Double Bass tuner – Solo (F#BEA)
F#-B-E-A · Alternative
Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your Double Bass is to Solo (F#BEA) tuning (F#-B-E-A). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Solo (F#BEA) tuning
Compared with Standard (EADG), Solo (F#BEA) moves 4 strings. Every change is upward, the largest by 2 semitones, so the strings pull tighter than in Standard (EADG).
| String | Standard (EADG) | Solo (F#BEA) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E1 | F#1 | up 2 semitones |
| 2 | A1 | B1 | up 2 semitones |
| 3 | D2 | E2 | up 2 semitones |
| 4 | G2 | A2 | up 2 semitones |
Played open, the strings sound F#-B-E-A – from F#1 at the bottom to A2 at the top, a span of 1 octave and 3 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Solo tuning raises every string a whole tone, to F#BEA. Concertos and solo repertoire are written for it: the higher tension gives a brighter, more projecting tone that carries over an orchestra.
It requires a dedicated set of strings – orchestral strings tuned up a tone are both dangerous and dull – so bassists who play solo repertoire keep a second set, or a second instrument.
History
Where the Solo (F#BEA) tuning comes from
F#-B-E-A, a whole step higher, is the solo tuning of the double bass, with thinner strings for a brighter tone. It was the tuning of 19th-century virtuosos such as Giovanni Bottesini, and Serge Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto (early 1900s) is usually played in it.
Other Double Bass tunings
Standard
How do I tune my Double Bass to Solo (F#BEA)?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (F#-B-E-A).
Which notes are used in Solo (F#BEA) tuning?
Solo (F#BEA) tuning for Double Bass uses the notes F#-B-E-A, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.