Alternate Ukulele Tunings

All Ukuleles are tuned G-C-E-A, right?

Well the answer to that is ‘lots of ukuleles are tuned G-C-E-A, but they don’t have to be’. There are in fact many alternate tunings but this article is designed to allow players to take some simple first steps into exploring Alternate Ukulele Tunings as part of solo play.

Preface

I have been playing ukulele for about six years having never played an instrument before. I play in a band consisting of guitars, bass and ukuleles (we all play acoustically). Like many new uke players I bought one, then I bought another, then I bought … you know what I mean! Looking back, one of the main factors behind these purchases was how each new uke looked - there are some great looking instruments out there.

After a while I realised that any number of decent quality, lovely looking ukuleles strung and tuned in the same way tended to sound a little similar (I’m excluding ukulele banjos here!). So, after a couple of years of selling and buying I now have arrived at a collection that is designed to give me a range of different sounds and tones, not different looks.

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Alternate Ukulele TuningsMy first step - a mix of different stringing options, consisting of:

• Fluke 4 string - High G• Ohana 4 string - High G• Ohana 5 string - High & Low G• Ohana 8 string - mix of Octave and Unison courses• Ohana 10 (steel) string - mix of Octave and Unison courses

The above gives me a good sound and tonal variety as a starting point.

My second step - in addition to the above, a mix of different tuning options, consisting of:

• Fluke 4 string - Bb• Ohana 4 string - D• Ohana 5 string - C• Ohana 8 string - C• Ohana 10 (steel) string - D

I also augment the above by using a ukulele capo, e.g. a capo at the first fret of a D tuned ukulele allows me to play in Eb tuning, a capo at the second fret of a D tuned ukulele allows me to play in E tuning.

At this point it is worth saying that whilst C (G-C-E-A) probably is the most common tuning today it has not always been. In the first half of the 20th century the most common tuning was probably D (A-D-F#-B). In Canada today that still is probably the most common tuning - and where does James Hill come from?

In the tunings I use there is a whole step / a tone difference between each of the corresponding strings across the ukuleles.

Bb tuning is F-Bb-D-G: which you can achieve with the use of any electronic tuner (it may well need to be in ‘Chromatic’ mode).

What you are doing here is taking a little bit of tension out of the strings so that the sound is more mellow. I particularly like this tuning when playing chord arpeggios and it also makes playing barre chords on the first couple of frets much easier. I also find that it suits my voice.

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Alternate Ukulele TuningsC tuning is G-C-E-A: nothing wrong with it, but hey, live a little and try something else!

D tuning is: A-D-F#-B: which you can achieve with the use of any electronic tuner (many tuners will have C or D tuning as the primary selectable options).

What you are doing here is putting a bit more more tension into the strings compared to C tuning so the sound is brighter - in fact the more I play with a D tuned ukulele the more I prefer it to a C tuned ukulele.

I should say that I can happily play a song in the key of D on a C tuned ukulele but I’ve always found the resultant sound quite dull. Play the same song on a D tuned ukulele and I think it comes to life.

Now, if you like the idea of the above but the thought of learning all those new chord shapes is just too much, here’s the really good news.

All the benefits of the above are achievableWITHOUT LEARNING ANY NEW CHORD SHAPES.

Absolutely. Definitely.

If you know your chord shapes for G-C-E-A tuning you already know the chord shapes for other tunings (as long as you keep the relationship between the strings the same).

Put simply, the same set of chord shapes played on differently tuned ukuleles will allow you to play different chords and therefore in different keys. The ‘input’ (chord shapes, not names) stays the same, the ‘output’ (chords and keys) is what changes.

If you watch old footage of a George Formby show he changes ukulele between songs a lot of the time - he’s taking this approach, although he’s most likely using a wider variety of tunings than outlined here. Also, just recently I saw Mary Chapin-Carpenter taking this same approach with guitars in her live show (she even explained it to the audience!).

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Alternate Ukulele TuningsReturning to the first half of the 20th centre again to illustrate this, it was common for published sheet music to include information for ukulele accompaniment. The instrument was so popular for making music at home publishers saw a market opportunity and took it.

The following examples show that the emphasis of the information provided is the tuning and the chord shape - no definition of the chord itself.

1. Souvenirs - Eb tuning and associated chord shapes.

Note that what we typically think of in C tuning as a C chord (0003) is in fact an Eb chord in this tuning (first chord played).

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Alternate Ukulele Tunings

2A & B. Ukulele Lady - C tuning and associated chord shapes.

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Alternate Ukulele TuningsConclusion

After some time experimenting with alternate tunings, in both solo and group situations (although more care needs to be taken in group situations), I could not now imagine playing in the same tuning all the time.

I have enjoyed both the musical understanding and development aspects of doing this as well as the increased variety in both sound and tone that alternate tunings, in conjunction with different stringing options, have given me. I would encourage anyone to give it a try - with or without the different stringing option that I have the luxury of.

Alan Thatcher, August 2017

P.S.That’s not me!

Authors note - take your time retuning from GCEA to ADF#B, gradually increasing the tension on the strings rather than trying to achieve D tuning in one go. If you are in any doubt as to whether your strings and or instrument will accommodate this tuning, be sure to consult with a reputable music store / the manufacturers.

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