Bass to Cello?

[jamiefoxer]

A crazy idea from a total neophyte to upright basses (I'm an electric bassist).

I've read that the standard Cello tuning is ADGC, and of course, standard bass is EADG.

Could you simply tune a Double-bass or Electric upright bass's 4 string to Cello tuning and have it "sound" like a Cello, or would the bigger body still make the tone too low?

Just a crazy question.

[Bobby King]

Just so you're clear, the cello's low note is the C and it's tuned in 5ths.

[jamiefoxer]

ahhh...ok...so the instrument is a totally different animal...

The reason I pose the question, is because I'm thinking what other instruments would be easy to shift, from the perspective of an electric bass player. What instruments' natural fingerboard style tuning would match the EADG tuning and 4ths' distance of acoustic/electric basses.

The only I know off as off right now is the Puerto Rican Cuatro (a 10 string instrument that is tuned in 4ths, like the bass). Many Puerto Rican cuatro players double as electric bass players.

Any other instruments?

[dukerutledge]

guitar...basically any instrument that you feel the need to tune in 4ths.

[jamiefoxer]

Yeah, but guitar has the problem of having that difference between the G and the next string...I've never understood that, and I asked my father, who is a guitar player, why the first, bottom strings go from EADG, and then suddenly jump to B, instead of C, instead of continuing the cycle of fourths. When I play bass, no matter what string or position I'm on, playing a major, minor chord, or whatever...the relationship between the frets remains the same. This allows for me to easily go up and down the strings, and up and down the fretboard. With guitar, I always am confused whenever I'm playing upwards of the G note.

With the Puerto Rican cuatro, it's not this way. The Puerto Rican Cuatro retains its relationship of the fourth's distance. The only problem I'd have to playing Puerto Rican cuatro are:

1) getting used to a smaller fretboard, even smaller than guitar.
2) picking through much thinner distances between strings
3) learning how to do chords...I'm not even that good on chords with the bass.

But, if I worked on that, I'd successfully have an advantage in learning the instrument because I already have a knowledge of the basic relationship between the notes, thanks to playing bass.

[Bobby King]

I believe that at one point, bassist Ray Brown played a cello tuned in 4ths. There are also bassists that tune in 5ths and even some that use combinations of 4ths and 5ths.

Likewise, there are various guitar tunings. I think it's just a matter of convention but people will deviate where it suits them.

As far as traditional guitar tuning, maybe the third is there so it will wind up with another E on top? This facilitates certain chord voicings and fingerings.

But on a 6-string electric bass guitar, the tuning usually stays in 4ths B to C.

Go figure!

[Zachmozach]

The reason guitars have the the third between the G and B instead of keeping the fourths going is simply a matter of convienience. Go ahead and tune the guitar in straight fourths. There are a lot of chords that become much more difficult or impossible to play.