Nearly all modern ukulele tuners are geared using a system known as a worm drive. When a ukulele won’t stay in tune, many players assume there is an issue with the tuners. Your tuning machines probably aren’t the problem The Aquila Nylgut strings that come on many new ukuleles sound great, but nylon or fluorocarbon strings might be more stable and are worth looking into. Hard strummers may want to experiment with different strings. Gentle strummers and fingerstyle players tend not to have as many issues with tuning. Hard strumming causes the strings to stretch, which makes them go flat (drop in pitch). If you’re an aggressive strummer, you’ll notice your uke going out of tune more often. $9.39 Check Current Price Heavy strumming If this happens, simply repeat the whole process again. This should help dramatically, but your uke will probably still drift out of tune as you play. Repeat the process for the other three strings.You don’t need to be timid, but don’t lift the string much further than half an inch off the fretboard Stretch the first string by grabbing it in the middle and gently pulling straight up four or five times.If you want to speed up the settling-in process you can follow this simple stretching routine: Stretch your strings to improve tuning stability This process can take a while depending on the type of strings and how often you play.

It’s completely normal for new strings (or the strings on a new uke) to go out of tune frequently as they “settle in.” This isn’t the sign of cheap or defective strings-it’s just the way uke strings are!Įventually, your strings will stop stretching and will require less frequent tuning. This quality is what gives the uke its sweet harp-like tone, but it also means that new strings will continue stretching for a while before they stabilize.

Most ukulele strings are made of a synthetic material that is extremely stretchy. There are a few reasons why a uke won’t stay in tune, but most of the time it’s the strings. In most cases it only takes a minute to fix the issue. Is your new ukulele not staying in tune? Or maybe you just put on a new set of strings and are having trouble getting the strings to stay in tune?ĭon’t worry! Ukulele tuning problems are very common.

Six string uke tuner