Tunings

G4 · C4 · E4 · A4. Reentrant: G sits above C. Default for soprano, concert, and many tenors.

G3 · C4 · E4 · A4. Linear range — better for bass motion and some classical/fingerstyle. Chord shapes match high G; the open G note is an octave lower.

Hear the difference (site audio only — your physical uke stays as strung):

Play open G · high G Play open G · low G

Prefer low-G MIDI for this browser (all pages that use the uke engine)

Campanella sparkle and traditional Hawaiian strums favour high G. Walking bass and some classical lines favour low G. Diagrams never change.

A whole step up from GCEA. Brighter and slightly tighter; common in older method books and in some Hawaiian playing. Every shape stays the same and sounds a step higher — the C shape gives you D, the F shape gives you G.

Tuning up puts real extra tension on the strings and the top. It is fine on an instrument strung for it, and a bad idea as an experiment on a cheap soprano with old strings. Tuning down is the safe direction.

The highest four strings of a guitar, at guitar pitch. Shapes from this room still work but sound a fourth lower than the diagram says: the C shape is a G chord, the F shape is a C. Use the guitar room's chord names and treat the diagrams here as fingerings. More on choosing: Sizes · the baritone exception.

Tuning	Strings	Shapes	A C shape sounds	Diagrams here
Standard, high G	G4 C4 E4 A4	—	C	Correct as printed
Low G	G3 C4 E4 A4	Identical	C	Correct as printed
D tuning	A4 D4 F#4 B4	Identical	D	Fingerings right, names a step low
Baritone	D3 G3 B3 E4	Identical	G	Fingerings right, names a fourth high

The useful pattern: a shape is a set of intervals, not a chord. Retuning never changes the shape or the interval it makes — it only changes which letter that shape answers to. That is the same reason a capo works, and why one grip on Movable shapes is worth ten memorised chords.