What you need to get started
A ukulele and a clip-on tuner. That's it. No music theory, no reading music, no expensive lessons. The ukulele's four strings and re-entrant tuning make chord shapes accessible within the first hour.
A concert or tenor ukulele in solid mahogany or laminate
£40–80 for a playable starter ukuleleSoprano (smallest) is traditional but has a narrower neck, which some beginners find tight for fingering. Concert (slightly larger, 23 inches) is the best beginner size: easier to play, good tone. Tenor is larger still, with a richer sound, slightly more guitar-like. Brands: Kala, Lanikai, Fender Fullerton. Avoid very cheap ukuleles (under £30): they often can't stay in tune.
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A clip-on chromatic tuner
£6–12 for a clip-on tunerTune before every practice session. A ukulele that's out of tune trains the ear incorrectly and sounds unpleasant. Clip-on tuners (Snark, D'Addario NS) attach to the headstock and detect the string vibration directly. Alternatively: the GuitarTuna or ukulele-specific apps on your phone are free and accurate.
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Standard tuning
G C E A: the four open strings
- G (4th string, nearest your chin): Re-entrant G: this string is higher in pitch than the C string, which is the unusual feature of standard ukulele tuning. It's what gives the ukulele its characteristic cheerful, bright sound.
- C (3rd string): The lowest-pitched string on a standard soprano or concert ukulele. C4, middle C.
- E (2nd string): E4, the same E as the 1st string of a guitar at the 5th fret.
- A (1st string, nearest the floor): A4, the highest-pitched string; the same as the open 1st string on a guitar tuned down a fifth.
Memory aid: 'Good Charlie Eats A-lot', or 'Gummy Cats Eat Apples'. Tune each string to these pitches using your tuner before every session.
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