Ukulele tuner – Standard (GCEA)
G-C-E-A · Standard
Also known as C tuning, Re-entrant, High G
Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your Ukulele is to Standard (GCEA) tuning (G-C-E-A). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Standard (GCEA) tuning
Standard (GCEA) is the reference tuning for the Ukulele – the pitch the instrument normally ships at, and the starting point every other tuning on this page is measured from.
Played open, the strings sound G-C-E-A – from C4 at the bottom to A4 at the top, a span of 9 semitones.
Standard (GCEA) is re-entrant: the strings do not rise steadily in pitch, so the string nearest your thumb is not the lowest note available. That is deliberate, and it is a large part of why the instrument sounds the way it does.
Left open, the strings together spell C6. That is a by-product of how the intervals are laid out rather than the point of the tuning, but it does mean some chords need very few fingers here. See C6 shapes in this tuning →
Standard ukulele tuning is re-entrant: the string nearest your thumb is not the lowest note, it is the highest but one. That single oddity is why a ukulele sounds like a ukulele and not like a small guitar – strums do not run bottom to top in pitch, so chords come out as a bright cluster rather than a spread.
The four strings also sit inside a single octave, which keeps the instrument in a narrow, cheerful register and is why so many chord shapes need only one or two fingers. Sopranos, concerts and tenors all use this tuning; only the baritone differs.
History
Ukulele
The ukulele was born in Hawaii from Portuguese instruments. In August 1879 the ship Ravenscrag brought immigrants from Madeira to Honolulu, among them the woodworkers Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias and José do Espírito Santo, who began building and selling small four-string guitars modelled on the Madeiran machete (braguinha) and the five-string rajão. King David Kalākaua embraced the instrument and had it played at royal gatherings, which made it part of Hawaiian identity.
The name is usually translated as “jumping flea”, perhaps after the quick fingers of its players. The ukulele swept the mainland United States after the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and became a staple of 1920s popular music. It has had several revivals since – Arthur Godfrey's television shows in the 1950s, Tiny Tim in the 1960s, and the global wave that followed Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's “Over the Rainbow” (1993) and YouTube players such as Jake Shimabukuro.
Where the Standard (GCEA) tuning comes from
The re-entrant G-C-E-A tuning, with the high G string, comes from the Portuguese instruments that were the ancestors of the ukulele: it corresponds to the top four strings of the Madeiran rajão. In the early 20th century the ukulele was often tuned a whole step higher, to A-D-F#-B, but C tuning gradually became the standard, especially in Hawaii, by the middle of the century.
Other Ukulele tunings
Alternative
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my Ukulele to Standard (GCEA)?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (G-C-E-A).
Which notes are used in Standard (GCEA) tuning?
Standard (GCEA) tuning for Ukulele uses the notes G-C-E-A, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.