Tuning

[spamvicious]

Hi guys,

Apologies if this has been posted before. Well i've only had my bass a few days and as i didn't buy it from a music shop i'm not sure if its in tune or not. It doesn't sound right and sounds very ummm "tinny" i suppose would be a good description. But this might just be cos i suck

Does anyone have any tips about tuning?

Thanks in advance.
Sam

[WeeMann]

Hiya stranger.

The strings need to be tuned, from low to high, E A D G.

To get the bass in tune with itself, fret the E string (the thickest, nearest the top) at the fifth fret. When you play this note it should sound the same as the A string played open (i.e. not fretted). While you have both notes ringing, turn the tuning key for the A string until the notes sound the same. One clue when you're getting close is that you'll hear a "pulse" where the waveforms of the notes are close, but out of phase with each other. As you get closer the pulsing slows until it disappears when the notes are in tune with one another.

This technique works across all the strings.

This will only get the bass in tune with itself so that you can play, but you will need a reference note (from a pitch pipe, other instrument or cd) to ensure you are at concert pitch. I would definitely recommend an electronic tuner - you should be able to pick one up for about £15-20, but learn to trust your ears first - they are the most important thing about playing any instrument.