Low-G vs High-G Ukulele Tuning: What Changes and What Stays

Standard ukulele tuning and low-G tuning use the same four note names. The only difference is the fourth string, the one nearest your face, which is tuned an octave lower in low-G. That sounds like a small change, and for your fretting hand it is no change at all. For your ears it is a big one.

What reentrant means

In standard tuning, written g-C-E-A, the fourth string is tuned to the G above middle C. It is higher than the C and E strings beside it. So as you cross the strings from top to bottom, the pitch starts high, drops to the lowest note, then climbs again. A tuning that does this is called reentrant. The small g is a common way of writing that high string.

Low-G tuning, written G-C-E-A, replaces that string with one tuned to the G below middle C. Now the strings run from lowest to highest in order, the way they do on a guitar. This is often called linear tuning.

What stays the same

Every chord shape, and every chord name. A C chord is still 0 0 0 3, an F is still 2 0 1 0, and any chord chart or song sheet works in either tuning. The other three strings do not change at all. If you learned on high-g and pick up a low-G ukulele, your hands already know what to do.

What changes

The sound of a strum

On a high-g ukulele the four open strings all sit within a single octave. The notes of a chord are packed close together, and a down-strum begins on a high note. That is the bright, chiming sound people think of as a ukulele.

With a low G, the strings spread over more than an octave and each chord gets a deeper note underneath it. Strums sound fuller and warmer, a little closer to a small guitar, and they lose some of that close shimmer.

The range

On a high-g ukulele the lowest note you can play is middle C, the open third string. A low G string adds five notes beneath it: G, G♯, A, A♯ and B. Three of those belong to the key of C, and they sit on the fourth string like this:

After B, the next note up is the open C string. Plenty of melodies dip a few notes below their home note, and on a high-g ukulele those notes have to be moved up an octave or the whole tune shifted to a higher key. With a low G they are simply there.

The note at the bottom of each chord

Same shapes, different lowest note. Here are four chords you probably know:

G and Am gain their own root note in the bass, which makes them sound solid and settled. C now has a G underneath it, which is still a note of the chord but gives it a slightly different color. Nothing here is wrong in either tuning. They are two voicings of the same chords.

Picked patterns and tab

This is where the two tunings really part ways. A lot of ukulele fingerpicking uses the high g as a melody or harmony note that rings right beside the A and E strings. Play the same tab with a low G and that note drops an octave, out of the melody and into the bass. In the other direction, an arrangement written for low-G may use notes below middle C that a high-g ukulele does not have.

So when you pick up a piece of tab, check which tuning it was written for. Strummed song sheets do not care. If you are just starting to pick, the patterns in our fingerpicking guide work in both tunings and are a good way to hear the difference for yourself.

What switching takes

You need a different string. A high-g string cannot be tuned down an octave, because it goes slack long before it gets there. Low G strings are sold singly and in sets, and come in two kinds: wound, with fine metal wire wrapped around a core like a guitar string, and unwound, a plain string that is noticeably thicker than the other three. Wound strings are thinner and feel different under the fingertip. Unwound ones blend in with the rest of the set. Either works.

Because the string is thicker, check how it sits in its slot at the nut. If it rests on top of the slot and will not seat, a repair shop can widen the slot, which is a small job. Fitting the string itself is the same as any other, and how to change ukulele strings walks through it.

When you tune up, make sure your tuner is listening for the right octave. The tuner in Lazy Lopez: Ukulele has a Low-G preset: pick it and the strings relabel and retarget to match.

When each one suits

• High-g suits strumming and singing, the traditional ukulele sound, and picked styles that let close notes ring across the strings. It is also what nearly all beginner material assumes.
• Low-G suits solo fingerstyle with a melody over a bass note, tunes that dip below middle C, and accompaniment where you want more warmth under a voice.

If you are new, start with whatever is on your ukulele, which is almost certainly high-g. Every chord you learn will transfer. Low-G is worth trying once you find yourself wishing for notes that are not there. You will see low-G most often on tenors, and ukulele sizes explained covers how the sizes differ.