A Beginners Guide to Tuning

by Chris Tarry

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4

Relative Tuning
As stated in page 1, relative tuning is the process of tuning a bass to itself. To begin, you need to pick a string which will be the reference point. For a beginner, this is usually the low E string (the 4th string). Using this string, you can tune the remaining strings of your bass to put it in relative tune. For this example, we will assume that the 4th string (E) is your reference point, and we will systematically tune the remaining 3 strings.

Note: If you want to be in tune with the musical examples on the site, you should tune your low E using the ActiveBass tuner before proceeding with the steps shown below. To access the tuner, simply click on the tuner icon located in the lower left-hand corner of your browser. When the tuner window appears, click on the button above the left-most 'E' to hear the reference note for a low 'E'. If you are not yet comfortable tuning to a reference note in this manner, don't worry about it.

Tuning Your 3rd String
You can use your 4th string to tune your 3rd string. If you pluck the 4th string at the 5th fret (refer to diagram below), you will be playing the same pitch as your open 3rd string. This note is an 'A'. So, to tune your 3rd string:

1. Pluck the 4th string at the 5th fret.
2. Adjust the open 3rd string until it has the same pitch as your fretted 4th string.

Tuning Your 2nd String
You can use your 3rd string to tune your 2nd string. If you pluck the 3rd string at the 5th fret (refer to diagram below), you will be playing the same pitch as your open 2nd string. This note is a 'D'. So, to tune your 2nd string:

1. Pluck the 3rd string at the 5th fret.
2. Adjust the open 2nd string until it has the same pitch as your fretted 3rd string.

Tuning Your 1st String
You can use your 2nd string to tune your 1st string. If you pluck the 2nd string at the 5th fret (refer to diagram below), you will be playing the same pitch as your open 1st string. This note is a 'G'. So, to tune your 1st string:

1. Pluck the 2nd string at the 5th fret.
2. Adjust the open 1st string until it has the same pitch as your fretted 2nd string.

Congratulations, you have tuned your bass! At this point, I always like to play a scale that I really know well (like a 'C' or an 'E') and test how it sounds. If it sounds a little off, you may want to double-check some of the strings.

Tuning in Reverse
It's important to understand that you don't necessarily have to tune starting at the 4th string and working toward the 1st string. For example, your 1st string might be the note that you know is in tune, and you can use it to tune the rest of your bass. In this case, you can use the 1st string to tune the second by playing the open 1st string, and adjusting the 2nd string until its pitch at the 5th fret matches the open 1st string. Thus, you are using the same relationship between strings but switching which note is the reference point. In the first example, we said that the 4th string, 5th fret was our good note, and used it to tune our open 3rd string. In the latter example, we said that the open 1st string was our good note, and used it to tune our 3rd string.

Review the Tuning Relationships
So, to recap, here is how the strings of your bass can be tuned by using each string to tune the one directly above it: