Virtual Ukulele

What this virtual ukulele is

This page gives you a four-string ukulele to play in your browser. Each string is a row and each fret a column, and every square is a button that plays the note at that position. You can pluck single notes, or select a chord and strum all four strings. Nothing needs installing and no account is required, and the strings are synthesized on your device rather than loaded from audio files.

The board shows the open strings and twelve frets. A concert ukulele has about the same number of frets over the body, so this covers the notes most songs ask for. On a narrow screen the board scrolls sideways so that every square remains easy to tap.

A small instrument with a bright voice

The ukulele took shape in Hawaii in the late 1800s, developed from small guitar-like instruments brought by Portuguese settlers. It is played by plucking or strumming four strings, traditionally nylon or a similar material, and it is small enough to carry anywhere. Its short strings and small body give it a bright, quick sound that fades faster than a guitar's.

The page imitates this with Karplus-Strong synthesis, a model of a plucked string. A burst of noise circulates through a short delay loop whose length sets the pitch, and averaging inside the loop makes the overtones fade. For the ukulele the strings are given a shorter ring and a brighter start than the guitar page. It is a model of a plucked string, not a recording of a ukulele.

Standard tuning: G C E A

The usual tuning is G C E A, and a common way to remember it is the phrase "My Dog Has Fleas". With octave numbers the open strings are G4, C4, E4 and A4, at about 392.0, 261.6, 329.6 and 440.0 Hz. The page numbers the strings from the thin end: string 1 is A, string 2 is E, string 3 is C and string 4 is G.

The G string is tuned higher than the C string next to it. This is called re-entrant tuning, and it is why a ukulele has a compact, sparkling sound instead of a deep bass. It also means that the lowest note does not sit on the string nearest your thumb. Remember that when reading the board: the C string is the lowest note, and the lines do not rise in pitch from top to bottom. If you play a real ukulele, the online tuner can check each string for you.

Playing with a mouse, touch screen or keyboard

• Mouse. Click a square to pluck that string at that fret. Hold the button and drag onto another string to pluck it as well.
• Touch screen. Tap squares, and use several fingers to play strings together. If the board runs wider than the screen, drag the row of fret numbers above it to scroll sideways.
• Computer keyboard. Q W E R T Y U I select and strum the eight chords, 1 to 4 pluck the open strings, Space strums down and Shift with Space strums up.
• Keyboard navigation. Press Tab to reach the board, move with the arrow keys, and press Enter or Space to pluck the square in focus.

Chords and strumming

Selecting a chord button strums the chord downward at once and keeps it selected for the strum buttons and the Space bar. The frets that form the shape light up on the board. The eight chords are C, F, G, A minor, D minor, G7, D and A.

C is the easiest, because only the A string is pressed, at the third fret. A minor needs one finger. Together with F and G or G7 these make the loop C, Am, F, G7, which supports a great many songs. A G7 chord adds a note that pulls strongly towards C, which is why it feels like an invitation to go home.

A down strum plays from the G string to the A string and an up strum goes back the other way, a little softer. A pattern many players start with is down, down, up, up, down, up, repeated at an easy pace. Use the Space bar for down and Shift with Space for up, and try counting it aloud.

On a real ukulele, relaxed strumming comes from the wrist, using the pad of one finger or the side of the thumb. The aim is an even volume on every strum, with no strum landing early or late. You can practice the same idea here by tapping the Space bar at a steady pace and listening for gaps or bunched strums.

Beginner exercises

1. Meet the open strings. Press 4, 3, 2 and 1 and listen to G, C, E and A. Notice that the first note is higher than the second.
2. Strum C. Select C and strum it slowly, eight times, keeping each strum the same strength.
3. Two-chord change. Alternate C and Am, four strums each, until the switch feels steady.
4. The four-chord loop. Play C, Am, F and G7, four strums on each, with the metronome at 60 beats per minute.
5. A one-string melody. On the C string (string 3), Mary Had a Little Lamb starts at frets 4 2 0 2 4 4 4, then 2 2 2, then 4 7 7.

What a virtual ukulele is good for

A browser ukulele suits curious beginners deciding whether to buy one, and learners who want to see chord shapes before they try them. Teachers can use it with a class to explain strumming, and singers can find a starting chord. The ukulele has only four strings and low-tension chords, so it is often suggested as a gentle first stringed instrument. If you later want a larger instrument, try the virtual guitar.

Online ukulele versus a real one

On a real ukulele your fingers press the strings, your strumming hand shapes the rhythm, and you can mute, roll and slide. Wood and strings change the tone, and an instrument you hold resonates against your chest. A real one needs tuning now and then, because nylon strings stretch.

The virtual one is free, is always in tune and works on a train with headphones. It helps most with the map of the board and the chord shapes. Treat it as a place to learn them, and move to a real instrument for technique and feel.

Limitations of this version

• The sound is synthesized, not sampled, so it will not match a particular ukulele.
• The tuning is fixed at standard G C E A. Low-G and baritone tunings are not offered.
• There are no bends, slides, hammer-ons, tremolo or fingerstyle patterns beyond what you tap yourself.
• Only eight chords are built in, and only twelve frets are shown.
• Notes have similar loudness each time. Nothing is recorded or saved, and there is no MIDI input.

Common problems and how to fix them

• No sound. Browsers keep audio off until you interact with the page, so click a square or press a key first. Then check the volume slider, your device volume and the tab's mute icon. On an iPhone, also check the silent switch.
• Strumming plays open strings. No chord is selected yet. Pick a chord button first.
• The keys do nothing. Click an empty part of the page so focus is not in another field.
• The sound lags. Close heavy tabs and avoid Bluetooth headphones if you can.