4-String Bass Tuner

4-String Bass Tuner targets: E1 A1 D2 G2
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Best with the USB mic close to the guitar.
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♭ flatsharp ♯
listening…
tap a string to lock onto it — useful when a string is far off
Tuning guide

4-String Bass Tuner: notes and setup

Tune a four-string bass to standard E A D G with a pitch detector configured for the instrument's low fundamentals.

Target notes, low to high: E1 A1 D2 G2

When to use this tuning

Standard four-string bass tuning covers the notes expected by most charts, band arrangements, and lesson material. The strings are tuned in perfect fourths, which creates consistent fingering patterns across the neck and places the lowest open note at E1.

String feel and setup

Bass strings respond more slowly than guitar strings after a large adjustment. Pluck with a consistent attack, let the initial metallic transient settle, and make small corrections rather than chasing the first instant of the note. Old or heavily played strings may produce a less stable fundamental.

How to tune accurately

  1. Press Start tuning above and allow microphone access.
  2. Pluck one open string at a time, starting with the lowest-pitched string.
  3. Follow the named target and move the needle toward the green center. Tap a string pill to lock the target when a string is far off.
  4. Work through every string, then make a second pass because changing one string can slightly affect the others.

Tune E1 in the quietest environment available and keep the device microphone reasonably close to the instrument. Mute the other strings with the fretting hand so sympathetic vibration does not compete with the string being measured.

Check the result

The fifth fret of E should match the open A, the fifth fret of A should match open D, and the fifth fret of D should match open G. At the twelfth fret, each fretted note or harmonic should be one octave above its open string.

What this tuning changes

E-A-D-G places every neighboring string a perfect fourth apart. The uniform spacing makes scale and arpeggio shapes repeat predictably, while the E1 fundamental supplies the standard low range expected in most guitar-and-bass arrangements.

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Choose another tuning

Standard Guitar Drop D Drop C DADGAD Open G Open D Open E Half Step Down Whole Step Down 4-String Bass 5-String Bass Ukulele