Guide
Bass Tuner: the complete guide
By Vivek Badoni, music teacher · Updated
This online bass tuner opens with Bass selected and listens for the deep notes of a 4-string bass guitar. Pluck a string and it shows which of E, A, D or G you're playing, how many cents off you are, and which way to turn the peg.
Standard bass tuning: E A D G
The four strings of a bass guitar are tuned to the same notes as the lowest four strings of a guitar, one octave lower.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4th (thickest) | E1 | 41.20 Hz |
| 3rd | A1 | 55.00 Hz |
| 2nd | D2 | 73.42 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | G2 | 98.00 Hz |
Getting a good reading on low notes
Bass notes are much lower than most phone and laptop microphones are designed for, so a few habits make a big difference:
- Get close. Hold the device right next to the bass body, or in front of the amplifier speaker.
- Pluck firmly with your finger, near the neck, and let the note ring.
- Mute the other strings with your palm so they don't ring along.
- Start with G, D and A. They read more easily than low E. Then tune E to A by ear: the 5th fret of the E string should sound exactly like the open A string.
Drop D on bass
Many rock and metal songs use Drop D on bass too: lower the E string a whole step to D (D1, 36.71 Hz), giving D A D G. Tune the other three strings first, then lower the E string while playing the open D string: when the low string sounds the same note one octave down, with no wobble between them, you're in Drop D.
Tune by ear
Tune by ear below plays each bass string's note. Low notes are hard to hear through small speakers, so use headphones or proper speakers if you can. Tuning a guitar too? Use the online guitar tuner or the Drop D tuner.
