Should I use high-G or low-G on my ukulele?

High-G is the classic, jangly ukulele sound and what most beginner songs and chord charts assume, so start there. Low-G swaps the high g string for one tuned an octave lower, giving you a deeper range and a smoother, more guitar-like sound that suits fingerpicking and solo melody playing. Neither is right or wrong — high-G if you want the bright, traditional strum, low-G if you want extra low notes. You only need a single low-G string (often wound) to switch, not a whole new set.

What are ukulele strings made of?

Most ukulele strings are a soft synthetic rather than metal. Clear nylon is the warm, mellow classic. Fluorocarbon is denser and thinner for the same pitch, giving a brighter, louder tone with more sustain and shrugging off humidity changes. Nylgut (Aquila's white string) imitates old-fashioned gut for a punchy, traditional sound. Low-G strings are often metal-wound over a synthetic core to get that low pitch at a playable thickness.

How often should I change ukulele strings?

For regular players, every three to six months is a good rhythm; lighter players can go a year. Change them sooner if they sound dull and lifeless, won't hold their tuning, look discoloured or grooved where they meet the frets, or feel rough under your fingers. Strings don't usually snap on a ukulele — they just quietly go dead, so trust your ears as much as the calendar.

Why do new ukulele strings keep going out of tune?

Synthetic strings stretch a lot when they're new, and that stretch is what pulls them flat over and over for the first few days. It's completely normal. Speed it up by gently tugging each string away from the fretboard a few times after fitting it, then retuning — repeat over a day or two. Within about a week the stretch settles and the strings hold their pitch like normal.

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Ukulele strings

Four little strings, and somehow a surprising number of choices hiding behind them. Should the top string be high-G or low-G? Is fluorocarbon worth it over plain nylon? How often should you swap them, and how do you actually restring the thing without it going hopelessly out of tune? This page answers all of that in plain English — no string-snob jargon, just what a beginner needs to pick the right set and put it on properly.

The four strings, and a quirk worth knowing

A standard ukulele is tuned g–C–E–A, low to high as you read them left to right — except that’s a little white lie. On the most common setup, that g string is actually the second-highest in pitch, not the lowest. So when you strum down, the notes don’t rise neatly from bottom to top. That deliberate jumble is called re-entrant tuning, and it’s exactly what gives the ukulele its bright, chiming, “ukulele” sound.

String	Note	Where it sits in pitch
g (4th)	G	high — just below the A string
C (3rd)	C	the lowest note on a high-G uke
E (2nd)	E	middle
A (1st)	A	the highest

Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles all share this g–C–E–A tuning, so a set for one will tune to the same notes on another — only the string length differs. (The baritone is the odd one out, tuned D–G–B–E like the top four guitar strings, and needs its own set.) New to tuning entirely? Start with how to tune a ukulele.

High-G vs low-G — the big choice

This is the decision people agonise over, so let’s make it simple. The only string that changes is the g. Everything else stays put.

	High-G (re-entrant)	Low-G (linear)
The g string is…	high, above the C and E strings in pitch	an octave lower — the deepest string
Sound	bright, jangly, classic “ukulele”	fuller, warmer, more guitar-like
Best for	strumming, traditional songs, sing-alongs	fingerpicking, melody & solo playing
Range	compact and chimey	extra low notes underneath
Chord shapes	identical	identical — nothing to relearn

The crucial detail: your chord shapes don’t change at all. Low-G just deepens the bottom string, so every chart on this site still works. If you mostly strum and sing, stay with high-G — it’s what beginner songbooks assume. If you’re drawn to fingerpicking and want a richer low end, try low-G. You don’t even need a whole new set: you can buy a single low-G string (often metal-wound to reach that pitch at a playable thickness) and swap just that one.

Which do I have? Pluck the g string on its own, then the C string. If g sounds higher than C, you’re on high-G. If g sounds clearly lower and deeper than everything else, that’s low-G.

What strings are made of

Ukulele strings are almost never metal — they’re a soft synthetic, which is why the instrument is so gentle on your fingers. The material changes the tone more than beginners expect:

Material	Sounds like	Good to know
Clear nylon	warm, soft, mellow	the classic; cheap and forgiving
Fluorocarbon	bright, loud, lots of sustain	thinner & denser; barely cares about humidity
Nylgut	punchy, traditional, gut-like	white strings; the popular Aquila type
Wound	deep — used for low-G	metal wrapped on a core; can feel ribbed

There’s no “best” here — it’s taste. Many ukes ship with Nylgut; a lot of players move to fluorocarbon for a brighter, more cutting tone, while others love the soft warmth of plain nylon. Strings are cheap, so the fun way to decide is simply to try a different set next time and hear the difference for yourself.

When to change your strings

Ukulele strings rarely snap — they just quietly die. Here’s when it’s time for a fresh set:

They sound dull and lifeless — the brightness and ring have gone, even freshly tuned.
They won’t hold their tuning any more, drifting flat or sharp soon after you set them.
They look tired — discoloured, or with little grooves worn where they cross the frets.
They feel rough or sticky under your fingers instead of smooth.

A rough rule of thumb: every three to six months if you play regularly, up to a year for lighter players. Honestly, trust your ears — the day a new set goes on, you’ll hear how flat the old ones had become.

How to change ukulele strings

Restringing looks fiddly the first time and takes ten minutes the second. Change them one at a time so the others keep the neck under steady tension and you always have a reference for tuning. For each string:

Loosen and remove the old string. Unwind it at the tuning peg, then free it from the bridge — either untie the knot, or slide the bead/ball out of its slot, depending on your bridge.
Fix the new string at the bridge. A standard tie-bar bridge wants the string looped through and tucked under itself two or three times so it locks tight when pulled. Some bridges just hold a knot or bead in a slot — copy exactly how the old one was fitted.
Thread it through the tuning peg hole, leaving a couple of fingers’ slack so you get a few neat winds rather than just one.
Wind it up so the turns stack downward toward the headstock face, keeping them tidy and side by side. Bring it up roughly to pitch — no need to be exact yet.
Trim the loose tail at the peg once it’s holding, leaving a few millimetres so nothing slips.

Work through all four and you’ll have a complete fresh set. Then comes the part everyone forgets…

Why new strings won’t stay in tune (and the fix)

Brand-new synthetic strings stretch — a lot — and that stretch keeps pulling them flat for the first few days. This is completely normal and not a fault with your uke. Speed it along:

Tune each string up to pitch.
Gently tug each string away from the fretboard a few times, sliding along its length — firm but not violent.
Retune (they’ll have dropped flat), and repeat the tug-and-tune a few times.
Come back to it over a day or two. Within about a week the stretch settles and the strings hold pitch like old friends.

Keep a tuner close that first week. Fresh strings will need a nudge before every session until they settle — the bright, even tuning page has the four target notes and a quick way to check each string.

Now go play them in. The fastest way to settle new strings is simply to use them — strum some chords, run a few scales, let the tension do its thing. Open the app, pick a song, and break them in properly.

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Common questions

Should I use high-G or low-G?: High-G is the bright, classic ukulele sound and what most beginner songs assume — start there. Low-G drops the top string an octave for a fuller, more guitar-like range that suits fingerpicking and solos. Your chord shapes don’t change either way, and you can switch just the single g string rather than the whole set.
What are ukulele strings made of?: A soft synthetic, not metal. Clear nylon is warm and mellow, fluorocarbon is brighter and louder with more sustain, and Nylgut imitates old gut for a punchy traditional tone. Low-G strings are often metal-wound to reach that low pitch at a playable thickness.
How often should I change ukulele strings?: Every three to six months for regular players, up to a year for lighter use — or sooner if they sound dull, won’t hold tuning, look grooved, or feel rough. Ukulele strings rarely break; they just go dead, so trust your ears.
Why do my new strings keep going flat?: New synthetic strings stretch for the first few days, which keeps pulling them flat. It’s normal. Tug each string gently away from the fretboard a few times, retune, and repeat over a day or two — they settle within about a week.
Can I put guitar or metal strings on a ukulele?: No — use proper ukulele strings sized for your instrument (soprano, concert, tenor or baritone). Steel guitar strings are under far higher tension and can damage the neck and bridge of a ukulele, which is built for low-tension synthetic strings.

Got the right set on and settled? Get them in tune, brush up your chord shapes, and try them out on a song — new strings always sound best with something to play. And to keep them (and the whole uke) healthy, see how to care for a ukulele.