Low G Ukulele FAQ

Both a standard ukulele and a low G ukulele are tuned to GCEA, starting from the top string. (My preferred mnemonic for remembering that is Good Children Eat Asparagus.)

The difference between the two is in the octaves. The G on the first string of a standard uke actually falls between the E and the A string in pitch, making it the second highest string. You’ll often see standard uke tuning written as “gCEA” to indicate that the G doesn’t follow a low-to-high order.

When stringed instruments have strings that are tuned in something other than low-to-high order, it is called re-entrant tuning. 5-string banjos, lap steel guitars, and many traditional instruments from around the world like the sitar have re-entrant tuning.

The G on the first string of a low G uke is the lowest note on the instrument. It is one full octave lower than the G string on a standard uke. The low-to-high string order makes it more like a guitar in standard tuning.

A low G ukulele can play 5 additional lower notes that you can’t play on a standard uke. (G, G#, A, A#, and B)

That may not seem like much, but consider that a standard uke only has 14 notes available in first position. Adding those 5 extra notes expands this range by more than a third. A low G uke has a wider range and can more easily play in several different keys.

Here’s a look at how the notes are laid out on the neck. The red notes on the high G diagram are the doubled notes. They sound exactly the same regardless of where you play them, while the notes in the same places on a low G uke are an octave apart.

The re-entrant tuning of a standard uke gives it that iconic “island” sound that instantly transports you to a Hawaiian beach for a luau, and many advanced players can do amazing things with it.

But if you are looking at ukulele as a first instrument for yourself or a child, low G is a great starting point that is more intuitive to learn than high G uke. There’s a wider variety of beginner and intermediate songs to learn, and (bonus!) it can serve as a great transition instrument to guitar.

Nope! Both instruments are tuned to have a G on the top string and CEA on the next three, so any chord shapes you know will work just the same. They’ll just sound a little different because the top string is lowered by an octave.

Likewise, any melodies you already know using the CEA strings will still work because those strings haven’t changed at all. Simple melodies on a standard uke usually don’t cross onto the G string because those notes are more easily accessed on the E and A strings.

However, more advanced melodies and fingerpicking styles for gCEA tuning that take advantage of the re-entrant tuning for a unique sound won’t work quite the same.

Low G is a bit of a trade-off: you gain access to a wider variety of music on an instrument that is easier to pick up and learn than a guitar, but you sacrifice some of what makes a ukulele unique. Luckily, no one is locking you in a box and saying you can only own and play one style of uke. You can do both!

There are three main factors that make ukuleles (both standard and low G) great first instruments for kids:

1. Ukes are great for small hands and are widely available in three different sizes to suit young learners of all ages.
2. Ukes use nylon (or similar) strings and have relatively low string tension, making them easy on little fingers.
3. Ukes are cheap! You can easily get one that will be usable for years for under $50.

Starting kids in music early on any instrument is great for a variety of developmental reasons. The most benefit, though, comes from starting them on an instrument that is comfortable and easy to play so they will feel like they are making rapid progress and stick with it. Ukuleles are among the best starter instruments in that regard.

Why low G uke instead of standard uke for kids? A low G uke is more intuitive for young learners; it is more versatile for playing simple melodies; and it is a great transition instrument to guitar. (See other FAQ answers for more details.)

For anyone who wants to learn guitar, young or old, ukuleles are a much less intimidating entry point. With only four strings to worry about instead of six, there’s a lot more you can do with one or two fingers. You will need to learn three-finger chords early on, but four-finger chords and the dreaded barre chords are much less common and easier to work around.

While the tunings of the instruments are different, they are actually similar in a very important way. The distance between the notes (the intervals) of the strings of a low G ukulele are the same as the distance between the notes on the highest four strings of a guitar. A ukulele is just 2 1/2 steps higher in pitch than a guitar.

That’s a fancy way of saying that the same chord shapes work on each instrument, though the names of the chords the shapes represent will differ.

So a G chord on guitar that requires three fingers:

Becomes the much easier to play C chord on ukulele:

And a three-finger C chord on guitar:

Becomes a two-finger F chord on ukulele:

The list of parallel chord shapes goes on for quite a while, and the same principle applies to scale shapes. A ukulele is, after all, a small guitar. Or maybe a guitar is just a big ukulele? Either way, when you learn to play one, you’re developing skills that will allow you to quickly pick up the other and have some fun.

Short answer: No.

If you are buying a budget uke (or even a moderately-priced, decent uke), you can absolutely put a low G string on it with no, or very small, noticeable ill effects.

Long answer: If you plan to buy or already happen to own a finely-made, hand-crafted uke that was originally hundreds of even thousands of dollars, throwing a low G string on it might not be the best idea unless it was specifically designed for it.

A thicker string tuned down an octave will have a different tension that will put a strain (or lack of strain) on the instrument that it wasn’t designed for. The difference might not seem like a lot, but if you’ve put a lot of money into a nice uke that was made for traditional tuning, low G tuning can mess with the intonation (how in tune the notes are up and down the neck). And there’s a chance these changes could become permanent. If you leave a nice uke in low G for a long time, the wood may change shape ever-so-slightly and prevent proper intonation in any tuning.

Better to spend $50 or less on a cheap uke to experiment rather than potentially damaging something expensive. If the tuning affects the intonation slightly, well, cheap ukes tend to have less than perfect intonation anyway.

If you try to tune your standard high G string down to low G, you’re going to end up with a really loose uke string that probably won’t sound like much of anything at all. The pitch of a string is a function of its tension as well as its thickness and material, so you will need a thicker string to produce a low G note.

To achieve low G tuning, you can buy a full set of strings, just the low G string, or if you happen to already play guitar and have one lying around, you can use a D string from an acoustic guitar, even if it’s an old one.

The first time I put my uke in low G, I waited until I needed to change the strings on my acoustic guitar, took the old D string, cut it down a bit, and threw it on. It sounded fine and lasted me a long time.

If you are looking for a ukulele online, you’ve likely seen the terms “soprano,” “concert,” and “tenor.” You might have even seen a “baritone,” though they are much less common.

Despite the names, the only one that is different in terms of pitch is the baritone. Soprano, concert, and tenor are the small, medium, and large of the uke world, and they all will arrive with exactly the same tuning.

I play a tenor. My 9-year-old has a soprano, though at one point when she was a little younger, she preferred my tenor and would play it regularly. Now she claims she doesn’t like it and only plays the soprano.

If I’m buying a uke for an adult, I’m probably buying a tenor. Anything smaller is going to feel cramped. Sopranos and concerts are great options for kids, but a tenor won’t be uncomfortably large if you want to buy something they can use for many years. The difference between a soprano and a tenor is only four or five inches in length.

There are some differences in tone and brightness between the three sizes of uke, and you can find YouTube videos that compare them, but if you’re just starting out, the differences probably won’t mean much to you anyway. Go with the size that will be most comfortable.

And just like the differences in tuning, someone who is really wants to stick to traditional gCAE tuning might be similarly stubborn about size, preferring a soprano with its brighter tone despite its small size.

Yes! My current tenor is a RockJam that cost me $40 – with a soft case, tuner, and extra strings included. My 9-year-old has the same kit in soprano size. Would I go on the road and perform with it? Nope. Do I plan to upgrade some day? Yep. Do I regret buying both the tenor and the soprano during COVID so we had something to do? Not for one second. Music is a hobby for me, and I love adding new instruments to my collection without breaking the bank.

If you’re considering a cheap uke, just make sure it’s not meant to be a toy or souvenir. If it comes with a case and a tuner (and doesn’t have exclusively negative reviews online), it’s an actual instrument and will be good enough for now even if it costs next to nothing.

Whether or not you use a pick and what type of pick is mostly a matter of personal preference and the type of music you plan to play. If you want to play a more traditional style of uke using fingerpicking, then obviously you don’t need a pick at all.

But if you’re like me and you prefer using a pick, here’s a breakdown of the various types I use for ukulele:

• Felt (or Leather): My go-to for playing bass guitar, felt picks are great for producing a tone similar to playing with your bare fingers. On a uke, they are perfect for strumming, but they can be used for slower precision picking as well — a great option for many beginner and intermediate chord-melody arrangements. The biggest issue is speed. I have always struggled to pick up-tempo tunes with a felt pick. Too much friction and too clumsy.
• Medium-Gauge Plastic: The pick I reach for most for uke lately is probably the most common type of pick out there: plain-old medium-gauge plastic. It has just the right amount of spring for my style of playing. You can pick accurately and with some speed, but you also produce a nice tone for chords with a controlled strum. They’re a great starting point if you’ve never used a pick before.
• Thick-Gauge Plastic: When I play electric guitar, I’m almost always using a 1.5mm Dunlop Max-Grip. A thicker pick is great for precision and speed, and they can be used for a bit of careful strumming as well. The thicker plastic creates a rounder, fuller tone, and it tends to reduce the brightness of a uke. I’ve been meaning to try the .73mm version of these Dunlops as well. They might just be the perfect middle ground pick that I can use across multiple instruments.
• Specialty Picks: The last pick I use occasionally on uke is the Dunlop 1.3mm Primetone, my standard pick for playing mandolin. The shape is specifically designed for fast, precise picking. The rounded nose and sculpted edges help the pick slide off the string quickly after the initial attack, which is important on mandolin with its paired sets of strings. You need to be able to pick through both in a single, quick motion. I don’t love these for uke personally, but if you’re finding your pick sticking as you try to play through a single string, this style may be for you.

Remember: there’s no wrong choice. Experiment a bit to find a pick that works for you now, but don’t be afraid to keep trying new things or circling back to something old. Sometimes switching to a different pick can completely change the way you play and help you progress as a player.