Tuning Bass - Sets Where You Learn Notes On The Bass

The open strings on your bass are your starting point tuning bass. This is the key to where the rest of the notes will be located throughout the bass fretboard. Your 4 string bass standard tuning will be from lowest to highest string (E - A - D - G). On a 5 string bass there are 3 common tuning options. For a 5 string or 6 string bass, first you can tune it just like a regular guitar that is missing its high string so from lowest string to highest you have 5 string (E - A - D - G - B) This is looking at your 5th string as adding another higher string to the bass bringing it closer to a 6 string guitar. Or for 6 strings (E - A - D - G - B - E) just like a standard guitar tuning.

The first non guitar common way of tuning bass is to tune the lowest string to B looking at it as the new 5th string as adding another lower string to the bass and then for the other strings, keep the same standard tuning resulting in (B – E – A – D – G).

Or like the first option, look at your 5th string as adding another higher string to the bass bringing it closer to a 6 string guitar but keep the tuning in 4ths still. So the high string would be C (E - A - D - G - C).

A common 6th string way of tuning bass, if not using a guitar tuning is like the previous 5th string tuning in 4ths and then you look at adding another lower string to the bass and making that B string to the bass bringing it closer to a 6 string guitar but keep the tuning in 4ths still. So the high string would be C (E - A - D - G - C).

Of course the method of tuning bass you use, will then decide where you will learn your note names on the fretboard. Our program uses standard Open E tuning like a guitar for the bass. Why - read bass guitar tuning.