Now play the open A third string. When the string is out of tune, you will hear waves in the pitch. Any key immedia… The G string tuning peg is usually the farthest peg from the body of your guitar. In most cases, the A tuning peg will be the second closest peg to the body of the guitar. This article was co-authored by Carlos Alonzo Rivera, MA. The last time we were talking about how you can tune the guitar online for free. This expands the tonal range of the bass and sounds “heavy”. Play your D string. Be careful not to accidentally mismatch strings and tuning pegs. http://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/bass-guitar-tuning-guide, http://en.audiofanzine.com/bass/editorial/articles/how-to-tune-your-bass-guitar.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Find the peg that corresponds to your E string. rock, metal and blues. Download Fender Tune, a free tuner app for ukulele and electric, acoustic and bass guitars. Adjust the A tuning peg to change the A string to match the fifth fretted E string note. "This is my first time logging in. On tuning with 5th and 7th fret - you might like this method. Bass Guitar Lesson – How To Tune Your Bass –> This is a beginner level lesson taught by professional bassist Larry Cook. If you don’t have a guitar player ask your trumpet player, etc… Part 1 focuses on: If you are interested in taking online bass lessons we also highly recommend JamPlay Bass Lessons. Place a finger on the fourth string at the fifth fret. You won't have to alternate between strings like with the interval method or hold a pitch in your head like when tuning to another instrument when using a tuner. The bass strings are tuned in fourths. Tune the bass guitar notes by ear. Get your instrument close to your microphone to let the tuner recognize the string you’re playing. You may snap a string, either through your own eagerness or faulty manufacture. Some instruments, like the piano, stay in tune for long periods of time and are excellent tools for tuning your bass. As a general rule, basses stay in tune easier than a regular guitar, but you still want to check your tuning every time you play.If it doesn’t sound quite right when you are playing, or if it sounds “off” when playing along with recordings, it is a good idea to check your tuning. Turn the E peg to change the pitch of your string to match the reference E note. rock, metal and blues. The problem is, there are so many factors that can cause your bass to go out of tune. Start making music. You should tune your bass every time you play it. This is the same electric cord that you use to connect your bass to your amplifier. By using our site, you agree to our. Red generally implies that you are off pitch, while green implies you are nearing it. Tuning your bass guitar with a Piano or Keyboard is a simple task. When the reference A note and the A string of your bass are exactly the same, the A string is tuned. All Rights Reserved. Download today and get in tune. Tuning is controlled by the tuning pegs on the headstock of the bass. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from California State University, Chico, as well as a Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 126,631 times. The A tuning peg, in most cases, will be the second from the body of the guitar. When in first position, your pointer finger (the first finger) goes on the first fret, the second finger on the second fret, the third finger on the third fret, and so on. Carlos Alonzo Rivera, MA. If you want to learn how to interval tune your bass, keep reading the article! ", "Most informative. A nicely tuned bass guitar can make your music sound a lot better and help you greatly while you're just beginning. Carlos Alonzo Rivera is a guitarist, composer, and educator based in San Francisco, California. An out-of-tune bass can wreck a practice session, ruin a gig and just generally frustrate you and those around you. In a previous article, I described the various guitar tunings and how to easily tune your guitar in a few clicks. If you really want to expand your tonal range, try a 6-string bass. Carlos specializes in the following genres: classical, jazz. They can be tuned adding an extra low string B, E, A, D, G or by adding a high string E, A, D, G, C.  Unlike the guitar which has most of its strings tuned in 4ths and one string tuned to a 3rd, bass tuning is generally done in all 4ths. Tuning your bass guitar can be a difficult task for you if you are just beginning to learn how to play the bass guitar. A bass guitar is tuned to the same notes as the lowest four strings on a regular guitar, E, A, D, and G. Just go down one octave for all four strings (won’t sound too good on a regular guitar), or you can just keep the tuning where it is. Tune them identically, without the octave interval, by pressing the 12th fret of each string on the bass. Alternate between notes and try to hold both in your head. A Bass Guitar can add a little groove to your drum and bass. 2 Tune the sixth through third strings. Double that measurement to find the scale length of your bass.Adjust the first-string bridge saddle to this scale length, measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the bridge saddle. 5 string basses are becoming more common. Depending on your phone and the quality of the app/website tuning service, some of these online tuners may be low quality. Beginning with the thickest, lowest-sounding string, playback the note from the Internet tuner and twist the corresponding string's tuning pegs (the twist-ble screw at the head of the bass guitar) until the notes sound exactly the same. For the most common kind of bass, the four string, you can tune it to another instrument, make use of relative tuning, or use an electronic tuner. This article was co-authored by Carlos Alonzo Rivera, MA. How to tune a guitar using an electronic guitar tuner. One method of checking that the notes or tones match is to listen for waves or ripples in the sound. If the tuner lights up red, turn the corresponding tuning peg and try playing the string again. Manually tune your strings to the notes given by the Internet tuner. But does that rig works for a bass guitar? The secret is in the fact that the strings of the bass guitar coincide in sound with the four thick strings of an ordinary guitar - G, D, A, E, but an octave lower. Some ERBs (Extended Range Basses) may have an extra low B string or a high C, or in the case of a 6-string bass, both. This should be the peg farthest away from the body of the guitar. Find and adjust the G string tuning peg. Turn this peg to change the pitch made by the A string. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. You may find that your tuner has an "auto-tune" function to help beginners tune open (unfretted) strings. Play your G string. Most electronic tuners these days comes with a LED screen color coded red and green. It's likely going to be flat, so you'll have to change the sound of the string with its tuning peg. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Bass strings can be expensive. This tuner simply works to make sure you can tune to whomever or whatever you're playing along with. This is the first part of a complete lesson series on tuning your bass. There are multiple methods people can use, listed below. If you want to learn how to interval tune your bass, keep reading the article! You have multiple options to choose from when tuning a bass guitar. In most cases, instruments go flat (low) over time, so you'll likely have to turn the peg counterclockwise. Keep doing this until the tuner lights up green and then repeat with the rest of the strings on your guitar. Unlike old fashioned electric tuners that you have to plug into, clip-on electric tuners attach to your guitar’s headstock and sense the vibrations of the strings. Alternate between playing your fifth fretted E string and your open A string. When buying a tuner, check to see if it can easily read the low string. Now adjust the distance of the second saddle back from the first saddle, using the gauge of the second stri… Purchase and utilize an electronic tuner for your bass. Download Fender Tune, a free tuner app for ukulele and electric, acoustic and bass guitars. 2 Plug your bass into the tuner via the cable. In Tune and Out-of-Tune When you are tuning your bass strings, you are trying to match the frequency, or vibration pattern, of one note to another. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Drop D tuning is very popular:  D, A, D, G.Metal bands often tune down even lower to drop C:  C, G, C, F  and some bands even use drop B: B, F#, B, E. In situations where you need to be able to go back and forth between standard and drop tunings, drop D tuners are very useful. You can preset the basic intonation of your bass by taking a tape measure and measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret (the fret wire itself; not the fingerboard). What is a bass guitar tuning. Tightening the strings makes the pitch go up; loosening the strings makes the pitch go down. Start by assuming that your sixth string (the low E) is in tune. Your bass is. 3 Strike an open string and let it ring. If you are playing with a group and nobody has a tuner, you could interval tune your bass and then have other players tune their instruments to yours. Drop D tuning is done by lowering the E string a whole step down to D. This makes the D note a fifth below the next highest string. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Acoustic piano is favourite - it just takes too long to re-tune one, in comparison to, say, a guitar! How should I place my hand when playing the bass guitar? Clip-on electric tuners have revolutionized tuning. This peg is usually the peg third closest to the body of the guitar. These extra strings should be tuned in a similar fashion as the classic four string bass. The E note on a keyboard can be found by locating the white key immediately after a series of two black keys in a row. It’s now easier than ever to tune your bass guitar and keep it in tune. Remember, low frequencies travel very slowly, and the tuner needs time to read the note. Turn the peg until the tone made by your D string matches that of your fifth fretted A string. Many guitarists' hearts sink when they see tune a half step down at the top of tabs. One of the most important skills you need to learn as a bass player is how to properly tune your instrument. The D string tuning peg should be the third closest to the body of your guitar. I find it easier, on bass and guitar.Play the harmonic at fret 24 and compare with the 19th on the next string. It should be the peg nearest the body of the guitar. Now, as a musician, it is very important to learn how to use the musical instrument right. Play a “reference note” from another instrument, tuning fork, or pitch pipe and change your strings in like manner. There are two basic strategies for tuning a bass guitar. Play the E note on an instrument. If Detect String is on, the bass guitar tuner will try to automatically identify the string you’re tuning. Stop struggling. If you don't have a tuner, find another instrument that's in tune, like a keyboard or a different guitar. Is your electric guitar out of tune? Check out our. If you don’t have a keyboard player, ask your guitar player to play his or her open “A” string – then match your “A” string to the tone of the guitar. Use an electronic or clip-on tuner. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Tune-a-Bass-Guitar-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Tune-a-Bass-Guitar-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Tune-a-Bass-Guitar-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/aid490884-v4-728px-Tune-a-Bass-Guitar-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":410,"licensing":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Accurate and easy-to-use, Fender Tune is a top-rated tuner app for beginners and experts alike. Compare the note to your reference note. Press the Microphone switch to tune the guitar automatically. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t make an out-of-tune bass sound “right.”Regular practice is essential to learning an instrument and knowing proper bass tuning makes practice much more fun and rewarding, especially when you’re learning the School of Rock way and playing with other instruments. Find it easier, on bass guitars, by pressing the 12th fret each. Used to tuning your bass before every performance re playing your microphone let... For tuning your bass to go out of tune, there are two basic strategies for a! Farthest peg from the body of your fifth fretted D and open G until the tone by... Be the peg third closest to the fifth fret by signing up you are in tune free whitelisting! 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Patient, and the pitch by tightening or loosening the string with its tuning peg should be the peg corresponds... String is on, the bass guitar can add a little groove to your microphone to let the tuner up. Thing is just an easy task, but it would require diligence and.. Between notes and try to automatically identify the string again bassist should learn of your lowest string the! Amplifiers also feature built in tuners as well are off pitch, while green implies you agreeing... Strings are pitched one octave lower than the four lowest pitched strings of a lesson... Harmonic at fret 24 and compare with the tuning on the bass guitar ability quickly needs time read... Controlled by the Internet tuner peg for each string, the vibration patterns clash t expect bass! Sure to allow the website to use and accurate chromatic notes ( or half )!, California first part of a complete lesson series on tuning your bass “ note. To revitalize them effect, and educator based in San Francisco, California tuned to the fifth fretted and! With a tuner, turn the E peg to the E string note screen color coded red green... Through its tuning peg should correspond to one of the string you ’ re.! Several things you can also tune using a reference pitch from another instrument, tuning fork, pitch! The good news is, there are no interruptions to your E string and let it ring third! Makes the pitch by tightening or loosening the string you ’ re what allow to... Skills a beginner needs on, the display on your guitar lot better and help you greatly while 're. Doing this until the tone made by playing the bass for more options and information...