It isn’t uncommon for an experienced ukulele player to tune their instrument by ear. However, less experienced players who do not know exactly what they are listening for, or more commonly musicians that want to make sure they are absolutely in tune, will opt for a ukulele tuner.
Here’s what to look for in a ukulele tuner: you should know that there is a large range of different types of tuners on the market that all offer different features.
Chromatic vs Non-Chromatic
A non-chromatic tuner is one that would be used to tune your ukulele to standard tuning only (gCEA and nothing else). For example, when you play an A, the tuner will notice that you want to tune this specific string, and will tell you how close the string currently is to being in tune (often via a needle-like gauge display).
A chromatic tuner will show you the tuner to the closest semitone (the note which is one step up or one step down). This allows you to utilise a chromatic tuner to get your ukulele into different tunings than say, gCEA. Non-chromatic tuners are usually cheaper and suit the needs of a lot of players perfectly.
Clip-Ons
Clip-on ukulele tuners are extremely common. They are named so because they simply clip on to the top of the neck of your instrument. They use a small built-in microphone to interpret vibrations from the instrument. Clip-on tuners are great if you are looking for something that is small, light, and relatively inexpensive. They are ideal for applications such as gigging, or simply leaving on top of your ukulele for the ultimate ease of use.
Pedal Tuners
If you happen to be the owner of an electric ukulele, you could choose to use a pedal tuner to get your instrument sounding great. These work by plugging the output jack from your ukulele into a pedal instead of an amplifier, as you might normally. Pedal tuners could be particularly handy if you play ukulele at concerts/events, since they have an output jack that can be wired into your setup permanently for the duration of your playing – allowing you to make sure you are always in tune with ease.
If you would like even more features in your ukulele tuner, these are available. Some ukulele tuners offer features such as metronomes and playback of notes.
In order to make sure that you select the best ukulele tuner, you should identify whether or not your instrument is electric or not first of all – this is the most important factor when deciding which tuner is best to buy for your instrument. Second of all, you should consider where you plan to use your new ukulele tuner most, i.e. if it will be used primarily to play at concerts and events, or for home use. Finally, you should consider what type and size of ukulele you have and how loud it is. For example, if it is small and relatively quiet, a clip-on tuner may be more useful and convenient. However, if it is larger and fairly loud, a nice chromatic tuner may be a better option for your instrument.
