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Summary: A six-string bass adds a low B string, in addition to a high C string, to the standard bass strings of E, A, D and G. In order to tune these extra strings, match the low B and the high C to the corresponding notes on another instrument or a tuner with the tips in this free video music lesson from a bass guitar instructor.
Steve Bauman has been playing bass guitar for 15 years. He instructs on his own time as well as for Summerhays Music located in Murray, Utah.read more
"Hi, this is Steve Bauman from Summerhays Music. We're talking about the bass guitar today. We're talking about tuning the bass and tuning four string versus a five string or a six string. A five string bass has a low B string in addition to the regular four strings. Now a six string has a low B and a high C. Now this is a five string bass. This is not a six string bass, but if it was a six string bass, it would also have a high C string. So the tuning process is exactly the same whether it's a four string, five string or six string bass. You just go down the fifth fret and you match the notes. First you have to get a B in tune, your low B, and then you go to the fifth fret and you just have to match the note of the fifth fret on the B to the open E and repeat that process as you go down the strings all the way until you've tuned all six strings."
eHow Article: How to Tune a 6-String Bass Guitar