Bass Guitar · 4 STRINGS
Bass Guitar Half Step Down Tuning
Every string down one semitone, so the bass matches a guitar tuned half a step down without any shape changing.
How to tune
Getting into Half Step Down
Work down the list in order — each string's tension moves the ones already set.
Allow microphone access
Asked once. Detection runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Play one string at a time
Let it ring open. A strummed chord gives the detector several pitches.
Centre the needle
Sharp means loosen, flat means tighten. Inside three cents is in tune.
Work up from string 4, one at a time
The lowest string carries the most tension, so setting it first means the rest hold. The panel below lists every target in that order.
Run through every string once more
Setting one string drifts the rest; the second pass makes it hold.
Changing from Standard
Every string a semitone down
Nothing keeps its standard pitch, but every string moves together — the intervals between them, and so every shape on the neck, stay exactly as they were.
Each bar shows how far that string sits from standard tuning. Select a string in Note Locking above to hold the tuner on it while you turn the peg.
About this tuning
About Half Step Down Tuning
All four strings move by the same semitone, which leaves the intervals between them untouched. Everything you play sits in exactly the same place and sounds a half step lower.
The usual reason is to match a band tuned half a step down — the tuning is standard practice in blues rock and hard rock. The slight drop in tension also makes the strings a little easier under the fingers.
Also known as
- E♭ Standard
- Eb tuning
Used in
- Blues rock
- Hard rock
- Heavy metal
What it buys you
- Matches a guitar tuned half a step down
- Every position and shape stays identical
- Slightly lower tension under the fingers
Note frequencies
Half Step Down string frequencies
The 4 open strings of Bass Guitar Half Step Down, lowest first, at A4 = 440 Hz. Each one is the pitch the tuner is listening for — D#1 is D# in octave 1.
| Note | Also | Solfège | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| D#1 | Eb1 | Re♯ | 38.89 Hz |
| G#1 | Ab1 | Sol♯ | 51.91 Hz |
| C#2 | Db2 | Do♯ | 69.30 Hz |
| F#2 | Gb2 | Fa♯ | 92.50 Hz |
Sharps and flats share a pitch on a tuner: C♯ and D♭ are the same frequency, and which name you use depends on the key you are in, not on what the meter reads.
Questions
Half Step Down tuning, answered
Every string down one semitone, so the bass matches a guitar tuned half a step down without any shape changing. The 4 strings are tuned D#1 G#1 C#2 F#2, from the lowest-pitched string up.
It moves string 1 from G2 to F#2, string 2 from D2 to C#2, string 3 from A1 to G#1, string 4 from E1 to D#1. The remaining 0 strings stay at standard pitch.
Yes. The tuner on this page listens through your device microphone and compares what it hears against the exact frequencies for D#1 G#1 C#2 F#2. Play one string at a time in a quiet room, and let the note ring rather than strumming.
No. This Half Step Down tuner runs in your browser — there is nothing to download, nothing to install and no account to create. Allow microphone access when the browser asks and the tuner starts listening. It works the same way on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
Related tunings
Where to go from Half Step Down
Each one is described as the move from Half Step Down, so you can see how far away it is before you commit to turning a peg.
Standard
Every string a semitone up
The reference tuning for the bass guitar: E A D G, low to high.
E1 A1 D2 G2
Drop D
3 strings a semitone up, string 4 a semitone down
Standard bass tuning with the fourth string lowered a whole step to D, giving you a low D without leaving first position.
D1 A1 D2 G2
Drop C
3 strings a semitone down, string 4 a step and a half down
The whole bass down a step, then the fourth string down another — C G C F, matching a guitar in Drop C.
C1 G1 C2 F2