Standard 4-string bass: E, A, D, G, low to high. One octave lower than the bottom four strings of a guitar.
Tool
Open the chromatic tuner
Tunes by ear via your laptop or phone mic. Pluck a string, watch the indicator center.
Use the Guitaring tuner
Pluck one string at a time. The tuner reads the pitch. Match each to the target:
- 4th string (lowest, thickest): E (E1, the lowest note on bass)
- 3rd string: A (A1)
- 2nd string: D (D2)
- 1st string (highest, thinnest): G (G2)
Tune slowly
Bass strings are thicker and under more tension than guitar strings. Half a turn of the tuner is a lot of pitch change. Tune up to pitch, not down: loosen the string a little, then tighten up to the target. Pegs hold better that way.
Second pass
After all four strings are tuned, do a second pass. Adjusting one string changes the neck tension, which slightly detunes the others.
Next: how to hold the bass, plus the basic plucking motion.