Virtual Ukulele — Play & Find Chords Online

Play ukulele online with an interactive 4-string fretboard. Find chords, toggle High-G and Low-G tunings, hear realistic plucks, and practice anywhere.

How it works

First-party physical modeling Karplus-Strong string synthesis rendered in Web Audio at ukulele register with nylon acoustic damping. Includes mathematically derived voicings for C-tuning ukulele in both re-entrant High-G (G4 C4 E4 A4) and linear Low-G (G3 C4 E4 A4). Zero sample downloads; runs fully offline in your browser.

On this page

The virtual ukulele is an interactive, browser-based instrument and chord finder built for musicians, students, and songwriters. Whether you need to test a chord progression on your laptop, look up an unfamiliar voicing, or understand how open strings map across the fretboard, this tool delivers instant audio and visual feedback. It simulates a 4-string acoustic ukulele in standard C tuning, supporting both traditional re-entrant High-G and linear Low-G configurations. Every pluck is rendered through a responsive Karplus-Strong physical modelling engine on the Web Audio API, delivering authentic nylon-string resonance with zero sample downloads and zero latency.

You can click any fret to hear individual pitches, strum chords downward or upward, arpeggiate strings to check note clarity, or browse dozens of chord voicings with finger positions and chord boxes. When you are ready to play your physical instrument, tune each string using our free Ukulele Tuner or explore the complete fret map in our Ukulele Fretboard Notes Guide.

How to play and navigate the virtual ukulele

The interactive fretboard represents the neck of a standard soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele from the nut through fret 12. Strings are arranged horizontally in standard playing perspective:

String 4 (Top row / G string): Tuned to G4 (392.00 Hz) in High-G mode or G3 (196.00 Hz) in Low-G mode.
String 3 (Second row / C string): Tuned to C4 (261.63 Hz). This is the thickest string on a standard ukulele.
String 2 (Third row / E string): Tuned to E4 (329.63 Hz).
String 1 (Bottom row / A string): Tuned to A4 (440.00 Hz), the highest open pitch on the instrument.

Plucking and fretting notes

To play a single note, click directly on any fret along a string lane. The fretboard places a marker at that position and triggers a physical pluck sound. Clicking the open nut cell (fret 0) sounds the unfretted open string. Clicking a currently fretted position again mutes the string (marked with a red ✕), letting you audition selective string combinations.

Strumming and arpeggiating chords

Use the action buttons at the top of the desk to audition entire chord shapes:

Strum Down (↓): Simulates a downward strum, plucking from string 4 down to string 1 with a 38-millisecond delay between strings.
Strum Up (↑): Simulates an upward finger brush from string 1 up to string 4.
Arpeggio (♬): Plays active strings sequentially with 160-millisecond spacing, letting you hear every voice clearly.
Show Fretboard Notes: Toggles pitch names across all twelve frets to identify notes visually while playing.
Keyboard navigation: Press keys 1, 2, 3, and 4 to pluck strings 4 through 1, and hit the Spacebar to strum the active chord.

High-G vs Low-G vs Baritone tuning

The ukulele family includes several body sizes and tuning configurations. Understanding their musical differences helps you select the right voicing and tone for your music.

String	High-G (Standard C)	Low-G (Linear C)	Baritone (Linear G)	Interval relative to C4
String 4	G4 (392.00 Hz)	G3 (196.00 Hz)	D3 (146.83 Hz)	Perfect 5th above / 4th below
String 3	C4 (261.63 Hz)	C4 (261.63 Hz)	G3 (196.00 Hz)	Unison (Middle C)
String 2	E4 (329.63 Hz)	E4 (329.63 Hz)	B3 (246.94 Hz)	Major 3rd above C4
String 1	A4 (440.00 Hz)	A4 (440.00 Hz)	E4 (329.63 Hz)	Major 6th above C4

Standard High-G re-entrant tuning

Standard C tuning (often written as gCEA with a lowercase ‘g’) is re-entrant. Unlike guitar, violin, or bass—where strings progress strictly from lowest pitch to highest—the fourth string on a standard ukulele is tuned an octave higher than expected. G4 (392.00 Hz) sits higher in pitch than both the adjacent C4 (261.63 Hz) and E4 (329.63 Hz).

This compact pitch range means all four open strings sit within a narrow span of nine semitones (from C4 up to A4). Re-entrant tuning produces the signature bright, rhythmic jangle heard in traditional Hawaiian music, folk, and pop strumming. It also enables campanella fingerpicking, where melodies ring across alternating strings like bells.

Linear Low-G tuning

Low-G tuning replaces the thin fourth string with a wound or heavier string tuned an octave down to G3 (196.00 Hz). This creates a linear ascending order (G3–C4–E4–A4) spanning sixteen semitones across open strings.

Low-G retains identical chord fingerings to High-G, but adds substantial acoustic weight and bass presence. It is favoured by solo instrumentalists, jazz players, and fingerstyle performers who require a dedicated bass voice underneath melodies. Toggle between High-G and Low-G using the switch above to compare their acoustic character.

Baritone ukulele (DGBE)

The baritone ukulele is the largest member of the ukulele family, featuring a longer scale length and deeper body. Standard baritone tuning is D3–G3–B3–E4, matching the exact pitches of the top four strings of a standard six-string guitar.

Because the baritone’s intervals match a guitar, guitar players can transfer open shapes directly to the baritone neck. However, relative to standard GCEA tuning, baritone tuning sits a fourth lower: an open “C shape” (0-0-0-3) on a baritone sounds as a G major chord. For full guitar fretboard exploration, check our Virtual Guitar Lab.

Ukulele chord-finding workflow: open shapes to movable barres

The built-in chord library organizes chords by root note and musical quality. Selecting any root and quality immediately places the correct fingerings on the fretboard, draws a visual chord box diagram with finger numbers, and lists the exact sounding frequencies.

Essential open chord shapes

Ukulele beginners typically start with four fundamental open shapes:

C Major [0 0 0 3]: Held with the third (ring) finger on fret 3 of string 1 (A). The remaining three strings ring open, sounding G4, C4, E4, and C5.
A Minor [2 0 0 0]: Fretted with the second (middle) finger on fret 2 of string 4 (G). Strings 3, 2, and 1 ring open, producing A4, C4, E4, and A4.
F Major [2 0 1 0]: Extends A minor by adding finger 1 to fret 1 of string 2 (E), sounding A4, C4, F4, and A4.
G Major [0 2 3 2]: Forms an inverted triangle using finger 1 on C string fret 2, finger 2 on A string fret 2, and finger 3 on E string fret 3.

Movable barre chord templates

Because the ukulele neck has four strings, open shapes can be shifted up the neck as movable closed barres:

The A-to-B♭ shape: The open A major shape [2 1 0 0] shifts up one fret with a partial index barre across strings 1 and 2 to become B♭ major [3 2 1 1]. Shift it to fret 2 for B major [4 3 2 2], or fret 3 for high C major [5 4 3 3].
The Am-to-Bm shape: Open A minor [2 0 0 0] shifts up two frets with an index barre at fret 2 to form B minor [4 2 2 2], and up three frets to become C minor [5 3 3 3].
The full barre minor 7th: Fretting all four strings across a single fret produces a complete minor 7th chord. Fret 1 is B♭m7 [1 1 1 1], fret 2 is Bm7 [2 2 2 2], and fret 3 is Cm7 [3 3 3 3].

Voice leading on four strings

A standard major or minor triad requires three unique pitch classes (root, third, and fifth). On a 4-string ukulele, one chord tone is naturally doubled—typically the root (C major: C–E–G–C) or the fifth (G major: G–D–G–B).

For seventh chords (which require four distinct notes: root, third, fifth, and seventh), the ukulele sounds all four tones in complete balance. For example, G7 [0 2 1 2] voices G4 (root), D4 (fifth), F4 (minor seventh), and B4 (major third).

Practical ukulele practice exercises

To build muscle memory and speed up chord transitions, practise these daily routines directly on the virtual fretboard:

Exercise 1: The two-chord pivot (C to G)

Practise transitioning between open C [0 0 0 3] and G [0 2 3 2]. Notice that the third finger slides smoothly between fret 3 of string 1 and fret 3 of string 2. Strum each chord four times with our Online Metronome set to 60 BPM, then gradually increase tempo to 100 BPM.

Exercise 2: The universal pop progression (I–V–vi–IV in C)

Cycle through C major [0 0 0 3], G major [0 2 3 2], A minor [2 0 0 0], and F major [2 0 1 0]. When moving from A minor to F major, keep your second finger planted on fret 2 of the G string and simply place your index finger down on fret 1 of the E string.

Verifying tuning and pitch accuracy

When switching between this virtual tool and your physical instrument, ensure your strings are accurately pitched. Standard concert pitch sets A4 to 440.00 Hz. If an acoustic ukulele slips flat due to temperature or new nylon string stretching, open our Ukulele Tuner to detect pitches in real time through your microphone. For multi-instrument setups, our universal Instrument Tuner supports guitars, banjos, mandolins, and violins.

Ukulele Tuner — High-precision microphone pitch tuner for High-G, Low-G, baritone, and D-tuning ukuleles.
Ukulele Fretboard Notes Chart — Comprehensive 0–12 fretboard notes guide with diagrams and memorization tips.
Virtual Guitar Lab — Play, explore tunings, and practice chord progressions on a six-string virtual guitar.
Online Metronome — Keep steady timing with visual beat pulses, polyrhythms, and subdivision training.
Instrument Tuner — Universal chromatic tuner for acoustic and electric string instruments.

Frequently asked questions

How does this virtual ukulele work in the browser?

The tool runs a physical simulation of nylon plucked strings using Web Audio Karplus-Strong synthesis. When you tap a fret, click an open string, or trigger a strum, the sound engine calculates string delay loops and resonant body filtering on the fly with zero audio file downloads.

What is the difference between High-G and Low-G ukulele tuning?

Standard soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles use re-entrant High-G tuning (G4–C4–E4–A4), where the 4th string (G4 at 392.00 Hz) is pitched higher than the adjacent 3rd string (C4 at 261.63 Hz). Low-G tuning replaces that string with a lower-octave wound string (G3 at 196.00 Hz), producing a linear bass-to-treble pitch order with a warmer voice.

Can I use this tool to find and learn ukulele chords?

Yes. The built-in chord library provides mathematically verified voicings for major, minor, dominant 7th, major 7th, minor 7th, diminished, and suspended chords across all twelve roots. Selecting any chord displays its finger positions on the fretboard, generates a chord diagram, and lets you hear it strummed or arpeggiated.

How do chord fingerings differ between High-G and Low-G?

Fret fingerings are identical in High-G and Low-G because both tunings share the pitch class G on the fourth string. The difference is strictly pitch octave: a C chord (0-0-0-3) has G4 on top in High-G, but features G3 as a lower bass root note in Low-G.

Why is the ukulele tuned re-entrantly with a high fourth string?

Re-entrant tuning descends from Renaissance four-course guitars and traditional Hawaiian musical practice. Keeping all four strings within an octave creates tight, chime-like chord harmony where notes ring in close intervals, giving the ukulele its signature bright, cheerful voice.

How does baritone ukulele tuning compare to standard GCEA?

A baritone ukulele is physically larger and tuned D3–G3–B3–E4, exactly matching the top four strings of a standard guitar. Chord shapes on a baritone resemble guitar shapes, sounding five semitones (a fourth) lower than the same fingerings on a standard GCEA ukulele.

What are the keyboard shortcuts to play the virtual ukulele?

You can press number keys 1 through 4 to pluck individual strings (1 for string 4/G, 2 for string 3/C, 3 for string 2/E, and 4 for string 1/A). Pressing the Spacebar triggers an acoustic strum across all currently fretted strings.