Tuning a guitar is a lot more of an art than it is a science. You can’t just use a tuner and figure it out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn the tricks of the trade. In this article, you’ll learn how to tune a guitar like a bass player.
But first, what is tunning and why is it so important? Tuning is the act of having instruments conform to the pitches of a tone standard. This can be as simple as making sure all of your guitars are tuned to the same note, or as complicated as defining the relative pitches of instruments and then retuning them to the same pitch reference. In this article, you’ll learn how to tune a guitar like a bass. Keep reading to discover the 5 secrets you must know to tune your guitar like a pro.
Related Article: How to convert acoustic guitar to bass
Make Sure You’re in the Right Key
The first thing you want to do is make sure that your guitar is tuned to the right key.
To do this, you’ll need to find out what key the song is in. You can put your fingers on the first three strings and play them, then move on to the fourth, fifth and sixth strings. When you get to the third string, stop and check if it matches up with any of the other strings. If it does, then your guitar is in tune for that key. If not, keep checking until you find a match.
# Use A Tuner App
The next thing you want to do is use a tuner app on your phone or laptop so that you don’t have to rely on yourself for tuning help.
You can download an app called Guitar Tuna which will give you detailed information about how close or far away your guitar is from being in tune.
Make sure that when using this app there are no other frequencies being played as this will cause its readings to be inaccurate.
# Know What Tuning Keys Sound Like
In order for your guitar sound good when playing chords or melodies, you need to know what tuning keys sound like because they all sound different.
A quick way to figure out what tuning keys sound like is by playing each one at a time while muting all of the other strings with your left hand finger so that you can hear them better.
Check for Off Key Notes
The first step to tuning a guitar like a bassist is making sure you’re in tune. You can use an electronic tuner to get the strings up to pitch, but it doesn’t always make adjustments for string stretching. A good way to tell if your guitar is in tune is by checking for off key notes that typically manifest themselves as buzzes or hums.
If you’re hearing any buzzing or humming sounds, you need a little more work on tuning your guitar. One easy way to fix these issues is by tightening the low E string until the frequency of the buzz matches that of other strings. It may take some time and trial and error, but eventually your guitar will be perfectly tuned like a bass player!
Find the Root Note
The root note is a tone standard, which is defined as the starting point. To tune your guitar like a bass player, you first need to find the root note.
Luckily, it’s quite simple to do so. Simply pluck any string on the guitar and compare it to another string on the same fret. If one of them is higher, that means that string is off-key and needs tuning. The other should be lower, meaning it’s in tune and doesn’t need tuning.
Once you’ve found the root note, you need to find its relative pitch by comparing it to the open strings. This will help you identify which string needs tuning based on their relationship with each other.
Find the Fret That Makes Your Guitar Sound Best
The first step to better tuning is finding the fret on your guitar that sounds the best when you play it. This will be different for every instrument. But, in general, the notes that are in tune will sound bright and clear.
To find this note, use a tuner or a tuning app like Guitar Tuna and slowly move up the neck of your guitar until one spot produces a note that is in tune with all of the others. Like magic, you have now found your ideal tuning point!
Choose Your Tuning Option Carefully
There are two ways of tuning your guitar: with a tuner or by ear. If you have a guitar tuner, it’s best to use that because it will save you time. But if you don’t happen to have one on hand, fretting the string and then turning the tuning key until the pitch is accurate is another way to tune your guitar.
The most important thing to remember when tuning your guitar is that the way you tune can affect how the string sounds after it stretches and settles in. So choose your tuning option carefully.
Get to Know Your Scales
If you’re serious about tuning your guitar to perfection, then you need to know the scales. For example, if you have a C-major chord, then the notes will be C-E-G.
The most common scale is an octave. For example, if you did the C-major chord while playing the notes of a C octave (C-D-E-F-G-A), then it would match that chord perfectly.
You can also use other scales as well. If you have a minor chord in G minor, your notes are G-Bb-D. The closest major scale to G minor is D major and that includes D-E-F#sus4–A. So for G minor and D major chords, the notes will be:
G Minor: G -Bb -D
D Major: D -F#sus4 -A
You can easily find chords on a tuner by turning it into a chromatic tuner. This will show all 12 tones so that you can tune to any note with ease.
Bottom Line
Tuning your guitar is a lot more of an art than it is a science, but with these tips you’ll be able to do it much quicker and without the annoyance of tuning your instrument to each string individually. Tuning your guitar like a bass player is easier because you will only have to tune one string at a time.
– Tune the low E string by using the 5th fret on the A string as an A note.
– Tune the A string by using the 4th fret on the D string as a D note.
– Tune the D string by using the 3rd fret on the G string as a G note.
– Tune the G string by using the 2nd fret on the B string as a B note.
– Tune your high E string by using your ear, or if you’re against that idea then use this trick: first, tune all of your other strings, and then tune your high E to where you can hear an octave shift between it and whichever other un-tuned strings are still ringing out (typically this will be between G and B).
How to tune a guitar like a bass FAQS
To tune your guitar like a bass, start with the 6th string. Tune it to the note of E by tuning the string until the pitch matches that of the 5th fret on your low E string. Then, find the octave of that note on another string and match it. For example, if you have a G chord and you’re tuning your 6th string to E, tune your 4th string to G and then tune your 3rd string to B (the octave of G). Repeat this process for all strings going down from high to low in order for them to sound harmonious.
When tuning, make sure you don’t over-tighten the strings or use excessive force when turning the knobs. This puts too much tension on the instrument, which will lead to broken strings and possible injury.
Additionally, make sure you are using a tuner with an accurate frequency before starting each time. This ensures that you are matching pitches accurately and not adjusting them based on what they “sound like” or what you think they should be tuned to.
When turning knobs on a guitar tuner, you change how tight or loose each string is from its pitch reference (e.g., A440).
Conclusion
Tuning your guitar is a very important process for musicians, and the goal is to make sure that your guitar is in tune with itself. If you have a bass guitar, then tuning it like a guitar might be the best option for you. This way, you will avoid having to retune it when you are in a different key.
There are also various types of tuning options, such as open tuning, standard tuning, and drop D tuning. Find out which type of tuning works best for you.
