Tuning your bass is a fundamental skill that will help you for many years to come. If you’re just starting out, investing in an electronic tuner will save you a huge amount of time and hassle. But, if you don’t happen to have one around, there are a couple other ways to get your bass in tune, which we’ll be looking at shortly.
Standard Bass Tuning
The standard tuning for 4-string bass guitars is E-A-D-G (thickest to thinnest string). For 5-string bass guitars, it’s E-A-D-G-B (again, thickest to thinnest string). Standard 6-string guitars are tuned to the notes E-A-D-G-B-e. If you know any guitar scales or chords, then they can be directly applied to your bass. Theory-wise, bass guitars are practically the same as six-string guitars, you just remove one or two strings and tune to the same notes, but at a lower pitch (and, therefore, bass guitars have thicker strings).
Knowing basic guitar theory will help you tremendously, but you can certainly still start playing even if you know nothing about music.
Using a Tuner
Buying a bass tuner is the best, most convenient way to go. All other methods will help develop your ear (your ability to recognize pitches), but ear training is something musicians have to work on continuously for many years. If you’re just starting out, buying a bass tuner is the best option.
There are multiple types of electronic tuners you can buy. Some clip on to your bass’ headstock (like Snark tuners) and others require that you plug into them. Electronic tuners listen to the pitch of the string (or, if you clip it on the headstock, it will more likely use the vibration of the string to tune), and then tell you whether you need to raise the pitch (tighten the string) or lower the pitch (loosen the string).
Using Relative Tuning
If you don’t have a tuner lying around, knowing the “fifth fret method” or “relative tuning” is a great skill. Now, unless your E string (the thickest string) is in perfect tuning, your bass won’t end up in standard E-A-D-G as it’s supposed to because this method tunes all strings based on whatever note your thickest string is (hence the term “relative”). This is still a good method to know, and you’ll still sound alright if you’re playing alone or just jamming for a bit.
1. Hold the E string down on the fifth fret, and play the A string open (without fretting it). Keep playing them together and turn the tuning key of the A string until the pitches match.
2. Next, hold the A string down on the fifth fret and tune the open D string to that note.
3. Finally, hold the D string down on the fifth fret, and tune the open G string to that note.
If the pitch is too low, tighten the string. If the pitch is too high, loosen the string.
Remembering the String Names
It’s simplest to remember the six string names of a guitar when you learn the standard notes for your bass. You can use the saying “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie” (thickest to thinnest) or “Every Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter” (thinnest to thickest) to help you get them engraved in your memory.
Once you know how to tune a bass, you can move on and begin learning other essential skills, like the musical alphabet and the notes up and down the fretboard.
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