Tap a string to hear its note, then match it by ear. Or let the tuner listen through your microphone.
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The sound from your microphone is analysed on your own device and never leaves it.
Standard bass tuning
Standard tuning on four strings is E A D G, low to high: the same notes as the four lowest guitar strings, an octave lower. A five-string adds a low B below the E. The open low E vibrates at about 41 Hz and the low B at about 31 Hz, close to the bottom of what small speakers can play.
Getting a reading on low strings
Phone and laptop microphones pick up very little at 30–40 Hz, so the low strings can read slowly or jump between notes. Three things help:
- Let the string ring for a second before reading. The attack of a fresh pluck is sharp and full of overtones.
- Pluck with the side of your finger over the end of the neck, and hold the phone near the body.
- Play the harmonic at the twelfth fret: touch the string lightly directly over the fret wire, pluck, and lift your finger. It sounds the same note an octave up, which every microphone hears clearly, and it is in tune exactly when the open string is.
Tuning by ear
Tap a reference note above and tune until the slow beating between the two sounds stops. Then tune the rest from the low E:
- Fifth fret of E gives A, fifth fret of A gives D, fifth fret of D gives G.
- With harmonics: the fifth-fret harmonic of one string matches the seventh-fret harmonic of the next string up. Harmonics ring on while you turn the peg, so you can hear the beats slow down.
On a five-string, the fifth fret of the B string gives E.
Drop tunings on bass
Drop D lowers only the E string to D, giving a low D under the open D and A strings; it suits songs written in drop D guitar tuning. Detuning the whole bass a half or whole step matches guitarists who tune down. Strings tuned much lower than standard lose tension and buzz; a heavier gauge restores the feel. The alternate tunings guide covers the guitar side of these tunings, and the kinds of bass guide explains scale lengths and string counts.
B# Music teaches bass in Charlottesville; the bass lessons page describes what lessons cover.
Questions
Why does my tuner show the wrong note on the low E?
Small microphones barely hear a 41 Hz fundamental, so the tuner may lock onto an overtone and read B or E an octave up. Use the twelfth-fret harmonic, or move the microphone closer to the instrument.
Is a bass tuned like a guitar?
The four strings of a standard bass carry the same note names as a guitar's four lowest strings, E A D G, one octave lower.
How often should I tune a bass?
Every time you play. Bass strings hold pitch better than guitar strings once settled, but temperature changes and new strings still pull them flat.
