Low G (Linear) Tuning

One string, a different instrument

Low G tuning changes exactly one string: the fourth string drops a full octave from G4 to G3. Everything else stays put. Reading near your chin to near the floor you get G3, C4, E4, A4 — four notes in ascending order, which is why it is called linear tuning.

The consequence is larger than it sounds. Every chord that uses the open fourth string now has a bass note underneath it instead of a treble note inside it. C, Am, F and G7 all change character.

What it fixes and what it costs

Fixed: fingerpicking gets a real bass line; the instrument stops sounding thin on slow songs; chord melodies become possible because the melody can sit on top and the bass underneath.

Cost: the ukulele loses its characteristic sparkle. A high G cuts through a noisy room; a low G sits under it. Fast strumming in a group can turn muddy because the fourth string now competes with the C string for the same frequency space.

• Best for: Aloha Oe, Amazing Grace, Shenandoah, any solo fingerpicked arrangement.
• Worse for: Oh! Susanna, campfire strumming with four or more players.
• Octave check: the low G must be exactly one octave below the high G, not "as low as it goes". If the string feels floppy, the gauge is wrong.

Fitting the string

A wound low G string is thicker than a plain high G and will not fit some nut slots. Three options, in order of preference:

1. Buy a low G set with a correctly gauged fourth string.
2. Have the nut slot widened by 0.1-0.2 mm with a nut file — a two-minute job for a shop.
3. Rest the string on top of the slot. It works, it buzzes occasionally, and it is a temporary fix only.

Reading the note strip

The tuning card prints G3 C4 E4 A4 in string order. Notice that the numbers now ascend from top to bottom — that is the visual signature of linear tuning, and it is the fastest way to tell which tuning an arrangement was written for.