The bass guitar’s range in notes and hertz
That is a four-string bass with a full two-octave neck. A five-string adds a low B0; a short neck stops lower. Bass parts are written an octave above the sound.
Written and sounding pitch
The bass guitar is a transposing instrument: it sounds an octave lower than written. So the range on its part is E2–G5, while the notes you hear are E1–G4. The transposing-instrument tuner reads out the written note as you play.
Instruments with a similar range
The instruments whose normal range shares the most notes with the bass guitar’s:
- Piano · A0–C8 40 notes shared
- French horn · F1–F5 39 notes shared
- 8-string guitar · F♯1–C♯6 38 notes shared
- Contrabassoon · B♭0–D4 35 notes shared
- Bassoon · B♭1–E5 34 notes shared
- 7-string guitar · B1–C♯6 33 notes shared
Tune it, play it
- Bass tuner — tune by microphone, with the bass guitar’s own target notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of a bass guitar?
The bass guitar’s full range runs from E1 to G4 — 41.20 to 392.00 Hz, about 3.3 octaves. Its part is written E2–G5, because it sounds an octave lower than written.
What is the lowest note on a bass guitar?
E1 (41.20 Hz).
What is the highest note on a bass guitar?
G4 (392.00 Hz).