Soprano Ukulele Tuning

Tuning your ukulele is easy when it’s soprano. You will just need the uke itself and a medium through which you can do it. 

Let’s say, you have both, but if you don’t know how the tuning works, then you will need another help. That is a guide that will have all the information and processes to enlighten you. 

And as we have thought to be the teacher for the day, we made sure you learn everything about the technique and master it. 

So, here you will get to know all about soprano ukulele tuning. 

About Soprano Ukulele

Total Length: 21 inches

Scale Length: 13-14 inches

Tuning: GCEA

Soprano is one of the most popular and smallest ukuleles. It is known by the plinky and soft sound of uke as it is a traditional instrument. 

You will find the Soprano very light and convenient to carry around since it has a short neck and small body. Not just that, it is more affordable than other ukes as it uses a few materials. 

To add more, the short scale length of soprano does not house more than 12 to 15 frets. For this, it happens to be appropriate for strumming some chords but not comfy to play single notes. 

Moreover, the soprano’s small body does not let the sound resonate well. It does not work well with bass frequency or projection either. 

However, the sopranos are an amazing candidate for newbies because of their original ukulele tones and standard tuning. If you have small hands or children, you can find the size of soprano ideal. 

Tuning Frequencies (Hz)

Below we have given a table of the frequencies that you would use to tune a soprano uke to High-G tuning.

String	Frequency
G4 (High G)	392 Hz
C4	261.63 Hz (rounded to 262 Hz)
E4	329.63 Hz (rounded to 330 Hz)
A4	440 Hz

And below has a table for Low-G soprano tuning.

String	Frequency
G4 (Low-G)	196 Hz
C4	261.63 Hz (rounded to 262 Hz)
E4	329.63 Hz (rounded to 330 Hz)
A4	440 Hz

Also Read: Best Soprano Ukuleles for Beginners

Tune Soprano with a High-G string

You are likely to tune the Soprano uke using high High-G string. The reason is it gives the ukulele a bright sound while you strum. 

Let us explain it slightly more: 

• On down strums, the last note of the strum would be the A-string that is the highest string.
• On up strums, the last note of the strum would be G-string that is the 2^nd highest string. 

As those high strings are at the end of the strums, you will get a bright effect and happy-tone overall. 

Key Terms:

However, when it’s regarding tuning instruction, you may bump into 2 of the commonest key terms. 

• Open string: A string you’d play without holding the string down.
• Fretted string: A string you’d play while holding the string down at a specific fret.

Tuning with a tuner

There are 3 of the commonest kinds of electronic tuners that you can use to tune the soprano ukulele. They are: 

Clip-on tuners: 

Such tuner clips to a uke’s headstock. It measures the vibrations in the wood of the uke. It doesn’t matter if the ukulele has a pickup or not, you can use clip-ons with any kind of ukuleles. 

Pedal tuners: 

Such tuner receives an audio signal through a 1/4-inch audio cable. Next, it passes that unchanged signal out via another 1/4-inch cable. 

However, the pedal tuner works only with uke that has an electronic pickup. Albeit, majority of them are designed to be used as a guitar tuner, it can handle uke’s pitches too. 

Smartphone tuning apps: 

Not a very flawless method but possible to tune the soprano using your apps on your device. The smartphone should depend on its external mic so it can pick the uke’s sound up while the noise of environment can interfere with its reading. 

If you have a tuner app on your device, then you will find it very handy. You will get several apps of tuning to pick one from. We recommend you choose the one that will best-suit you.

Tuning to itself

If you have nothing around to tune the uke, then you can do it to itself. Albeit the process is a slightly, it will be very useful. 

To do this:

• Begin with the C-string (the 3^rd string up) as it can hold the tuning ideally.
• At the 4^th fret, play the C-string. Next, pluck it.
• After that, open the E string (the 3^rd one). Now, compare the sounds. 
• You should be in tune if the notes sound the same. Keep adjusting the tuner on the E-string unless you find them sounding the same.
• Now, at the 3^rd fret, play the E string. Next, open G-string (the 1^st one). 
• Keep adjusting the G-string unless you get it in tune.
• At the 5^th fret, play the E-string. Next, tune the A-string (the 4^th one) to that note. 

Also Read: How to Play Soprano for Beginners

Tuning to guitar: 

In case you’re playing with a guitarist, then be in tune with one another. After your mate is in tune, ask them to play the notes highlighted here in the table. Then match the strings as we indicated. 

Ukulele	Guitar
G-string	E-string 3rd fret
C-string	B-string 1st fret
E-string	E-string open
A-string	E-string 5th fret

Some factors you should know:

• The more you tighten the soprano’s string, the higher the note will be. And the more you loosen its string, the lower the note will be. 
• The shorter the soprano’s string, the higher the note. Make sure to take advantage of different length of string while you play. 
• The thinner the soprano’s string, the higher the note. 

Conclusion:

Play the Soprano ukulele you own with confidence after you learn the techniques of tuning. Once you set the tuning right, you will be able to make the soprano sound the way you want. You can try different songs too that can enhance your skill. You will find the tabs and chords of them on several websites.