The importance of ukulele accessories is often overlooked, but they can really make life easier. Read on for our list of essentials.
In this article, I’m going to share with you which ukulele accessories I think you should look at getting no matter where you are in your ukulele journey. If you don’t currently own a ukulele but are interested in buying one, I would recommend a ukulele that has a kit or bundle, as they tend to contain the essential accessories we’ll be covering below.
Ukulele Bundle Recommendations
There are a few brands that I recommend; two off the top of my head. One of them is Enya. And when you buy a Nova U ukulele, I know that they come with a bundle of things. And then, also, the Caramel ukuleles I know come with a bundle of essential things as well.
Those are the two that I recommend right off the top of my head. The things that they include usually are a case, a capo, an extra set of strings, and a strap. The Caramel brand also usually comes with an onboard tuner and a preamp, which means that you can plug it into an amplifier, headphones, or something like that.
Ukulele Accessories Every Player Should Have
If you don’t want to purchase a bundle, or just want to grab a specific accessory, the following list contains the types that I believe are essential to own. Sure, there may be others you need – like felt picks etc – that suit your style of playing, but these are my basic recommendations and the list isn’t exhaustive.
So with that out of the way, let’s dive into the first accessory I believe you need…
Clip-On Tuner
Starting off the list we have a D’Addario clip-on tuner. This particular model has an “on” button in the middle, with up and down arrows (which we’ll get to), as well as indicator lights that glow.
If I put this on my ukulele’s headstock and play a note, it’ll show the note that I’m playing, and the lights will indicate whether the note is sharp or flat. If you want a more in-depth tutorial on how to tune a ukulele, you can find it here.
The arrows on this particular tuner will allow you to tune to different Hertz. By default it’s set to 440 Hertz. If you’re playing along with a music recording and it sounds a little “off” despite your ukulele being “in tune”, you may want to try tuning to a different frequency for the exact sound.
I really enjoy D’Addario clip-on tuners. I think they’re great value.
A lot of people also recommend the Snark ukulele tuners because they have a really large screen and are simple to use. However, if you ever do any alternate tuning, sometimes it doesn’t pick up those notes when you dial them in.
If you’re only playing GCEA on your ukulele, that’s probably a great tuner to get as well. However, I have had one or two die on me. I don’t know if it’s from them falling or if they just have a shelf life in general. But I’ve never run into any problems with the D’Addario tuners at all.
Ukulele Case
The next ukulele accessory I’m going to suggest is a case, and most cases that come with ukuleles are soft cases, which are fine as long as you’re not going to do any heavy traveling, especially going on an airplane or something like that.
A soft case is usually just fine. The Enya cases are a little nicer than a soft case because they are a little more resilient to bumps and knocks. If you must travel and you need the ultimate protection, I definitely recommend investing in a hard case.
Now, I do not actually own a hard ukulele case, but I have hard cases for my guitars, and this is a Martin case here. Very durable. They have a really soft inside, and they’re going to really do the best job of protecting your instrument.
You can browse ukulele cases here.
Ukulele Strap
The next ukulele accessory I’m going to suggest you “need” is going to be a strap for your ukulele. Straps are very useful because they’re going to allow you to stand and play with just a little more comfort and ease.
It’s kind of a controversial topic in the ukulele world. Some people think that you shouldn’t have a strap when you play. I guess because that’s maybe a more traditional way to play. By cupping your elbow for support while you hold it and just playing from there.
However, I find that if I’m playing anything very technical, having a strap is really useful. Almost all professional ukulele players use a strap when they play, especially for more technical pieces. It helps relieve some of the weight from both the right and left hands. This way, they can focus completely on the music without having to worry about holding the ukulele at the same time..
Something like the Levy’s brand ukulele strap is really good. They’re a little bit thinner than a huge guitar strap, and a large guitar strap looks a little bit funny on a ukulele. They have three different woven patterns that you can choose from. You can shop for ukulele straps on Amazon here.
Ukulele Capo
Finally, the last accessory I’m going to suggest is a capo, and they make smaller capos for ukuleles. I think the only ones I have here today are for guitars, but they will work just fine on the ukulele as well.
This is called a Shubb capo. It’s just a certain brand of capo. It kind of locks onto your neck. What you do is fit it onto any one of your frets.
So, if I put it on fret two, I’m going to be raising the ukulele’s pitch by 2 frets (higher pitch). So, really, all a capo does is just shorten the instrument, and so it’s going to allow you to transpose keys while you’re playing.
A ukulele is usually tuned in the key of C, but the note 3 frets up from the capo is actually D. So, by using a C shape, you’re actually playing a D chord. And instead of an F, it would be a G. And instead of a G7, it would be an A7 and so on. It’s a very handy way to be able to use your open string chords as you play.
Wrapping Up
If you think I’ve missed a ukulele accessory today, go ahead and write that down in the comments. As I said, this is a basic list so we’re happy to hear your recommendations too. Happy strumming!
John Allnutt
Writer & Ukulele TeacherJohn has been teaching music since 2008 and resides in Richmond, Kentucky with his wife Laura and dog Sam. In his spare time he enjoys growing and cooking food, roasting coffee, playing board games, and spreading joy through playing and teaching music.