Tuning the bass by ear...

[Knavery]

Hey all,
I've played both the bass and guitar for several years. One of the things I really have a horrible time with is tuning the bass by ear properly. I didn't usually have a problem tuning the guitar by ear, probably because of the higher frequencies, but with the bass, I always need a tuner--like always.

Am I just losing my hearing or is this normal? Does anyone else have problems identifying the notes of the lower strings when tuning? It seems a bit counterproductive in playing bass if I can't hear what I'm doing.

 

[Gorn]

I suck at it. I bet a lot of people who think they're good at it also suck at it.

 

[James Collins]

I can only do it with harmonics. I have a terrible time with a low B string.

 

[underwhelmist]

Yeah I don’t trust myself to tune by ear properly. I Got a 2nd hand Boss tuner pedal, wish I’d got one years ago. Great bit of kit.

 

[dreamadream99]

Harmonics is the way to go. You can easily hear if the higher pitches are beating. You’ll have to tune your high string to a reliable source. After that, 7th fret harmonic on high string, 5th fret harmonic on next lower string. Adjust till you hear no beats. Move down one string, and repeat. Keep moving down in pairs till done.

 

[Oddly]

I used to be able to do this.
I'm blaming age on my need for a tuner these days.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Harmonics is the way to go. You can easily hear if the higher pitches are beating. You’ll have to tune your high string to a reliable source. After that, 7th fret harmonic on high string, 5th fret harmonic on next lower string. Adjust till you hear no beats. Move down one string, and repeat. Keep moving down in pairs till done.

I've always found it more accurate to start with the lowest string and work up from there.

 

[saabfender]

I suck at it. I bet a lot of people who think they're good at it also suck at it.

That's a good story to tell yourself. I must try it sometime.

 

[Gorn]

That's a good story to tell yourself. I must try it sometime.

Acknowledging an inability in myself and recognizing that others often think they'e better at something than they actually are? I agree. Very compelling story.

 

[walking Bass]

The funny thing I found was that using a full 1U tuner (the old Korg DTR-2000) improved my ability to discern pitch. I would never play without a tuner, it's become easier to hear the difference while seeing in detail.

Some players have perfect pitch. I never met one, but most were better than me.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Some players have perfect pitch. I never met one, but most were better than me.

There's perfect pitch and then there's relative pitch (you know, like throw your nephew off the porch ). Which are you actually referring to?

 

[RyanOh]

I assume you're getting some reference for a string (I use A) and then tune up the other strings? I did it using relative pitch and then harmonics (5th, 7th fret) for many years. I don't bother anymore....the tuner is much faster and more accurate.

I used to tune to Owner of a Lonely Heart because that gave me the A. Didn't own a tuner. I did try to guess the A pitch before playing the song -- my guess was usually flat around G. Nope...no perfect pitch here.

 

[saabfender]

Last night I was adjusting a new nut. I thought would see if I could guess the G string. Listened to it closely, tuned it to where is sounded right. Tuned the rest of the bass. Turns out I was 12 cents sharp.

OP, is this what you’re talking about?

 

[Mushroo]

If you are bad at tuning by ear, then you should practice it every day. It's great ear training. When I was a kid, we didn't have tuners. By ear was the only way to tune. If I was practicing at home then I tuned to the A440 of my quartz metronome. When I was playing with my band I tuned to the keyboard or guitar.

Pro tip: The "harmonics method" is slightly inaccurate, due to our tuning system called "equal temperment." If you tune by harmonics starting from the lowest string, then your highest strings will be slightly out of tune (and vice versa). This tuning anomaly will be more pronounced if you have 5, 6, or more strings.

The most accurate way to tune by ear is to match your E string to a reference E, your A string to a reference A, your D string to a reference D, and your G string to a reference G.

The second most accurate way (assuming your bass is set up with good "intonation") is to tune your E to a reference E pitch. Then fret the E string at the 5th fret to make the note A. Match your open A string to this pitch. Then fret your A string at the 5th fret to make D, and tune your open D string to that. Finally, fret the D string at the 5th fret to make G, and tune your open G string to that pitch.

The harmonics method is the third choice for accuracy, but it is often our first choice in actual practice. It is easy to hear the "beats" if we are slightly out of tune. As we get closer to in tune, the beats get slower, and then when we are perfectly in tune, the beats stop. It's a really practical way of tuning by ear, especially in a noisy environment.

If I am playing with a guitarist who uses a capo or an "open" tuning (like DADGAD) then I always check my tuning by ear against theirs (even if my digital tuner says I am "in tune.")

 

[MVE]

My niece legitimately has perfect pitch. She has had it since she could talk. When she was two years old she yelled at my mother as she was singing the A B Cs song, “Grandma, Grandma, You’re Singing It WRONG!!!”

 

[Stringler]

Not sure what you mean, I just need to establish the E (or any open string) and the rest is cake? Do you not hear strings that are out of tune when played? I easily hear that *wah-wah* out of tune fluctuation due to the difference in tuning. I guess I am not understanding the OP's plight.

 

[D.M.N.]

Are we talking tuning the strings to themselves or perfect pitch? I can usually suss out close to where the E should be, and tuning across string to string is pretty easy. You don't really need to even listen to pitch, listen to the beating. Often if strings are close, I'll strike both, detune the one I'm tuning, and that way the beating becomes more apparent, then you can easily tune it up to pitch so that the beating starts to go away as you get closer to the same pitch.

 

[singlemalt]

Back in the Stone Age, I learned to hold a tuning fork between my teeth: perfect 440# A in stereo. Tune to that. Use harmonics to help hear the lower tones. Put your ear on the upper bout, you’ll hear and feel the warble coming up to tune.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Harmonics are a great way to tune.....but you need to get a good G somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I suck at it. I bet a lot of people who think they're good at it also suck at it.

I am brilliant at it. Even though I am 635 years old my hearing is still perfect. But only at night.