PLEASE PLEASE HELP! How to get sucky uke to sound better?

You see, I have a sucky diamond head soprano ukulele. I recently bought aquila strings to make them sound better. I'm really confused as to how to tune it since there are so much different websites telling me how to tune it (they all sound different).

My question is, how do you make your uke sound better? AND anyone know any good tuning tips?

Hi Ella,
I invested in an electronic tuner straight away ! The standard tuning for a soprano uke is gCEA - the sting nearest to your face when you are holding the uke in the playing position is the g string, the next is middle C on the piano, the next is the E above middle c on the piano and the last one is A above middle c on the piano. For the 'standard' tuning the g string is tuned to the g ABOVE middle c on the piano too, so it does sound a little odd as that string is higher than the next one.

You will hear people talk about low G string, what they mean is that instead of tuning it to the g ABOVE middle c, they tune it to the g BELOW middle c. The strings are numbered, the

G string is 4th string
C string is 3rd
E string is 2nd
A string furthest from you is 1st string.

When a ukulele is new it often goes out of tune while the strings are 'settling in' and stretching properly - after a week or so you'll find they behave themselves more.

I hope this helps a little


There are a lot of places where you can hear the strings being tuned such as youtube.

I'll second investing in an electronic tuner. They aren't that expensive and you'll use it down the line no matter what other ukes you might get. I have the Eno they sell in the UU store and am really happy with it. It works as a clip-on or as a mic.

http://ukeunderground.bigcartel.com/product/et-3000-clip-on-tuner

http://www.get-tuned.com/online_ukulele_tuner.php

Best tuner I've found on line. will get you in the right octave and help you learn pitch, but like everyone said get an electronic makes us all lazy but they work great.

TUNE and plus the strings are still stretchin. probably take a week or two before the strings settle in.

I use the same website as Poppy...its good as it has lower and higher G

Stretchy Schmetchy. My Mitchell never stayed in tune, I returned it and got a Cordoba. They brought out one in the box, it was out of tune so I tuned it up my-dog-has-fleas, took it home in my backpack, then put it in one of the sheds for a few hours while I did chores, then took it out, and out of my backpack, and it was still in tune. Played it a bit and next morning, still in tune. I mean, not perfect micro-tune, but I was impressed and still am.

Practice. z

dnewton2 said:

Practice. z

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Yeppers. and as others have said...Invest in a clip on tuner. You should be tuning in key of c which is GCEA. Good Luck.

MiaRosie said:

You will hear people talk about low G string, what they mean is that instead of tuning it to the g ABOVE middle c, they tune it to the g BELOW middle c.

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To avoid confusion: you can't just tune the g-string down to low G. For low G tuning you need to replace the G string by a thicker one.

http://www.get-tuned.com/online_ukulele_tuner.php
Before I got my tuner, I used this. Just put on one earphone & turn up the volume, then pluck when the note plays. When you're tuned, you should only hear one note (or it'll sound very, very similar). If you're not tuned you should be able to hear a huge difference. Also, changing your strings means for a few weeks, they're going to go flat very quickly until they've stretched out enough, so if you notice your uke is starting to sound awful & you've been playing for an hour, retune. By listening to the note, you'll learn to hear the difference between sharp & flat. But if you're really not confident in your ears, I suggest getting an intellitouch tuner. It clips to the head of the uke & uses the vibrations of each note to determine tune, as opposed to most tuners that tend to pick up surrounding noises & can give you a false read. It also has an LED backlight so you can see if you're in tune even if it's dark (like before a performance or something). It costs about $30 but if you're comfortable buying aquila strings, then it's money very well spent.

ConspiracyUkeist said:

Stretchy Schmetchy. My Mitchell never stayed in tune, I returned it and got a Cordoba. They brought out one in the box, it was out of tune so I tuned it up my-dog-has-fleas, took it home in my backpack, then put it in one of the sheds for a few hours while I did chores, then took it out, and out of my backpack, and it was still in tune. Played it a bit and next morning, still in tune. I mean, not perfect micro-tune, but I was impressed and still am.

Click to expand...

Recently read a review of starter ukes, that Cordoba rated very highly in it's price range.
Here's a review page:

http://ukulele-reviews.com/cordoba/cordoba-15cm-concert-ukulele

If, after the strings settle down, it still doesn't sound good, may have a setup problem. Will have to check string height, if frets are level, tuners tight and not slipping, etc.

If you are on a budget and u got a smart phone, u don't need a tuner. i use to have a eletric tuner till i found a tuning ap that works just as good and sold it to a friend. (yes i compared them and you couldn't tell a difference) Also you will also be able to download a metronome ap which is really useful.