I assume you have a ukulele and you are overwhelmed as to where to start, start with knowing the name of the parts of ukulele, name of the strings, tuning and unleash the power of a ukulele! Oh, and another big news, you don’t have to be a music expert to play the ukulele, just a couple of minutes of practice every single day will get you there.

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There’s no ego when you’re a ukulele player.

What are the 4 strings on a standard ukulele?

There names of the ukulele strings are,

  • G string
  • C string
  • E string
  • A string

Technically it is gCEA. The ‘g’ is lowercase to indicate that it is of higher pitch. It can also be GCEA where G can be an octave down (low G). So, we have higher strings on the outside and lower strings in the middle this makes them unique in the category of string instruments. We can use mnemonics to remember the string names like Girls-Can-Earn-Anything. Also note the string name is in the order of 4-1 That is, G is fourth string, C is third string, E is second string and A is first string. So, G-C-E-A is 4-3-2-1.

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Different types of ukuleles

There is different tuning to different types of ukuleles. That is, the ukuleles are classified in accordance to the type of voice(tone). So, the common types of ukuleles are Soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone ukuleles whose sizes are different from one another and hence there are different tuning required.

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Standard ukulele tuning

As mentioned earlier we have gCEA tuning on the ukulele which is called a re-entrant tuning. When we take other string instrument say guitar, the tuning is EADGBE where strings are from low to high. Since the size of ukulele is smaller, and the smaller bodies don’t really resonate well with a lower DGBE tuning. Also, another physical observation is lowest string is thickest and the highest string is the thinnest. So, on a ukulele the outer strings (g and A) are thinner than C, E strings. This type of tuning is applicable to soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles.

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Let’s take the DGBE strings of guitar and get perfect fourth of each string, we have GCEA strings. That is, fifth fret of DGBE will give GCEA. Look at the image below for the same.

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Sometimes, tenor and baritone use an alternate tuning of A-D-F#-B (low to high), which is one step higher than standard tuning.

Did You Know?

There is also a so-called “banjo-lele” (or “banjo-uke“), a hybrid of a banjo and a ukulele (as the name suggests) and it even turned 100 years old last year.

But how/where does this tuning come from?

In re-entrant tuning, all four strings of ukulele are in same octave that means, they are as close as possible. Re-entrant tuning is a traditional tuning which was started back in 1600s. Since the ukulele is descended from Portuguese guitar the tuning of ukulele is based on the same idea of Portuguese guitar. To be precise the cavaquinho whose origin is traced back to Portugal in 16th century, it’s spread in different countries, say Brazil, Hawaii (known as ukulele), where it was modified and which led to the different variations of the instrument. Look at the image of cavaquinho below,

tuning-come-from

String names and tuning on baritone ukulele:

The baritone ukulele has a different tuning which is D-G-B-E, which is similar to top 4 strings of a guitar and therefore baritone ukulele is bigger than the other ukuleles. Therefore, the string names order will be D is fourth string, G is third string, B is second string, E is first string. The mnemonic would be Dog-Grabs-Bite-Eats. Look at the image below for baritone ukulele string names,

string-names-and-tuning

Ukulele string material:

Common strings are fluorocarbon string or aquila string. The aquila strings are comprised of a plastic compound and they have a rich, neutral sound that projects well and stays in tune longer than other strings. The fluorocarbon strings use a broad family of compounds. But the difference between both is the quality of the sound. The usual string for standard ukulele is high quality soft fluorocarbon strings that will not hurt your hands. Fluorocarbons are brighter, thinner, last longer. On the other side, Aquila Nylgut strings are too thick and the tonality of sound is different. Aquila strings has a less trebly sound and is warmer. Fluorocarbons are crispier and has a nicer resonance. So, choose a string depending upon the preference of the sound.

Ukulele tuning:

Now that we know different types of tuning for different types of ukuleles, tune a ukulele with the help of a tuner or an app or by playing the keyboard and matching the sound with the note played on the keys or by ears. Move the ukulele tuner head in the clockwise or anticlockwise direction and observe the note changes on the tuner and tune the string of the ukulele till it matches to the intended note of the string.

Closing notes

Now that you have chosen the ukulele based on your preference of the tonality, budget, usage. And you have tuned the ukulele on the basis of the type of ukulele, you can start playing some notes, chords, learn some music theory and lots more. Feel free to learn some strumming, picking or other techniques on the right hand. Make sure you enjoy playing the ukulele and have fun!

Enrich your knowledge about the Basic Ukulele Strings

FAQs

Standard ukulele has four strings no matter the size of the ukulele be it soprano, concert, tenor or baritone.

As a general guideline, change ukulele strings every 3 to 6 months if you are playing regularly. But when there is an anomaly like loss of tone or rust or any reason change the strings of a ukulele.

If your hands are small, buy a soprano ukulele. If your hands are big buy a baritone ukulele and if your hands are normal buy a concert ukulele. But choose any ukulele according to your preference.

Take off one string at a time by detuning the old string and either cutting or unwrapping it. Tie the new string on the bridge. Wrap the string around the tuner and put on the nut.

Choosing a brand is based on your budget and preference. Some common brands are Kadence, Vault, Kala.

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