How to Tune Your Double Bass
- Put your phone on a stand or chair near the f-holes, or hold it close to the strings.
- Tune the A string first, then D, G, and E. Bow with a long, steady stroke or pluck firmly, one string at a time.
- Turn the machine heads slowly. The strings are long and thick, so a small turn moves the pitch a lot.
- Tap a string's button to lock the tuner to it and hear its note.
The double bass, also called the upright bass, uses the same notes as a 4-string bass guitar: E1, A1, D2, and G2, one octave below the lowest four guitar strings. Phone microphones barely pick up notes this low. The tuner reads the pitch from the string's overtones too, but give it a moment on the low E. Many bassists also check with harmonics: a light touch halfway along a string gives a note one octave higher, which is easier to hear.
Solo tuning (F♯1 B1 E2 A2) is a whole step higher than orchestral tuning, and some basses have an extension for a low C. Use the chromatic tuner for those.
String Notes and Frequencies
At the standard reference pitch, A4 = 440 Hz. String 1 is the highest-pitched string.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | E1 | 41.20 Hz |
| 3 | A1 | 55.00 Hz |
| 2 | D2 | 73.42 Hz |
| 1 | G2 | 98.00 Hz |