Baritone ukulele tuning is DGBE (D3-G3-B3-E4): its notes are identical to the guitar's four highest strings. It's a linear tuning, from the lowest 4th string to the highest 1st, and it's what gives the baritone its warm, deep tone, far from the bright ring of smaller ukuleles.
In short: tune the baritone ukulele to DGBE — D3 (146.8 Hz), G3 (196.0 Hz), B3 (246.9 Hz), E4 (329.6 Hz) — with a chromatic tuner. Those are the same notes as the guitar's strings 4-3-2-1.
The notes of the baritone (DGBE)
The baritone has four strings like every ukulele, but its open notes are D, G, B, E. They're numbered from the 4th (farthest from the high strings) to the 1st (the thinnest):
- 4th string — D, D3: the lowest-pitched note on the instrument.
- 3rd string — G, G3.
- 2nd string — B, B3.
- 1st string — E, E4: the thinnest and highest string.
Unlike the GCEA standard on soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles, there's no "re-entrant" string here: the notes climb steadily from low to high, just like on a guitar's strings. If you want a refresher on classic GCEA, see the guide to ukulele tuning GCEA.
Why the baritone uses a different tuning
The baritone is the largest ukulele: a bigger body, a longer neck, and above all a considerably longer scale length (the distance between the nut and the bridge) than soprano, concert or tenor. A longer scale means longer strings and different tension.
With GCEA's higher notes, on such a long scale, the strings would end up poorly balanced. The lower notes of DGBE, on the other hand, make the most of the larger body and longer scale to produce the full, rounded tone that's the baritone's signature. In practice, the instrument "asks" for a lower tuning: DGBE is the natural answer, and it's no accident that it matches the guitar's high strings.
Like a guitar: the advantage for guitarists
Here's the best part for guitar players. The baritone's four strings — D G B E — are exactly the guitar's four highest strings in standard EADGBE tuning: the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st.
That means the chords and fingerings you already know on those strings work identically on the baritone. A D, G or E shape played on a guitar's high strings sounds the same on the baritone, with nothing to transpose. For a guitarist it's practically a plug-and-play instrument: pick up the baritone and you already know where to put your fingers. It's why many guitarists choose this size as their first ukulele.
Frequency chart
Every note corresponds to a frequency in hertz (Hz), the value a tuner compares against the string you're playing. Here are the exact frequencies of DGBE:
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4th (lowest) | D3 | 146.8 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.0 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.9 Hz |
| 1st (highest) | E4 | 329.6 Hz |
Notice how the values climb steadily from the D3 of the 4th string to the E4 of the 1st: numerical proof that the baritone is a linear tuning, without the "jump" that defines GCEA's high-G.
How to tune a baritone
Tuning a baritone means bringing each open string to its note: you usually start from the 4th (D) and work toward the 1st (E), checking one string at a time. The right tool is a chromatic tuner, able to recognize any note: make sure it shows the exact name (D, G, B, E) and doesn't assume you're on a GCEA instrument, or it might point you to the wrong note.
For a quick check you can tune online with EasyGuitarTuner: it's free, runs in the browser with nothing to install, recognizes guitar and ukulele, and works on any computer, smartphone or tablet with a microphone. Its only limitation is that, being microphone-based, it works best in a quiet room where background noise doesn't interfere with the reading.
One practical detail: use strings made specifically for baritone. Soprano, concert or tenor sets are designed for shorter scales and GCEA, so on a baritone they'd end up too tight or too loose to sit in tune at DGBE. To pick the right tool and set it up correctly for the four strings, you'll find every detail in the guide to ukulele tuners. Once they're in tune, let new strings settle in: they'll need frequent rechecking for the first few days before they hold steady.