# Foundations

Know the instrument, tune it, hear the open strings, and meet the **capo** before you stack chords.
Four strings, nylon, **GCEA**. Shared harmony: [Western theory](/sangeet-yatra/theory/western/).

## Parts and hold

Body against you, neck slightly up. Fretting tips; right hand near the soundhole (index strum or *pima*).

## Standard tuning — G C E A

| String | Name |
|---|---|
| 4 | G · G4 (high G) |
| 3 | C · C4 |
| 2 | E · E4 |
| 1 | A · A4 |

“My dog has fleas.” Use the [shared tuner](/sangeet-yatra/tools/guitar-tuner.html?i=ukulele&t=high-g); the Open
buttons on the HTML page are a pitch reference.

By ear, once the tuner has you close — three checks, each a fretted note against an open string:

- C string fret 4 = open E
- E string fret 5 = open A
- G string fret 2 = open A (the reentrant G sits two frets below the A string)

Play the pair together and listen for the wobble; when it stops, you are in tune. New nylon strings
will not hold pitch for a day or two — tune, play a minute, tune again.

See [Sizes](sizes.md) for high G vs low G and [Tunings](tunings.md) for alternatives.

## Open strings on the neck

Each fret is one half step — the same twelve-note grid as piano. A finger just behind the fret, not on
top of the metal, keeps the note clean.

On standard high-G the string nearest the ceiling is not the lowest note — the C string is. In string
order the four sound G–C–E–A: up, down, then up again. That dip is why ukulele chords sound bright and
close, and why "low on the instrument" does not mean "nearest the ceiling" when you read TAB.

## When it buzzes or thuds

| What you hear | What it is | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rattle or fret buzz | Finger too far behind the fret | Move the fingertip up against the fret wire |
| Dead thud | Not enough pressure, or the pad instead of the tip | Fret on the tip, nail short, thumb behind the neck |
| One string silent in a chord | A neighbouring finger leaning on it | Stand the fingers up steeper; check each string alone |
| Sharp, sour notes | Squeezing — nylon bends under pressure | Least pressure that gives a clean note |

Press less than you think; place closer to the fret than you think.

## Capo

A capo clamps across a fret and shortens every string, so open shapes sound in a new key. Capo at
fret 2 + the one-finger C shape sounds like **D major**; capo 2 + G shapes sound like A major. Snug,
just behind the fret — nylon goes sharp under a heavy clamp.

## Tablatures — How to read tabs

**TAB is a grid.** Four lines — **A** on top, then E, C, G. Read left to right; digits are frets; `0` is open. Stacked numbers in one column = strum together.

**Letters and marks** (same as guitar TAB): **h** / **p**, slides, **b**, vibrato, **x**, harmonics, **D** / **U**.

Example on A: `---3---h---5---p---3---`. All open strings, G across to A, written the TAB way (each `0` is the next string, not a chord):

```
A|-------------0--
E|---------0------
C|-----0----------
G|-0--------------
```

Hear them with **Play all open strings** on the HTML page. Match pitches to the open-string neck (reentrant G).

Rhythm, lead-sheet letters, and staff reading continue on [Reading](reading.md).

## Ready when

- All four open strings match the tuner, and the three by-ear checks (C fret 4 = E, E fret 5 = A, G fret 2 = A) stop wobbling.
- You can explain why the G string sounds above C, and read the open-string TAB (A on top, G at the bottom).
- A single note at any fret rings clean: fingertip just behind the fret, least pressure, no buzz or thud.
- Capo at fret 2 on the one-finger C shape sounds like D major, and you clamp it without going sharp.