Five-String Bass: Low B Tuning, Range and Technique

The five-string bass adds one string below the low E: a low B. It gives you five more semitones of depth, down to B0, and it lets you play many lines without shifting your hand. A six-string bass adds a high C string on top as well. This lesson explains the tuning, the notes on the new string, how to think in positions, how to keep the extra strings quiet, and how to read tab written for five strings.

The tab examples on this site are written for a standard 4-string bass (string 4 = low E). Everything you play on a 4-string works unchanged on a 5-string: the E, A, D and G strings are exactly the same. The B string simply adds a new lowest line.

Tuning and range

All common basses are tuned in fourths, so the B string is a perfect fourth below E, just as E is a fourth below A.

Because the interval between neighbouring strings is always a fourth, every shape you know transfers to the B string.

Bass music is written one octave above the sounding pitch. The open B string and the first notes on it look like this in a bass part:

Notes on the B string

Learn the B string the same way you learned the E string. Two landmarks help: fret 5 is E1 (the same pitch as the open E string), and fret 12 is B1 (the octave of the open string).

The first five frets (B0 to Eb1) are the new notes. Everything from fret 5 upward duplicates notes you could already play on the E string, but in a different position. The general rule: E string fret n = B string fret n + 5.

The fretboard below shows D major on the four standard strings. On a 5-string the same pattern continues one string lower: D1 at B string fret 3, E1 at fret 5, F#1 at fret 7, G1 at fret 8, A1 at fret 10 and B1 at fret 12.

Positions across the neck

The biggest everyday advantage of a 5-string is not the very low notes but the extra position. With five strings under your hand, one position covers almost two octaves, so you can stay in one place for a whole song.

Take this simple line in D on a 4-string bass. It jumps between the open area and 5th position:

On a 5-string you can play the whole line between frets 4 and 8 with less hand movement, and you can drop the final D an octave to D1:

Lowest available roots for common keys show where the B string really matters:

For keys like D, Eb and C, a 5-string gives you a root a full octave below what a 4-string can reach without retuning.

Muting the extra strings

More strings means more strings that can ring when you do not want them to. The low B is especially prone to sympathetic ringing, and a low B humming under every note makes the whole mix muddy.

• Floating thumb. Rest the plucking-hand thumb on the strings below the one you are playing. When you play the D string, the thumb lies across the A, E and B strings and keeps them quiet.
• Moving anchor. If you prefer to anchor the thumb, move it: on the B string when you play E, on the E string when you play A or higher.
• Fretting-hand muting. Let the fingers of the fretting hand touch the higher strings lightly, and lift pressure, without leaving the string, to end a note.
• Palm muting. For a short, thumpy sound, rest the side of the plucking hand on the strings near the bridge.

Practise slow scales across all five strings and listen only for unwanted noise.

When to use the low strings

The low register is powerful, but it is not automatically better.

• Use it for low roots in keys like D, Eb, C and B, for big endings, for long held notes under a quiet section, and for doubling a low synth or piano left hand.
• Remember small speakers: phones and laptop speakers cannot reproduce 31 Hz. Listeners hear the overtones, so a low B played with a clear attack translates better than a soft, boomy one.
• Leave space: if the kick drum is tuned very low, a low B on every downbeat can fight with it. Save it for moments that need weight.

A tight B string needs enough tension. Many 5-strings use a 34 or 35 inch scale and a B string gauge around .125 to .135 inches. A longer scale or a heavier string generally gives a firmer, clearer low B.

Reading tab for five and six strings

Five-string tab has five lines. The bottom line is the low B, then E, A, D and G at the top. A six-string tab has six lines, with the high C on top.

Watch the string numbers. On a 5-string, G is still string 1 and the low B is string 5. On a 6-string, the high C becomes string 1, so the G string is string 2 and every number shifts by one. Always check how many lines a tab has before you start reading.

To play a 4-string tab on a 5-string, simply ignore the B string: the four upper strings are identical. To move a passage from the E string onto the B string, add 5 to the fret numbers.

Practise the conversion with a root-fifth line in D. The generated line below uses the 4-string positions; play it again with the D roots at B string fret 3 and the A roots at B string fret 10:

Practice

1. B string notes: say and play every note on the B string from fret 0 to 12, then check yourself against the table.
2. Same pitch, two places: play E1, F#1, G1 and A1 on the E string, then the same pitches on the B string (frets 5, 7, 8, 10).
3. One position: play the D major scale in 2nd position from D1 (B string fret 3) up to B2 (G string fret 4) without shifting.
4. Muting check: play the D line from this lesson with a floating thumb and listen for any ringing open strings.
5. Convert a tab: take a line from the bass lines over progressions lesson and rewrite it on tab paper with the low notes on the B string.

Related lessons: Bass basics, Reading tab, Reading bass clef, Bass scales and modes, Bass arpeggios, Bass groove and rhythm.

Tools: Scale explorer (set any bass tuning, including low B), Tuner, Fretboard trainer, Metronome.

Exercises: Bass major positions, Bass major scale, Bass chromatic, Octaves, Bass fretboard 1, Bass fretboard 2.

Printables: Bass tab paper, Blank bass fretboard. Follow the 8-week intermediate bass path to build these skills week by week.