Standard tuning is the new altered tuning

[JimmyM]

Nice to see standard tuning making a comeback in rock. I'm sick of all these low tuning bands with the guitarists who want to be bassists and the bassists who want to be...um...below the guitarists.

Anyone playing in original bands that actually tune in standard these days?

[Tomass]

yer i hate low tuning, Mudvayne espically is hard to emulate with there drop B tunings. Makes me wish i had a 5 string bass, im in a black metal band tht is playing old school Immortal songs like Damned in black that are in standard tuning. The songs were writing are also in standard, anything lower than drop D sucks big time. Fret buzz and really bad sound comes out if your amp sucks like mine.

[Tash]

I'm in 3 bands right now. One plays in D/C (that's CGCF), one in B (I use a standard tune 5 string for that), and my solo stuff is in E (though i occasionally use my 5 string for that as well). The genres are gothenburg influenced melodic metal, death and my solo porject is a prog/black/doom metal blend.

Honestly you can sound like crap in any tuning if the instruments aren't EQed to work with each other, if one member has volume ego issues, etc. Tuning low will not automatically make you sound bad (or play bad if you set your isntruments up properly), but it won't automatically make you sound good either.

However I do agree that it's nice to hear something different from the pack sometimes, which I why I confine my solo writing to standard. I also like the challenge of writing in different keys without altered tuning.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

There's a video of a Kiss concert from the Animalize tour in Brazil (can't remember the name - I'm a fan but I hate this video) in which they play in standard tuning. Having absolute ear, it felt very weird to listen to "Detroit Rock City" in C#m, for instance.

[The Mock Turtle Regulator]

I don't like playing in Eb tuning.
the drop in tension alters the response of the strings uncomfortably for me.
I often use drop-D though.

[lawrens]

hi everybody!!
i'm lawrens, posting fromfrance
i never detune my jazz, all my lines are in standard tuning, and we play rock/rock-prog compos with "godon"

all lyrics are in french.....sorry !!!

i can't stand the lowlow sound some rock bands have...you simply can't ear the bass

As I say, when the death metal scene was strong in Florida, it wasn't uncommon to see guitarists who tuned in good ol' EADGBE and bassists who used standard EADG tuning. Instead of dropping down a half octaive, they used something called developed talent to get that heavy sound. Also, I believe Dillinger Escape Plan is considered one of the heaviest bands today, and they tune in good ol' standard.

I can't begin to tell you the number of guitarists I've peeved because I tune my five string fretless EADGC. I point out that Steve Digiorgio plays in the same tuning (actually came as a suprising coincidence to me), and they still don't get the clue, go figure. Gotta love the Chicago mallcore scene that thinks it's the most revolutionary metal scene out there.

[JimmyM]

Mallcore...LOL! Well it's good to see that not everybody who plays heavy original music has embraced the dropped tunings.

[I.'.I.'.Nakoa]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Nice to see standard tuning making a comeback in rock. I'm sick of all these low tuning bands with the guitarists who want to be bassists and the bassists who want to be...um...below the guitarists.

Anyone playing in original bands that actually tune in standard these days?

"standard tuning is the new altered tuning"
unless youre talking about a band called altered and they recently stopped dropping thier low e down to d and you felt the need to tell the world.... then i dont know what to say about that.


that was one of the most ignorant things i have ever read. tuning down doesnt mean you are trying to be a bass player.
i switched to guitar to get away from bass... tuning my guitar 1.5 steps down doesnt mean i want to be a bassist again.

since when was c#-f#-b-e-g#-c#... a bass only tuning??

i cant stand playing in standard tuning. i know a bunch of opeth songs, and when i play those is probably the only time i am tuned up to e.
i know a few nile songs, which are in drop ab, but with 10's it just sounds messy. i miss my 7 string.

i love alternate tunings, it keeps everything from being monotonous.

and dont tell me i have no business, as a guitarist, speaking on this,posting here.. whatever lame esponse you might come up with... i dont own a bass anymore but i can still draw a crowd at guitar center whenever i pick one up.

[cliffburtonfan]

I play in a thrash metal band, we always play in standard

Wouldn't have it any other way!!

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by I.'.I.'.Nakoa

"standard tuning is the new altered tuning"
unless youre talking about a band called altered and they recently stopped dropping thier low e down to d and you felt the need to tell the world.... then i dont know what to say about that.


that was one of the most ignorant things i have ever read. tuning down doesnt mean you are trying to be a bass player.
i switched to guitar to get away from bass... tuning my guitar 1.5 steps down doesnt mean i want to be a bassist again.

since when was c#-f#-b-e-g#-c#... a bass only tuning??

i cant stand playing in standard tuning. i know a bunch of opeth songs, and when i play those is probably the only time i am tuned up to e.
i know a few nile songs, which are in drop ab, but with 10's it just sounds messy. i miss my 7 string.

i love alternate tunings, it keeps everything from being monotonous.

and dont tell me i have no business, as a guitarist, speaking on this,posting here.. whatever lame esponse you might come up with... i dont own a bass anymore but i can still draw a crowd at guitar center whenever i pick one up.

Good money in that.

Stop being such a whiny baby. You don't play bass anymore because you're too uncool and whiny.

[Burg]

i dont own a bass anymore but i can still draw a crowd at guitar center whenever i pick one up.[/quote]



Good for you.

[I.'.I.'.Nakoa]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Good money in that.

Stop being such a whiny baby. You don't play bass anymore because you're too uncool and whiny.

good money in what? im not playing music to make money, i play music because its the only thing i am good at and i love doing it.

whiny baby? my god, you just showed your level of intelligence. if you cant come up with anything more intelligent than that to reply to me with, then you have no business talking to me.

you were the one whining about people using alternate tunings.

i switched to guitar because i felt it allowed me to be more creative. i had done enough slapping, tapping and sweep pickign on bass and felt it was time to move on to something else and start writing songs. im nowhere near the level of guitarist that i was on bass, but im happier.

[I.'.I.'.Nakoa]

Originally Posted by Burg

i dont own a bass anymore but i can still draw a crowd at guitar center whenever i pick one up.

Good for you.[/quote]


thanks. =)

[MikeyFingers]

I never tune down. The only time I've ever tuned my bass down was to drop-D, for one Pantera song I was playing with a friend's band.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by I.'.I.'.Nakoa

good money in what? im not playing music to make money, i play music because its the only thing i am good at and i love doing it.

whiny baby? my god, you just showed your level of intelligence. if you cant come up with anything more intelligent than that to reply to me with, then you have no business talking to me.

you were the one whining about people using alternate tunings.

i switched to guitar because i felt it allowed me to be more creative. i had done enough slapping, tapping and sweep pickign on bass and felt it was time to move on to something else and start writing songs. im nowhere near the level of guitarist that i was on bass, but im happier.

Listen pallie, YOU were the one who initiated this conversation by your whining. So I suggest to you that rather than me not being clever enough to reply to you, you are too whiny to have any business talking to me.

So you can't be creative and write songs with bass, huh? What makes you think you're going to be any more creative on guitar? Creativity is in the mind, not the instrument. Hey, be happy playing guitar. It's a fine instrument. But don't blame the bass because you were too busy trying to draw a crowd at GC instead of being creative with it.

[Pacman]

Ok, we're done here. The two of you are dangerously close to the line, remember rule #1.

Thread closed. Jimmy, IIN - consider this a warning.