Today, I’m going to look at how often you need to tune your ukulele.
You may have heard the horror stories about ukuleles needing tuned every 5-minutes. The good news is that this is typically only true when new strings are installed and haven’t “settled in” yet.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s back up and start with the basics…
How Often You Should Tune a Ukulele
In general, ukuleles should be tuned at the beginning of every playing session or when it begins to sound out of tune. Ukuleles may need retuned in the middle of a session if you’re playing for longer than 30-60 minutes or if the strings are new. New strings may need retuned every 5-15 minutes until they “settle-in”.
Tuning at the beginning of each session is the rule of thumb that most ukulele players would agree with.
But…
If your strings are already settled and they sound okay, then you can probably get away with less frequent tuning. Especially if you’re a hobbyist just playing for fun.
Do You Have to Tune a Ukulele Every Day?
If you play your ukulele every day, then it’s best to tune it every day, at the beginning of each session. With that said, You don’t need to tune your ukulele if you’re not going to play it, or if your ukulele sounds in tune and you’re not performing for an audience.
Personally, if I’m just picking up my ukulele to play a quick tune for my daughter, I’m probably not going to bother tuning unless it sounds very off. And settled ukulele strings can actually hold a tune for a pretty long time (like a week if you’re only playing occasionally).
You might be surprised to hear me say that a uke can hold it’s tune for so long. And that’s fair, because ukuleles have gotten a bit notorious for being hard to keep in tune.
So before we go any farther, let’s take a moment to talk about WHY ukuleles go out of tune so quickly.
Why Do Ukuleles Go Out of Tune so Quickly?
All stringed instruments have a tendency to go out of tune over time. Just the act of playing the instrument makes the tuning drift. And environmental factors like humidity and temperature all have an effect on an instrument’s tuning.
But ukuleles have a reputation for being particularly difficult to keep in tune, even compared to other stringed instruments. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable reasons for that:
1. Ukuleles Have Nylon Strings
Ukuleles usually use either nylon or a nylon blend for their strings and nylon is notoriously springy and elastic – especially when it’s new. That means that new strings will stretch, and this stretching changes the note at which the strings resonate (i.e. shifting the tuning).
That’s why new nylon strings need to be tuned extra often. And in my opinion, this one fact is responsible for the majority of tuning frequency issues that people face (especially beginners who are often playing on new strings and new instruments).
2. Loose Knots
Ukulele strings are attached by tying a knot around the tuning pegs. These knots can get loose, especially when strings are new. And as you can imagine, if these knots loose tension, then the strings will also lose tension (which shifts the tuning).
If your ukulele is going out of tune a lot, it’s a good idea to tug on the knots with a pair of needle-nosed pliers to get them as tight as possible.
3. Instrument Quality and Weak Tuners
Not all ukuleles are created equal. Ukuleles can be made out of a wide range of different woods and materials. Some of these materials can be prone to going out of tune rather easily.
Generally speaking, cheap ukuleles don’t hold their tune as well as premium ukes. With some cheaper ukuleles, you can literally watch the strings falling out of tune!
The same can be said about the quality of the tuning pegs (also called tuners). Poor-quality tuners made out of weak metals aren’t going to keep your instrument in tune.
Some types of tuning pegs also need tuned more frequently. I don’t use this type personally, but I’ve heard that “friction” tuning pegs require more regular tuning. If you’ve never seen a friction tuner before, those tuning pegs usually poke out the back of the headstock, instead of pointing out the sides like most uke tuning pegs do.
4. Improper Winding
Loose knots aren’t the only thing that can cause a ukulele to slip out of tune. Improperly wound strings can also cause a ukulele to lose its tuning.
Winding ukulele strings can be tricky – but it’s important. To make sure your ukulele stays as in-tune as possible make sure to wind the strings from the inside out.
That means you start at the inside and wind towards the edges of the headstock.
5. Intonation Problems
If your ukulele seems to go out of tune the further up the neck you go, that could be a sign of even bigger problems.
Intonation problems tend to be some of the most severe issues an instrument can have. An intonation problem can be caused by anything from a warped neck to a loose bridge to uneven frets.
If you have a tuning problem that you just can’t figure out, it might be worth taking your ukulele into a music shop to have an expert take a look. For cheaper ukes, there might not be much you can do to fix it.
But some ukuleles might be able to be fixed by making adjustments. For example, some larger ukuleles have truss rods built in, which allows you (or a pro) to make some adjustments.
How to Keep a Ukulele in Tune (4 Tips)
Now, if you’re getting sick of tuning (and retuning) your ukulele, here are a few tips that can help you keep your uke in tune longer.
1. Tune Up A Semitone
This is a rather controversial tip, but some ukulele aficionados swear by it. If your ukulele keeps going out of tune, tuning each string up a semitone stretches the strings tighter, which will help them become more stable more quickly.
If you’re going to try this trick, try tuning your ukulele up a semitone overnight. This will help age your strings more quickly while still keeping a consistent tension on the body and neck.
2. Try a Different Type of Strings
Nylon strings are actually only one of several types of ukulele strings available.
Other popular options include flourocarbon and a material called “Nylgut” or “Nyltech”. These are all still plastic strings, but they both actually hold a tune better than regular nylon strings.
Each string material also produces a slightly different tune, so it can be really interesting to experiment with a few different types. Check out my uke string materials guide to learn more about your options.
3. Play A Lot
As I mentioned earlier, newer ukulele strings tend to go out of tune faster than older ones. The fastest, easiest, and most reliable way to get a ukulele to hold a tuning is to play a lot of ukulele!
Keep in mind, you might need to tune as you’re playing especially when the strings are new. If the tuning starts to slip, simply pause and re-tune and resume playing! This will happen less and less frequently the more that you play.
And once those strings settle-in, then you’re going to have to worry about tuning a lot less.
4. Get A Clip-On Tuner
Okay, I admit, this won’t really keep your uke in tune.
BUT – it will make tuning easier when you do have to do it.
Clip-on tuners attach directly to your ukulele’s headstock, so you can quickly put it back in tune when that inevitably happens.
How to Break In New Ukulele Strings
There are a few schools of thought as to how to break in ukulele strings. Some advise playing normally but regularly. Others recommend putting the strings through the paces, trying out every bend and slide you’ve got in your arsenal.
You’ll want to experiment and let trial-and-error decide which approach works best for you and your ukulele.
But the basic concept is the same as we’ve covered above. As you use your ukulele strings, they’ll stretch out, and once they’ve stretched as far as they can, they’ll “settle” and won’t go out of tune as quickly anymore.
That’s when ukulele strings are considered “broken in”.
How to Tune a Ukulele
Now, if you’ve decided it’s time to tune your ukulele, but haven’t learned the easy way to do it yet, then I recommend watching the below tutorial.
It’s less than 5-minutes long, and is a really straightforward guide for beginners. Enjoy!