Can you use a guitar tuner for a ukulele?
Yes, you can use a guitar tuner for a ukulele. But you have to find a proper guitar tuner, such as a clip-on tuner.
This is the most versatile guitar tuner and you can tune a ukulele with it. If you have both guitar and ukulele, clip-on tuners are very useful.
Different types of guitar tuners
You can’t use every guitar tuner for a ukulele, so you need to know about different types of guitar tuners.
#1. Pedal tuners
To use pedal tuners, you have to plug them into the guitar. You won’t need a microphone to use these tuners. Acoustic instruments like the ukulele have nowhere to plug tuners in.
Thus, you can’t use pedal tuners for your ukulele. These tuners are only suitable for electric or electric acoustic guitars
#2. Non-chromatic guitar tuners
Non-chromatic guitar tuners will recognize the string you are playing and its pitch. Manufacturers specifically design these tuners for guitars.
So, using them for your ukulele is impossible. Non-chromatic guitar tuners are also not suitable for beginners. They are difficult to use.
#3. Chromatic tuner
Different from non-chromatic tuners, chromatic tuners will listen to all notes you play. Then, it will or show which note is closest to the desired pitch.
With these tuners, you can know whether your string is flat or sharp. Chromatic tuners are for guitar tuning only, so you can’t tune your ukulele with them too.
#4. Clip-on chromatic tuners
These are the best tuners that you should buy. Clip-on chromatic tuners work by assessing the sound vibration.
Therefore, you can use them for all string instruments. That means besides all types of guitars, you can use these tuners for ukulele, violin, and so on.
To use a clip-on chromatic tuner, you will clip it on the head of your instrument. It will feel the note you are playing based on the vibration.
This type of tuner is not only versatile but also very durable. You can use a clip-on chromatic tuner for years and only need to change the batteries.
Other methods to tune your ukulele
Besides using tuners, there are some other methods to tune your ukulele. You can tune it with a keyboard or online ukulele tuners.
#1. Using a keyboard
A keyboard can produce fixed pitches for you to compare to tune your ukulele.
There are 4 notes on your ukulele: C, G, E, and A. To tune with a keyboard, you have to find these notes on the keyboard.
It is easy if you are familiar with the keyboard. If not, it is also not a problem. First, find note C on the middle key of the keyboard. Count this key as number 1. Note G is the fifth white key above note C. Note E and note A are respectively the third and the sixth white key above note C.
#2. Using online ukulele tuners
Thanks to the development of technology, you can tune your ukulele online or by tuner apps.
To do this method, open the online tuning websites, or download the tuner app to your smartphone. You can choose either the online tuner will listen to your playing, or it plays and you listen.
In the first case, you will open the app/website and play a note. The app will listen through the microphone and indicate whether the string is in tune, flat or sharp. According to that, you can adjust your string.
In the second case, you will listen to the app playing a note and make the string match this sound. You may have to loosen or tighten the string several times to make it in tune.
Online tuners are convenient and easy to use. However, they require an internet connection and a quiet space
Final Words
In conclusion, you can tune your ukulele with a guitar tuner, as long as it is a clip-on tuner. Besides, a keyboard or online tuners can also help you tune your ukulele. We hope that these methods will be useful for you.
When tuning your ukulele.
