I am sorry but the calculator is no longer functional. I am leaving this page up because some of the frequency and scale length information below might still be helpful to some of you. -Dan. 2020-12-14.
- Original Length is the scale length used to determine tension. You can use any units (inches, mm, cm) but don’t enter the units into the form, only the value.
- New length should be in the same units as above. This should be the actual scale length of the instrument you want to put the strings on.
- Old Hz is the original pitch frequency in Hz for the open string note as measured when the tension was determined.
- Tension can be entered in any units. This is a measure of force and usually is given in pounds (lb) or kg 1. If you don’t know the original tension, the default value of 100 is used. This then gives a result as percent (%) of the original.
- New Hz is the frequency in Hz of the open note you wish to change the tuning to for the string.
You can use the following table to find the appropriate string frequency in Hz for the notes. See my article on Ukulele Strings, Tunings and Technology for a table of tunings and frequencies.
| Hz | Note | Guitar String | Ukulele / Tuning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 659.2 | E | ||
| 622.2 | D# | ||
| 587.3 | D | ||
| 554.3 | C# | ||
| 523.2 | C | ||
| 493.8 | B | ||
| 466.1 | A# | ||
| 440 | A | 1st, Std C | |
| 415.3 | G# | ||
| 392 | G | 4th, Std C | |
| 370 | F# | ||
| 349.2 | F | ||
| 329.6 | E | 1st | 2nd, Std C |
| 311.1 | D# | ||
| 293.6 | D | ||
| 277.2 | C# | ||
| 261.6 | C | middle C | 3rd, Std C |
| 246.9 | B | 2nd | |
| 233.1 | A# | ||
| 220 | A | ||
| 207.6 | G# | ||
| 196 | G | 3rd | 4th Low G, Std C |
| 185 | F# | ||
| 174.6 | F | ||
| 164.8 | E | ||
| 155.6 | D# | ||
| 146.8 | D | 4th | |
| 138.6 | C# | ||
| 130.8 | C | ||
| 123.5 | B | ||
| 116.5 | A# | ||
| 110 | A | 5th | |
| 103.8 | G# | ||
| 98 | G | ||
| 92.5 | F# | ||
| 87.3 | F | ||
| 82.4 | E | 6th | |
| 77.78 | D# | ||
| 73.42 | D | ||
| 69.3 | C# | ||
| 65.41 | C |
The following table gives some typical scale lengths of some fretted instruments.
| Scale Length (inches) | Example |
|---|---|
| 13.6 | Standard Soprano Ukulele |
| 14.74 | Concert Ukulele |
| 17 | Tenor Ukulele |
| 20.1 | Baritone Ukulele |
| 23.5 | Gibson Byrdland |
| 24 | Fender Mustang |
| 24.6 | Gretch |
| 24.74 | Gibson |
| 25 | Paul Reed Smith |
| 25.5 | Fender (Stratocaster) |
| 25.6 | Classical Guitar (650 mm) |
Something seems to be missing. Where does one enter the data and where does one find the calculated tension? All I see are [jazzy form=”string_tension”], two tables and nowhere to enter anything.
I’m investigating using fluorocarbon fishing line for ukulele strings.
Thanks
The page with the tension calculator was written over 8 years ago. The plugin that I used to do the calculations is no longer supported. I apologize for not correcting this sooner. I’ve added a notice on the page that the calculator no longer works. The frequency and scale length tables are still useful.