Ukulele Fretboard Chart
Standard tuning g–C–E–A · every note on the board, frets 0–15 · naturals filter and a fretboard quiz
How to play
- The four rows are the strings as you look down at the ukulele: A (1st) on top, then E, C, and g (4th) at the bottom. Tap any note to hear it and read its name, string and fret.
- Standard ukulele tuning is re-entrant: the 4th-string g is HIGH, above both the C and E strings. So the bottom row of this chart actually sounds higher than the two rows above it — that is normal, and it is why uke chords have their bright, jangly sound.
- The 12th fret is the octave: every note there is the same letter as the open string, one octave up. The dots at frets 5, 7 and 10 (and the double dot at 12) are your landmarks.
- Naturals only fades out every sharp and flat. This is how most players learn a fretboard — get the twelve natural notes solid first, then the accidentals are just one fret either side.
- Start quiz names a note and a string and asks you to find it. Miss one and the right fret lights up yellow. The quiz only asks about notes that are currently showing, so switch to Naturals only for an easier round.
- Tap any note to hear it and see its name, string and fret. The board reads like ukulele tab: the top row is the thin G string, the bottom is the thick low B.
- Use Highlight to pick a note letter — every place it appears lights up, so you can see how each note repeats (an octave is always 2 frets up and 2 strings across).
- Dots under the fret numbers are the position markers (3, 5, 7, 9, and a double at 12).
- Open strings plays g–C–E–A. The low B string reaches down to B0 (30.87 Hz), five semitones below the E. Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab to any note or control, Enter/Space to activate.
The site allow you to see each note and hear each note in a single click. You can navigate and select options using your computer keyboard. It’s an interactive way to learn the fret board of the ukulele and discover where each note are on the instrument.
First, we have the fretboard shown in the main section which has four rows for each of the strings. The bottom row is the fourth string and top row is the first string. This make it look the same way it does when you hold the instrument.
How to Use the Ukulele Fretboard Tool
The buttons on the grid are notes. When you click on a button, it will play that note. It will also show the note’s name, the fret number, and the string number in readout area beneath.
The Highlight controls on top of the keyboard let you home in on particular pitches. If, for example, you choose a letter on a note then it highlight every occurrence of that note in blue throughout the board. You will notice diagonal lines as the notes play out. Two strings over two frets up is an octave. Choosing Off take you back to the neutral view.
The Show controls let you choose what notes you see. By default it show all notes, but you have the option of switching to just show Naturals (this dims out the sharps and flats). This is good if you’re a beginner and would like to focus on learning the main white keys before adding in the sharp and flat notes. Or you might select just Sharps and flats to filter out the accidentals. It will respect this filter when playing the quiz as well, meaning it only quizzes you on notes that appear.
It also has a quiz function that will test how well you know the chart by having you identify certain notes on it. You tap the start quiz button and then the chart prompt you to find a note on the chart. It reads out what you are supposed to find, including string number and the note. When you tap incorrect fret it shows you the correct one in yellow for learning purposes. It keep track of your score while playing. Tap the button again and the quiz ends.
To play the default g C E A open strings tuning, press the Open strings button. You can then use the volume slider to adjust the sound to a good level for where you are sitting. You can also be sure that baseline pitch for that string has been played. The sound will not begin until you interact with the widget, so make sure your device volume is set up.
To make things easier for you on a small screen, or just to have some uninterrupted space to look at the fret positions, click on the Fullscreen button to enlarge the chart. Click it again or use your browser controls to get out of fullscreen mode.
The How to play button let you toggle a helpful reference panel with tips on re-entrant tuning and position markers. Find notes on the chart and practice playing simple melodies. Turn on the highlight feature to view where a song would move across the neck. If looking at the whole board is overwhelming, turn off the sharps and flats and work just with naturals. You should of turn on the highlight feature if you want to see how it works. You want to develop your visual recognition and muscle memory. Go explore the fretboard now, it’s very luxurios.