Ukulele Notes

The ukulele is one of the friendliest instruments to start on: four soft strings, a small neck and, once you know where the notes are, it sounds good. But it hides a surprise that confuses almost everyone at first: its tuning is re-entrant, which means the strings do not go from low to high. This page gives you its four strings, that peculiarity explained, how frets work, the types of ukulele and how tablature reads.

The four strings: G, C, E, A

A ukulele has four strings. As on the guitar, they are numbered the opposite of what you might expect: the 1st string is the one nearest the floor when you play, and the 4th is the one nearest your chin. These are the open notes:

Re-entrant tuning: why the G is high

On almost every string instrument, going from one string to the next the notes rise or fall in order. On the ukulele they do not: the 4th string (the top one) is a high G, higher than the C of the 3rd string and the E of the 2nd. This is called re-entrant tuning (or "high G").

Why? Because it is exactly what gives the ukulele its characteristic sound, cheerful and "bouncy". When you strum, the four strings are very close in pitch (all in the same octave), so they sound like one bright, even block, with no low note standing out underneath. The practical consequence is that the lowest string of the ukulele is not the top one but the 3rd (middle C).

There is a variant, linear or "low G" tuning, in which the 4th string is a low G (an octave lower). With it the ukulele does go from low to high like a guitar, gains low register and loses some of that bouncy sound. It is most common on the tenor ukulele.

High G or low G?

It is one of the big questions when choosing strings. Neither is better: it depends on what you play.

In short: high G is the essence of the ukulele; low G brings it closer to the guitar and gives it more bass. Everything on this page uses the standard high G tuning.

How frets work: one half step each

The neck of the ukulele is divided by frets. When you press a string just behind a fret, you shorten the vibrating part and the note rises one half step for each fret. If the open 1st string is A4:

• Fret 1 → A♯4
• Fret 2 → B4
• Fret 3 → C5
• … and so on, one half step per fret.

At the 12th fret the open note repeats one octave higher. The position dots on a ukulele fingerboard are usually at frets 5, 7 and 10, with a double dot at 12. This differs from the guitar, which has them at 3, 5, 7 and 9 (and 12).

Try it: the ukulele diagram

Pick a note and the diagram marks it on a real photo of the neck and on a drawn fingerboard, writes it in tablature and on the staff, and plays it. It runs from C4 (the open 3rd string, the lowest note) to fret 12 of the 1st string (A5). Because one note lives in several places, the diagram lights up all of them at once. To tune, use the ukulele tuner.

Ukulele tablature

The ukulele is often written in tablature ("tab"), a direct drawing of the neck that does not require reading staff notation. It has four lines, one per string. By convention, the top line is the 1st string (A) and the bottom line is the 4th string (G):

A │──3──│   ← 1st string (A)
E │──0──│
C │──0──│
g │──0──│   ← 4th string (G, high)

The number tells you which fret to press on that string; a 0 means play it open. The example above is a C major chord (G, C and E open, A at the 3rd fret: the notes G, C, E and C). In tuning notation the 4th string is often written with a lowercase g (gCEA), as a reminder that it is the high G of the re-entrant tuning.

Why the same note is on several strings

As on the guitar, almost every note appears in more than one place. A4, for example, is the open 1st string, but also the 5th fret of the 2nd string (E) and the 2nd fret of the 4th string (G). They are the same pitch, and choosing where to play it is a decision about fingering (what is most comfortable with the chord or melody) and about tone (an open string sounds more open than a fretted one).

The ukulele does not transpose

Unlike the guitar or the bass, which sound an octave lower than written, the ukulele does not transpose: it is read in treble clef and sounds exactly what is on the paper. What you see is what you hear. That is why its range (C4–A5 on soprano and concert) sits comfortably on the staff (UK: stave), with almost no ledger lines.

Types of ukulele: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone

There are four usual sizes. The first three share the same tuning (G-C-E-A); only the size changes, and with it the volume and how far apart the frets are:

The baritone is the odd one out: it is tuned D-G-B-E (D3, G3, B3, E4), exactly like the top four strings of the guitar, so a guitarist feels at home. The other three are "the ukulele" most people have in mind.

And a tip for guitarists: the soprano, concert or tenor ukulele sounds like the top four strings of a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. The notes C, E and A match exactly; only the G of the 4th string is in a different octave because of the re-entrant tuning (the guitar's is lower).

Common mistakes when learning ukulele notes

• Believing the top string is the lowest. It is not: the 4th (G) is high. The lowest is the 3rd, the C.
• Numbering the strings backwards. The first is the bottom one (A); the fourth is the top one (G).
• Treating the ukulele as a small guitar. It has four strings (not six) and re-entrant tuning; the baritone is the exception that resembles the guitar.
• Looking for the fingerboard dots at the same frets as on the guitar. On the ukulele they are usually at 5, 7 and 10, not 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Summary

• The ukulele has four strings: G4, C4, E4, A4 (from the 4th to the 1st).
• Its tuning is re-entrant: the 4th string (G) is high, and the lowest is the 3rd (C).
• It has frets (one half step each); the dots are at 5, 7, 10 and 12.
• It does not transpose: it is read in treble clef and sounds as written.
• Soprano, concert and tenor are tuned G-C-E-A; the baritone is tuned D-G-B-E, like the guitar's top four strings.