Free Online Low G Ukulele Tuner
Same four letters, one string an octave lower. The tuner knows which.
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Left to right: 4th string, the thickest, to 1st, the thinnest. Tune one string at a time.
Allow microphone access to begin
How to use this tuner
Click Start Tuning and allow microphone access. Play one open string at a time, and the tuner shows how sharp or flat you are from that string’s target in cents. Tap a string button to hear the note and lock the tuner to it.
The bar spans −50 to +50 cents. Zero is perfectly in tune. In string mode the value is the distance to the target string, not to the nearest chromatic note, so a string that is a long way off pins the needle at the edge until you get close.
The tuner reads against the nearest open string of Low G tuning (G3, C4, E4, A4), so the cents value is the distance to that string, not to the nearest chromatic note. Tap a string to hear its reference pitch and lock the tuner to it; tap again to release.
Ukulele is already selected and no transposition is applied: the note names shown are the sounding notes, including the octave number, which is the whole point on this page. Changing the dropdown turns string mode off; tapping a string turns it back on.
Default is A440. Tap + / − to match a recording or another instrument that cannot be adjusted.
Low G tuning is G3, C4, E4, A4. Standard ukulele tuning is re-entrant: the fourth string is a high G4 that sits above the C and E strings. Low G replaces that string with a heavier one tuned an octave down to G3, 196 Hz, so the four strings rise in pitch in order, the way a guitar’s do. Every chord shape is unchanged, because the note names are the same, but the instrument gains a fifth below its old lowest note, fuller-sounding chords, and a bass string for fingerstyle and for melody lines that run below middle C.
The octave is the entire difference between the two tunings, and it is what most tuners will not tell you: a tuner that shows only a letter reads G4 and G3 identically, and a low G string tuned to G4 by mistake will usually break. This page reads the fourth string against G3 and shows the octave number in the display. Tap the G3 button to hear the target; if the note you hear is clearly lower than your G string, you are still in re-entrant tuning and need the different string, not a different peg position. A standard high-G string cannot be tuned down an octave; it goes slack and unplayable.
Low G strings come wound and unwound. A wound low G is louder, sustains more, and is easier for a tuner to read, but it squeaks under the fingers and sounds different from the three plain strings; an unwound fluorocarbon low G is thick, quiet, and takes a few days to settle. Either way, a new low G drifts flat for longer than the other strings, so retune it several times over the first sessions and watch the history line for the slide to stop. A nut slot cut for a thin high-G string may pinch a wound low G and make it tune in jumps; a slightly widened slot fixes that.
Low G is most common on tenor ukuleles, and many tenors ship that way, but it works on concert and soprano bodies too, with less bass. For re-entrant GCEA on any size, use the standard ukulele tuner; for the baritone’s DGBE, which is a linear tuning a fourth lower, the baritone page. Everything tunes to A440 unless you are matching a recording, in which case the A = control shifts all four targets together.
Frequently asked questions
What is low G ukulele tuning?
G3, C4, E4, A4. The fourth string is tuned to the G an octave below the usual re-entrant high G4, so the strings rise in pitch in order. Chord shapes are unchanged; the instrument gains a fifth of range below middle C.
Can I tune my existing G string down to low G?
No. A high-G string tuned down an octave goes slack and will not hold pitch. Low G needs a dedicated heavier string, wound or thick fluorocarbon, sold singly or in low-G sets.
Does low G work on a soprano ukulele?
It works, with less bass and sustain than on a tenor because of the shorter scale. Most low-G players use tenor or concert sizes. The tuning targets are the same on every size.
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