Ok, here's an embarrassing question I've been asking myself: Whatever happened to Ukulele Practice Tip #1?  And the answer is: It's MIA because, well, I hadn't written it yet.

I thought I had published a newsletter with an Ukulele Practice Tip #1, but it turns out I've only written TWO practice tips.  So I'm retroactively going back to publish Tip #1.  (This is one of my downfalls: my memory isn't what it used to be.  Or maybe it never was -- I can't remember.)

So here it is:

Ukulele Practice Tip #1: Tune that Ukulele!

Yup.  The best way to begin practice is with a tuned up ukulele.  Like I always said: You can tune an Ukulele, but you can't Tuna fish. Thanks folks, I'll be playing here all night...

All kidding aside, it really does make a difference when you practice with your ukulele in tune.  Even if you've tuned it recently, your instrument is likely to need a tune up.

I recommend using a clip-on tuner.  They cost around $35, and they are worth every penny.  I have at least three or four of them around my studio.  (You can never have too many.)  The clip-on tuners are great because they are immune to ambient noise like crowds, TV, music, etc.

It's also very convenient to have your tuner clipped onto the headstock of your ukulele rather than trying to balance it on your lap or table.  The tuner is more stable and you can angle it just right to clearly see the face of the tuner.

Most ukuleles are tuned in 'C'.  The notes of the strings from top to bottom are:

G (first G above middle C)

C (middle C)

E (first E above middle C)

A (first A above middle C)

The classic ukulele tuning has what is known as a "re-entrant" tuning: that is, the top string ('G') is tuned higher than the next string ('C').  In contrast, I tune my performance ukulele with low 'G' so that I can have a slightly broader range of notes.

So tune up that ukulele and keep on playing!