Ukulele String Order

It’s a really good idea to know which string is which note on your ukulele, this is something that you should commit to memory as soon as you possibly can (even if you’re using a clip-on tuner which I recommend). It will help you a huge amount when it comes to transcribing songs yourself and working out which notes are which.

Ultimately you should be aiming to know every single note on the fretboard but for now get the notes embedded in your brain. Starting at the top the strings are G, C, E and A (A being the closest string to the ground when you’re playing).

Ukulele String Order

Mnemonics To The Rescue

It’s a pretty good idea to use a mnemonic to help you remember those notes – a few that I’ve heard that should do the trick are… Go Crazy Every Afternoon, Giant Cats Eat Aardvarks and Garfield Can Eat Apples. Whatever works for you, it doesn’t matter but it’s definitely worth spending 60 seconds of your time to commit them to memory.

Grab my free Ukulele Go! beginners pack.

15 thoughts on “Ukulele String Order

  1. I bought a ukulele kit. The strings were all wrapped together with no indication what when where. I have 4 strings that seem to be different thicknesses. Can you help me out?

    1. Hi Kent, I can indeed. Assuming it’s a soprano, concert or tenor. The order from top to bottom should be…

      Third thickest
      Thickest
      Second thickest
      Fourth thickest

      Hope that helps!

    2. Look at what this article says about names of strings. G, C, E, A.
      The G is the fattest, C is next fattest, E is smaller and A is the thinest

  2. Actually, two of us have just told you the wrong thing.
    G is the thinnest. C is the fattest. A is less fat, and C is less fat than that. The reason? The G is the highest note. The C is the lowest, A is higher than C, and E is slightly higher than theA

    1. I’m really not sure why there’s so much confusion but hopefully this will clear it up.

      The string names are gCEA in order.

      In terms of thickest to thinnest that would be…

      C, E, g, A

      Hope that helps

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *