Tuning your concert down to B-flat or A can still be done with pleasing results, but finding music for these tunings is a challenge, as the market is currently dominated by G-C-E-A tuning resources. The lower key tuning of the concert used to be popular with American ukulele players in the Jazz age, especially for soloist performances. Ukuleles have a reasonably long history, and alternative tunings for the instrument have come and gone. You can tune your concert ukulele up in exactly the same way as you would tune up a soprano ukulele (mentioned above), however its best to ease up on the strings a wee bit give them more of a chance to adjust to the higher tension and take the up-tuning slowly, as it will be quite a significant increase in tension because of the increased distance between the nut and the bridge. When A4-D4-F#4-B4 tuning is used on a concert, it is usually used for the same reasons as it is on a soprano - it is thought that this tuning produces a brighter, clearer tone more suited to playing traditional Hawaiian music. The soprano A4-D4-F#4-B4 standard-tuning can be used on the concert ukulele although it is argued by some ukulele players that the soprano tuning increases the string tension too drastically on a concert model, causing the ukulele to be harder to play with a more tense (rather than a classic 'clangy') sound. ConcertĪlternative tunings for the concert ukulele tend to be similar or the same as the soprano alternative tunings, mainly because they are very close in size. Fifths tuning is popular for this effect, with the strings tuned G-D-A-E. Sometimes soprano ukuleles are tuned out of their re-entrant tuning to increase their range or melodic playability. Secondary alternative tunings are not widely used, unless called for by a particular piece of music or ensemble arrangement. For example, country musicians tend to borrow ukulele tunings from the tunings or alternative tunings other instruments like the banjo and the mandolin. There are many other variations on soprano tuning, which are mainly used to compliment different genres or styles of playing.

To tune your E-string up to F#, hold down the 4th fret on your B-string (tuned up C-string).

Holding a finger down on the 2nd fret of your tuned-up G-string will produce a reference 'B', and holding down the 5th fret on your tuned-up G-string will produce a reference 'D'. Once your G-string has been tuned up to A you can tune the other three strings up using G-string reference notes (see Tuning the Ukulele to Itself for more information on how to tune using this method). You can easily tune your ukulele to ADF#B from GCEA, by using your A-string to tune your G-string up to A. You will likely come across this alternative tuning for the soprano, especially if you delve in to playing traditional Hawaiian music. This is because the original Hawaiian ukuleles were a little smaller than the models available today, and so the strings on the earlier instruments were more often tuned ADF#B, as this produced better string-tension. It is thought that the slightly higher key produced by A4-D4-F#4-B4 tuning makes the ukulele sound more traditional or Hawaiian. In the A4-D4-F#4-B4 tuning, each string is tuned one tone higher than with the G4-C4-E4-A4 tuning. Soprano ukuleles are technically supposed to be standard-tuned to A4-D4-F#4-B4, although it is more common these days to see the soprano tuned down to G4-C4-E4-A4 tuning. We encourage you to use our Adjustable Online Ukulele Tuner to help you tune your ukulele to these alternate tunings. It is probable that you will come across music that uses these alternative tunings if you play one of these ukulele types so it is good to become familiar with these tunings even if you are not planning on using them yourself anytime soon. There are several different alternative tunings that are commonly used on the soprano, concert, tenor and baritone ukuleles.

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