question for metal bassist

yeggi · #1 02-19-2010, 10:27 AM

do you prefer drop tuning the bottom 4 strings to drop c for the ease of it all? or do u like the challenge of transposing? im personally too new to keep up with gigging in BEADG as of now but id like to know what other metal bassist are doing!

Melik · #2 02-19-2010, 10:27 AM

EADG is the tuning that covers any style of music

yeggi · #3 02-19-2010, 10:37 AM

i get what your saying, not asking for help. just asking what other metal bassist "prefer" to do

Sbociol · #4 02-19-2010, 10:51 AM

I used to tune my 4 banger CGCF...then I got the same exact bass but as a 5 string and I tuned it CGCFB,that is the B string was tuned up one step and the remaining 4 strings were tuned up two whole steps

now I'm enjoying a standard BEADG tuning

yeggi · #5 02-19-2010, 11:11 AM

ah yes finally, my buddy recommended i tune to CGCFA but i was like WHA it seemed rediculous but i might try it now

René_Julien · #6 02-19-2010, 11:15 AM

most metal covers I play are EADG, old-school metal
or 5-string BEADG and I transpose

our original stuff is mostly DADG, sometimes EADG
I got a drop D tuner
very happy

Mooch · #7 02-19-2010, 11:31 AM

We play in a drop B variation using Bb, F, Bb, Eb. Its pretty low but it works great for what we do. We don't play many covers but when we do we just tune the E-string up to C if our tuning is just to low for a certain song.

yeggi · #8 02-19-2010, 11:54 AM

yea , im gettin an instructor right now to give me a crash course in transposing. any tips? do i not need an instructor?

Mooch · #9 02-19-2010, 06:06 PM

For cover songs transposing isn't really that tough. A lot of stuff no matter what the tuning to can just listen and learn them by ear. Either that or get the tabs for a song and just find the notes on your bass and write down the tab your self with the changes. That's all we ever do.

Hollywars · #10 02-19-2010, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeggi

yea , im gettin an instructor right now to give me a crash course in transposing. any tips? do i not need an instructor?

Learn the notes on the fretboard.

On another note, I generally play BEAGD or BEAGDC or AEAGDC or AbEAGDC, Something like that, Drop A or Drop A with a semitone down, whatever. I mostly play old school metal, so I don't need to tune to C, and I just transpose when I play songs in D.

lowfreq33 · #11 02-20-2010, 12:01 AM

I used to do a lot of progressive metal, and of course guitarists love their drop tunings. I always kept it BEADG though. One, I played in a few different bands, and they all did different tunings, so for me it was just easier not to have to keep up with different tunings. Two, I don't like to adjust to different string tensions all the time. It's hard at first playing riffs that are written based around an open C or D, but in the end it will make you a better bassist.

BTW, what you're talking about isn't really transposing. You're playing the same notes as the guitar, just in a different position.

Maxi · #12 02-20-2010, 02:36 AM

I tune down to DGCF, but then again, I refuse to let my guitarist drop just the top string, because that's lame.

Razorjack · #13 02-20-2010, 03:13 AM

I play tuned to ADGCF, it gives me all the usable notes of std tuning and the extra low ones I use to get the floor rumbling. It all started as I found myself grooving on the bottom C a lot with my old band, after a bunch of experimenting I found that the C being the 3rd fret allowed for much better resonance than on the first fret.

allenhf · #14 02-20-2010, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxi

I tune down to DGCF, but then again, I refuse to let my guitarist drop just the top string, because that's lame.

Wow, if you think that's lame there must be a lot of GOOD metal bands that you don't like.

Mooch · #15 02-21-2010, 02:48 PM

+1 not sure why dropping the top string down is lame. Its a tuning how is anything having to do with a tuning lame? I don't get it I guess.

Infiltration12 · #16 02-21-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxi

I tune down to DGCF, but then again, I refuse to let my guitarist drop just the top string, because that's lame.

Exactly what I do.

SomeKindofRobot · #17 02-21-2010, 03:08 PM

I used to tune to CGCFA just because it made a lot of songs we played a lot easier to play live. Most of the bass lines were just following the guitar riffs anyway so it made my life simple. However, I didn't like the string tension and now as I'm trying to diversify the bass parts, I'm tuned to ADGCF. Besides, I'm a fan of the the shear brutality of the open A, or A# breakdowns

XansNiceSweater · #18 02-21-2010, 03:31 PM

Having to de-tune to be "heavy" is a myth.
The Melvins don't tune past drop-D most of the time.
Nor does Slayer.

Good enough for me.

Greevus · #19 02-21-2010, 03:35 PM

Played EADG for 20 years. Bought a fiver, loved the B. Went back to fours and tuned them all to BEAD. I love playing up and down the neck more, instead of across the 5.
It's definitely fun to transpose licks, but I found the 5 was a little crowded and I had to think a lot more instead of playing the way I was used to. Every now and then I miss the high G, but I need the B and the space more.

TortillaChip520 · #20 02-21-2010, 03:41 PM

i play CGCF. I was considering playing a 5er tuned BEADG, but who wants to fret a C during a breakdown? Not I. I might do a 5 string tuned CGCFA, but it seems like it'd be pretty high tension, so I'll keep it drop C on a 4 string for now.