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Bass half step down tuning
Bass half step down tuner online: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭, every string a semitone down to play with a guitar in E♭. Tune with your phone's mic, hear each string.
Four strings, a semitone each. Mika names them in flats, like the guitarist's.The microphone closes when you stop, when all is in tune, or after half a minute of quiet. Nothing is recorded.
E♭1✓
Tap start. Play the E♭ string and let it ring. Without the microphone, tap a note above to hear it.
Half step down: the strings and their notes
| String | Standard | Half step down | Change | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st string | G2 | G♭2 | a semitone down | 92.5 |
| 2nd string | D2 | D♭2 | a semitone down | 69.3 |
| 3rd string | A1 | A♭1 | a semitone down | 51.9 |
| 4th string | E1 | E♭1 | a semitone down | 38.9 |
Tuning a bass down a half step
What half step down is on a bass
A bass in half step down is tuned E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭, every string one semitone lower, so it matches a guitar in half step down. All the shapes stay; everything sounds a semitone lower. The low E♭ is at 38.9 Hz.
Bands that play in E♭ (much of 80s hard rock, and many singers who need the semitone) tune the bass with the guitars. A capo is rare on a bass, so the bass is retuned rather than capoed back up.
How to tune to half step down from standard
With the tuner above: tap Start, play each string the table changes and turn until the needle sits in the middle. By ear, without the tuner:
- Tune the 4th string to E♭1 first, from the tone of the string chip above (tap it with the tuner stopped) or a piano.
- 3rd string: A1 to A♭1. The 4th string at its 5th fret (A♭1) should sound like this string open.
- 2nd string: D2 to D♭2. The 3rd string at its 5th fret (D♭2) should sound like this string open.
- 1st string: G2 to G♭2. The 2nd string at its 5th fret (G♭2) should sound like this string open.
Then check the whole tuning once more with the tuner: retuning one string moves the neck, and the others drift a few cents.
On the same strings, tension follows the square of the pitch: every string keeps 89 % of its pull. Slacker strings buzz and read flat at the attack; for more than a whole step down, a heavier set (or at least a heavier low string) keeps the feel.
What one finger plays
Every chord shape you know keeps working; it sounds a semitone lower. A capo at the 1st fret brings you back to standard pitch, which is how players in half step down join a band that plays in standard.
Playing bass a half step down
- The strings lose about 11 % of their tension: a little looser under the fingers, no setup needed.
- Reading the low E♭: on a phone the tuner listens to the string's overtones; pluck firmly and let it ring.
- A whole step lower: drop the E♭ string to D♭ for bass drop C♯, or tune everything a step down.
Standard, the 5-string and the other tunings: the bass tuner.
Then play something
The notes you tuned can go into Brumm as a short melody over a beat. Hum a line on top and it becomes an instrument.
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