How to Tune the Baritone Ukulele

Baritone ukuleles are a little bit like the black sheep of the ukulele family, as they are tuned so differently. If you pick up a baritone ukulele, often it can be very frustrating finding the right advice and the right resources to help you learn to tune it as the vast majority of ukulele stuff is designed with GCEA tuning in mind. The baritone ukulele has the tuning of: D3-G3-B3-E4

Baritone Ukulele Tuning - A4(Hz):440
String Scientific pitch Helmholtz pitch Semitones from Middle C Frequency (Hz)
D D3 d -10 146.83
G G3 g -5 196.00
B B3 b -1 246.94
E E4 e′ 4 329.63

However, there is a trick to the baritone ukulele which will make tuning much easier for you! You may have heard that the baritone ukulele is, in fact, tuned exactly the same as the four highest-pitched strings on the guitar. This is helpful as it means that our Online Guitar Tuner will work just as well for tuning your baritone ukulele! Ignoring the lower E and A-strings, the D-G-B-E tuning notes are exactly what you need in order to tune your baritone ukulele. It gets even better - our Adjustable Online Guitar Tuner allows you to change the notes you tune to, which is super-handy if you are using alternate tuning for your baritone!

If you are not keen on using our guitar tuner to tune your baritone uke, you can use our Online Chromatic Instrument Tuner instead. This tuner will guide you to tune your baritone ukulele to the right note, and you can use it if you have a microphone connected to your computer. It might also pay to check out our guitar tuning articles, to pick up some handy baritone-applicable hints about tuning too.

Alternate Baritone Ukulele Tunings

The standard tuning of the baritone ukulele is non-reentrant. The strings are tuned D3-G3-B3-E4 from low to high, which is exactly the same tuning as the top four strings of the guitar. Some ukulele purists don't think the baritone should be classified as a ukulele for this reason. This is perhaps the main reason why the baritone is alternatively tuned to re-entrant tuning. The baritone can be alternatively re-entrant tuned to G-C-E-A (in accordance with the other three ukulele types), or to D-G-B-E, with the D string an octave higher than non-re-entrant tuning. The G-C-E-A tuning of the baritone ukulele requires a different set of strings to the baritone strings used for standard-tuning, and the high-D tuning of the baritone ukulele requires a different D-string. Some models of baritone ukulele are sold with re-entrant tuned strings, however these models are much rarer than those baritone ukes that are sold tuned to the standard D-G-B-E tuning.

Get-Tuned's Tuner App
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+
Comments (40)
Pages | 1 2

Baritone tuning, PLEASE

I don't know much about the uke, but, I played one a while back and loved it. Now, I have purchased a baritone (2 of them) and have no ideal of what note the strings are, or the chords. Can you help someone like me, who really does not know, but loves music and plays the guitar by ear???

by Kay Stevens Pollock on

Re-entrant intended

So, I just got my baritone and it has a built-in equalizer with a digital tuner. The tuner is preset for the normal D-G-B-E tuning, that allows me to just pick it up, push a button and tune the four strings in order. So, as I’m looking at the Uke, it’s blatantly obvious that the 4th string is half the size of the 3rd string. This makes me think it’s designed to be an octave higher and use re-entrant tuning, but the tuner isn’t set up that way. It’s brand new and still settling in and I was thinking of giving it a try but worry about pulling it too tight when brand new. Since the string is so small, do you think it would survive if I cranked it up an octave? It’s not particularly slack as it is, but I’m curious to try it to see if it was meant to be that way.

by Mike on

Can you tun a Baritone Ukulele to normal ukulele cords
Thank You

by Jarvis Fairbanks on

D String!

I have two really nice baritone ukuleles. Every now and then, that D string just breaks. Not when it’s being played, just snaps and I find it looking sad on its stand. Both ukuleles, same D string. I have been using D’darrio strings because I like the metallic sound. Any thoughts from anyone about why this happens?

by Mike on

Multi instrumentalist

I have a 19 1/4 inch scale baritone uke. I have a violin and mandolin tuned g. D, a ,e. I need strings to tune uke same way. Ive not seen this info. I believe it is possible in the 21st century
Anybody know what set of strings i need. Nylon ok. Thanks. I play in old folks how. Different instruments helps.

by Norman Hooks on

What is wrong with you people

You people are dummies do you know how to think???

by Life is awful on

What is wrong with you people

You people are dummies do you know how to think???

by Life is awful on

musician

Has anyone tuned the baritone DGBD? I have a lot of fun with my Cordoba tuned that way. Also, when I want to sound more like a soprano I used a small capo and it does the job! Nice to meet you all here ;)

by JiCi on

Reverend

Can the Baritone KA-SA-B be restrung to gCEA? I am new to the ukulele and desire to move from my concert to the baritone but am still learning the chords and scales on the standard setup

by Tom Morelli on

I experimented with different tunings. I suggest to buy a classical guitar string set and find the strings from that set that end up giving you a good tension. If you come close, then you can further experiment with different individual guaged strings until you get the result you need.

by Roman on

D string on baritone

Any suggestions on keeping the d string on a baritone ukulele from buzzing. I use nylon, non-wound as I dont like the wound strings, they seem to break easily.

by brock on

I normally play a guitar tuned 1/2 step down and have tried tuning my baritone Uke 1/2 step down to play the same songs in the same keys but have not been able to get it to hold a tune. Any advice on how to successfully tune down a half step?

by Eddie on

I normally play a guitar tuned 1/2 step down and have tried tuning my baritone Uke 1/2 step down to play the same songs in the same keys but have not been able to get it to hold a tune. Any advice on how to successfully tune down a half step?

by Eddie on

A: Use ADGB strings

Use four ADGB strings for both tuning to a lower EADG and also a higher DGBE. note: not all strings can manage that, but i've been lucky with both D'addario bronze and RotoSound purples.

Sizes: w42, w32, w24, 16

by john k on

Is it possible to tune baritone ADGB .?Currently using DGBE and GCEA.

by Sam Russel on

DGCE tuning for baritone

I like best the DGCE tuning for a baritone. Then you have a major third between the highest(sounding) strings. It's like having the middle four strings of a guitar (ADGB) transposed to DGCE. I can make better (jazzier) sounding chords e.i.: 4222(D) 4532(F#dim) 2210(A) 4342(B7) 4232(F#7) 2120(E7). But I've never read anything about it.

by Jan on

My ideal singing key is in the key of F. Is teh alternate tuning to F: F Bflat D G ?

by Gary on

The tenor guitar is tuned in 5ths as Robbie states, but the tuning is usually CGDA, not GDAE.

by Howard on

lower tuning.

Is it possible to use E-A-D-G tuning instead of D-G-B-E tuning on the Baritone Uke. I am already a Bass Guitar player and by doing that I would not have to learn new chords.

by Franklin on

lower tuning.

Is it possible to use E-A-D-G tuning instead of D-G-B-E tuning on the Baritone Uke. I am already a Bass Guitar player and by doing that I would not have to learn new chords.

by Franklin on
Pages | 1 2
Make A Comment
Name:
Email: (Optional)
Title: (Optional)
Comment: