Bass Guitar Tuning

Do you know how to tune the bass guitar? Well, bass guitar tuning isn’t that hard as many people say it is. You just have to know which methods suit you. Don’t forget to see some other lessons in slide guitars.

Bass Guitar Tuning – Is Learning How to Tune a Bass Guitar So Hard?

If you already play the guitar and know how to tune it, why do you need a special tutorial for learning how to tune a bass guitar? The answer is in the sound of the bass guitar. It is so low it is very difficult for some people to judge whether or not their guitar is in tune. So let us take a look at the bass guitar and some methods of tuning it.

Bass guitarists have proved themselves to be such innovators that there is now an astonishing range of bass guitars with different numbers of strings and a range of tuning options to widen the range of notes produced. For the purposes of this tutorial we will stick with the original four string bass guitar. It is tuned to one octave lower than the standard guitar.

Most guitar players seem to agree that the best way to begin tuning a guitar is to start with the guitar strings tuned lower than you want them to be and then tune them UP to the correct pitch. Actually it is a good idea to start with the strings a lot lower than they need to be so you do not over-tighten them and run the risk of a broken string.

Let us look at the basic tuning method first. Tuning the bass guitar to a piano or keyboard. Find Middle C and go down two octaves. Got that C note? Okay, find the E below that. This is your note to tune the fourth string of your bass guitar. Play the open fourth string and the E on your piano at the same time. If you hear a sound vaguely like the noise a helicopter makes, your guitar is out of tune. Turn the tuning peg on your bass guitar as you play the guitar and the keyboard together, and listen to the "helicopter" sound. It will slow down as your guitar becomes in tune with the keyboard, and will eventually vanish. Repeat this process for your A, D and G strings.

Another tuning method you need to learn is to get the E string as close to tuned as you can and tune the other strings accordingly. Play the note at the fifth fret of the E string together with the open A string. Once these two notes are the same, play the fifth fret of the A string at the same time as the open D string. When the D string sounds the same as the fifth fret of the A string, move onto playing the fifth fret of the D string and tune the open G string to that. Now your bass guitar is in tune.

You can also tune the bass guitar to itself using harmonics. Touch your finger lightly on the fifth fret of the E string without pressing down. You will hear a chiming note. Now play this harmonic again but at the same time playing the harmonic at the seventh fret of the A string. Tune the A string till it matches the harmonic on the E string. Now play the fifth fret harmonic on the A string and match the seventh fret harmonic on the D string to that. Next, match the seventh fret harmonic on the G string with the fifth fret harmonic on the D string.

Lastly, and most easily is the electronic tuning method. Electronic tuners have a visual guide to tell you when your guitar is sounding the right note. For the sake of your maturity as a guitar player you should first practice at tuning the bass guitar using one or all of the other methods, then check it with an electronic tuner. You can buy an electronic tuner at a music store or online. You can even do a search for online bass guitar tuners.

Author: Ricky Sharples

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Visit here for some standard tuning for the guitar.