How to Tune a Bass Guitar
A bass guitar is tuned an octave below the lowest four strings of a guitar. The tuning is simple, but the notes are so low that they are harder for both ears and microphones to judge.
String notes
A four-string bass in standard tuning, from the thickest string up:
- 4th string: E1, 41.20 Hz
- 3rd string: A1, 55.00 Hz
- 2nd string: D2, 73.42 Hz
- 1st string: G2, 98.00 Hz
A five-string bass adds a low B0 (30.87 Hz) below the E. A six-string bass adds both that low B and a high C3 (130.81 Hz) above the G, giving B E A D G C. Every string is a fourth above the previous one, so every interval is five semitones.
| Tuning | Strings |
|---|---|
| Bass · Standard | E A D G |
| Bass · Half step down | D♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ |
| Bass · Whole step down | D G C F |
| Bass · Drop D | D A D G |
| Bass · Drop C | C G C F |
| Bass · Piccolo (octave up) | E A D G |
| Bass (5-string) · Standard | B E A D G |
| Bass (5-string) · High C | E A D G C |
| Bass (5-string) · Half step down | A♯ D♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ |
| Bass (6-string) · Standard | B E A D G C |
Why bass is harder for a tuner
Frequency is the number of vibrations per second, and the low E string vibrates only about 41 times a second. There are three consequences:
- Phone and laptop microphones are weak at low frequencies, so the fundamental can be very quiet. A tuner often has to work out the note from the harmonics (the overtones above the fundamental) and can mistake a harmonic for the note itself, reporting an octave too high.
- Low notes have long wavelengths and take longer to settle, so a tuner needs a longer slice of sound to be sure of the pitch and responds more slowly than it does on a guitar.
- An unplugged electric bass is very quiet. Play through an amp, or use an acoustic bass or a close microphone.
To help, pluck the string with moderate force and let it ring, tune in a quiet room, and hold the instrument or the amp near the microphone. If the tuner keeps jumping an octave, play the 12th-fret harmonic or the fretted octave, which is easier to hear, and check that the open string is exactly one octave below it.
Tuning with harmonics
The same trick as on a guitar works across the four strings. The 5th-fret harmonic of one string matches the 7th-fret harmonic of the next string up: E and A, A and D, then D and G. Touch the string above the fret wire without pressing it down, pluck, and listen for the slow beating between the two notes to disappear. Harmonics are bright and carry well, which makes them easier to hear on a bass than the low fundamentals.
Tuning the low B string
The low B is the one that most often sounds flabby. It needs to be long enough: five-string basses usually have a 34 inch scale, while a 35 inch scale is common on instruments with a low B because it holds the string tighter. Use a string designed for it and give it time to settle after a change, as tension is low. If the B string sounds unclear, check its intonation at the 12th fret as described in the intonation guide.
Other bass tunings
- Drop D: lower the low E to D (D A D G), the bass equivalent of drop D guitar. It makes open-string power fifths easy. See alternate tunings.
- E♭ (half step down): every string a semitone lower, often matched to a band that tunes down.
- BEAD: a four-string bass tuned with the low B in place of the G (B E A D) for a lower range.
Choose any of these in the tuner’s menu, or use “Custom…”. When you are ready, open the bass tuner. If you also play guitar, see how to tune a guitar.