OregonJim
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- Dec 23, 2014
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There are so many ukulele videos on YouTube, and I've noticed that the vast majority of them are out of tune. Why?
First of all, here's what not to do:
Use your clip-on tuner to tune each open string to G-C-E-A.
This guarantees that you will be playing out-of-tune!
Why? When you tune the open strings this way, you are bringing them in tune at their lowest possible tension. As you begin playing and fretting notes, the action of pressing the strings to the frets increases string tension causing the strings to play sharper.
Also, a great many people tune softly, and again, once you start playing louder, the notes go sharp (even the open ones) because you are moving the strings at a higher tension than when you were tuning.
Finally, the equal-tempered scale that we use today is a compromise. In the "old days", each particular key had its own "color". The great composers took advantage of that to bring out the colors in different keys. But today, we have a system where each key is slightly, though equally, out of tune, so that all keys "sound the same". However, strings on a fretted instrument still abide by the laws of physics, not the man-made law of equal temperament. They vibrate at the harmonics which are integral multiples of the string length. These do not coincide with the fundamental notes of the equal tempered scale. It is most noticable on the minor third and major sixth intervals, which are more than 15 cents "off" from what our ears want to hear. So, we have to use our ears to tune our instruments to the best compromise.
Here's how:
Use your tuner to tune just the open A string to the pitch "A". This is all you should ever use your tuner for (this is also why many only need a tuning fork tuned to A 440). Then use your ears to tune the rest of the instrument to itself. Fret the E string at the 5th fret and match it to the open A string. Then fret the C string at the 4th fret and match it to the E string open. Then fret the G string at the 5th fret and match it to the C string open (low-G) or 2nd fret to match the A string open (high-G). Make sure you do all of this at the same volume level that you plan to play. This will give you the best possible compromise for being in tune. Depending on your playing sytle, you may need to make small adjustments as you play.
It doesn't matter how expensive your ukulele is, or how well made, it will always be a compromise to tune it. The starting point, though, is to throw out the method of tuning all the open strings to a reference pitch, and start using your ear.
First of all, here's what not to do:
Use your clip-on tuner to tune each open string to G-C-E-A.
This guarantees that you will be playing out-of-tune!
Why? When you tune the open strings this way, you are bringing them in tune at their lowest possible tension. As you begin playing and fretting notes, the action of pressing the strings to the frets increases string tension causing the strings to play sharper.
Also, a great many people tune softly, and again, once you start playing louder, the notes go sharp (even the open ones) because you are moving the strings at a higher tension than when you were tuning.
Finally, the equal-tempered scale that we use today is a compromise. In the "old days", each particular key had its own "color". The great composers took advantage of that to bring out the colors in different keys. But today, we have a system where each key is slightly, though equally, out of tune, so that all keys "sound the same". However, strings on a fretted instrument still abide by the laws of physics, not the man-made law of equal temperament. They vibrate at the harmonics which are integral multiples of the string length. These do not coincide with the fundamental notes of the equal tempered scale. It is most noticable on the minor third and major sixth intervals, which are more than 15 cents "off" from what our ears want to hear. So, we have to use our ears to tune our instruments to the best compromise.
Here's how:
Use your tuner to tune just the open A string to the pitch "A". This is all you should ever use your tuner for (this is also why many only need a tuning fork tuned to A 440). Then use your ears to tune the rest of the instrument to itself. Fret the E string at the 5th fret and match it to the open A string. Then fret the C string at the 4th fret and match it to the E string open. Then fret the G string at the 5th fret and match it to the C string open (low-G) or 2nd fret to match the A string open (high-G). Make sure you do all of this at the same volume level that you plan to play. This will give you the best possible compromise for being in tune. Depending on your playing sytle, you may need to make small adjustments as you play.
It doesn't matter how expensive your ukulele is, or how well made, it will always be a compromise to tune it. The starting point, though, is to throw out the method of tuning all the open strings to a reference pitch, and start using your ear.
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