Most double basses have tuning machines (tuning machine pegs or keys with mechanical tuning gears). To make the pitch of the string higher, tighten the string by slowly turning the bass tuning machine peg so it rotates towards the top of the scroll. Turn it the opposite way, and the pitch goes lower as the string loosens. Be careful not to turn your tuners too quickly when you tighten the strings or a string could snap.
A digital tuner or app, an “A-440” tuning fork, a pitch pipe or a piano are all great tuning tools. Digital tuners can be especially helpful for beginners. Some digital tuners even display when the note you’re tuning matches the correct pitch. Visit our Music Store for a sampling of tuners.
The bass is a transposing instrument, meaning, the note played sounds an octave below the notated pitch. Although the notated notes above are typically used to tune the bass, the actual pitch of the bass open strings will sound like the following notes: E1, A1, D2 and G2.
Many bassists find it helpful to use harmonics when tuning. There are several different approaches, and you may want to ask your teacher or a bass friend for their recommendations. To tune using natural harmonics, touch each string lightly at the middle point of your string that divides your string in half (halfway between the nut and the bridge), and pull your bow across each string. The resulting pitches will sound one octave above the open strings. Adjust your pegs as needed to match the pitch of the desired note for each string.
A-440 is the pitch that many orchestra string players tune their A strings to. A-440 means this pitch has 440 hertz vibration cycles per second (hertz measures frequency). Listen to a tuning fork A-440. Why 440? In an effort to standardize tuning, in the 1930s, many countries agreed A should be 440, and in the 1950s, the International Organization for Standardization selected A at 440 hertz as the standard tuning frequency (confirmed in 2017). Some orchestras still prefer to tune to a higher A (e.g. the New York Philharmonic tunes to A-442).
Another approach to tuning with harmonics uses 3rd position to divide the bass string into thirds and fourths. To tune in 3rd position, the first finger is 1/4 the length of the string, and the fourth finger is 1/3 the length of the string. In 3rd position, lightly touching the first finger on each of the strings produces a harmonic that sounds two ocataves above the open string, and lightly touching the fourth finger produces an harmonic that sounds an octave and a fifth above the open string. Starting on the D string in 3rd position, lightly touch the D string with your fourth finger and the harmonic A should sound (tune it as needed until it matches the pitch A-220). Keep your 4th finger on the D string, and move your first finger over to the A string (producing the harmonic note A) and tune the A string as needed until the harmonic A is in unison with the 4th finger harmonic A on the D string. Next, while still in 3rd position, tune the first finger harmonic on the E string (the note E) with the fourth finger harmonic on the A string (the note E). The final string to adjust is G string. Lightly touch the first finger on the D string and the harmonic D should sound. Lightly touch the fourth finger on the G string and the harmonic D should sound. Adjust the G string tuning peg as needed until the pitches match.
Some professional bassists use a “C extension” which extends the range of the lowest string’s pitch E1, down to the pitch C1. Bass players in European orchestras often play a bass with a fifth string which extends the range of the bass down to the note B1. Some bass players use solo tuning and even purchase different strings for this purpose. In solo tuning, bass players tune their strings one whole step higher (instead of E-A-D-G, they tune their strings: F#-B-E-A). Why tune this way? Some players feel they can project more and have a brighter tone when playing solos with melodic lines. Additional tuning methods include tuning in fifths, adding different extensions (such as mechanical levers) and other variations in the number of strings, pitch range, tuning and construction of the bass. It is interesting to note that music scholars have discovered over 50 different different tuning systems have been used throughout the history of the double bass, and composers and bassists continue to experiment with varied tuning systems today (see Siemers, Brian John. The history and development of the double bass. D.M.A., University of Cincinnati, 2001; and Slatford, Rodney, “History of the Double Bass,” The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5: 585-589, 1980.).
Be aware that when you put on new bass strings, it will take a while for the strings to stretch out and adjust and you’ll need to tune more often for the next few practice sessions. If you need help changing your bass strings, visit our Changing Bass Strings section.
If your instrument is the reason why you continue having problems with tuning, you may need to have your peg(s) adjusted, repaired or replaced at an instrument shop. It’s also important that you take good care of your bass and bow. Learn more at our Instrument Care section.
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