need help with tuning

can someone help me out, i leave my bass in standard all the time cause idk how to make it into drop D and C. i mean i understand how to, but idk what exactly to tune it it, i dont wanna use a tuner because i wanna be able to do it just by ear. im basically as far as tuning my e,a, and d strings, but if i untune my g i cant tune it back into standard

Its my opinion that you're gonna waste your time trying to learn pitch by ear. You'd probably just be better off using a tuner.

You'll need to use a tuner anyway to see if you got it right or not anyway.
Use a tuner and once you get used to hearing the different tunings, try doing them by ear.

Tuning by ear is quicker most of the time than using a tuner and is not that difficult to do at all once you do it a few times. The term 'by ear' sounds a bit scary because it implies you need to know exactly how each note sounds by memory. Wrong.

Keep these few things in mind while you tune

- Always tune up. If you've gone too far from the note you want, loosen it and tighten it back till you get it. This keeps it in tune longer because it keeps tension on the the string.

- Play the notes you're trying to match every few seconds. There's no need to constantly play them, but the more you do, the less chance there is you'll miss what you're aiming for.

Doing simple readjustments such as tuning to Drop - D is very simple, you just tune it to itself. If your bass is already in tune this is a 30-second adjustment.

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If your bass is in tune:

Your string are in EADG and you wand DADG. Find a D note on your bass. Doesn't matter which, I just use the D string. Play it at the same time as your E string. You'll notice you hear this, phasing wahwah sound. This is what you will use to tune it. The faster this sound is, the more difference there is in the notes.

Take your tuning key for your E string and loosen it until you think it's close to D. (This is just one full note down, so it's not that far.) Play the D and E string again. Tighten the E string until the wah sound goes away. It should gradually slow down as you get it closer and there's a sweet spot where it's completely gone. You're looking for that. If you notice it's speeding up again, you've gone too far. Loosen back down and try again.

Once your D string and E string have no wah when played, they're now an octave apart and your bass is now tuned to DADG, or Drop - D.

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If your bass is not in tune

If all of your strings are messed up because your 3 year old nephew got curious or for whatever reason, you need to have a reference note. Use a tuner and tune up. If you don't have a tuner, have your guitarist play a G note and tune your G string to that. If you have no other musician with you, you can always get a reference note off the computer by using online tuners, just google one. You would match the wah sound exactly the same way you did with the D note. Except this is a bit more difficult to do.. Just get one string in tune on your bass and you can tune the whole thing to that.

Lets say you get all your strings mixed up except your D string and you want EADG. Play a harmonic on the 5th fret D string and one on the 7th fret G string. These should match exactly, if not tune your G string till they do. Again using the wah sound. This is alot more pronounced than actual notes so it's quicker.

If you don't know what a harmonic is, you lightly touch (Meaning hold it as if you were muting it, in only one spot.) your finger above the fret itself and play the string. Should produce this metallic ringing sound. They're found all over your bass, but the loudest ones are 5, 7, and 12.

Repeat the process with the A and D strings. Play a harmonic on the 5th fret A string and 7th fret D string. And again for the E and A. Then use what I showed you above to tune it to whatever alternate tuning you would like.



Those are the methods I use. I usually just use a tuner if my strings get messed up from the gig bag, but other wise, by ear is the way to go. The first few times you should use a tuner after you do this to make sure you got it right. If not you need to listen closer for the wah effect. Using this you can tune your bass to anything you'd like. if you wanted CADG for some reason, match your E string to your 3rd fret A string (The C note on the A string) and so on.

http://www.tunemybass.com/tuning/bass_guitar_tuning_faq.html

Your Better off using a tuner in the correct octave.

But if you want to practice with your ear, and you know your board well enough, you can always use octaves to find lower pitches and open strings.

Just remember the farther apart the "pulses" you hear in the sound the closer in tune you are. These are the vibrations of the soundwaves crashing into each other.

One of my favorite lessons with my band students is tuning. I get more lightbulbs on kids heads that day than any other day of the year.