Sweet Child O Mine

[TOM274]

my band decided to play Sweet Child O Mine ,which the song is originally tuned down half step. All the songs we've been playing are in standard tune so i transcribed the song in standard tuning n it turned out the verse is C# B F#. but when i read an article from bassplayer.com it says it is D C G. y is that? It sounds correct when i play along with the song in C# B F#. I mean even if it is tuned down the notes are still C#BF#.n what is the key of the song? thx

[Marley's Ghost]

It's played in D, but the band is tuned 1/2 step down.

[TOM274]

yes i know the original song is down half step, but the notes are still C# B F#

[Curtybob]

Originally Posted by TOM274

my band decided to play Sweet Child O Mine ,which the song is originally tuned down half step. All the songs we've been playing are in standard tune so i transcribed the song in standard tuning n it turned out the verse is C# B F#. but when i read an article from bassplayer.com it says it is D C G. y is that? It sounds correct when i play along with the song in C# B F#. n what is the key of the song? thx

Alot of times I see where people put the tuning requirement on their sheet music, and then write the notes as if the instrument were still in standard tuning. So the "D" they speak of is actually a C#, but in order to keep the sheet music and tabs from disagreeing, they just make it a D (5th fret, 3rd string.... but tuned 1/2 step down). Make any sense?

[TOM274]

it's funny, when i put it down on guitar pro with the bass down half step, the notation says it's e even i put it d#

[Curtybob]

Also, you might benefit from the 1/2 step tuning for some of the simple fills. They really are very simple, but being able to hit those open strings sure takes some bounce work out.

[TOM274]

so that means the "correct" key is Db?

[TOM274]

the songs we play are all in standard tune except this 1. I just don't want to change bass for 1 song then change back to the other 1 again

[Curtybob]

Are we confusing key with tuning? I'm not that good that I can tell you what key 1/2 step down is.... but I think that might be the trouble.

[Marley's Ghost]

It's really up to the vocalist. If he/she can handle it, play it in D. For learning it in D, use a pitch shifter to change the key.

[BillMason]

The key - in listening to it - is C#, but they notate it as D so that the guitar players know what chord fingerings to play. Same as guitar players playing with a Capo, only in reverse. We have a couple of songs like that, where I had to train myself to think of the 5th fret E string as G rather than A for example, and as a result, I just avoided open strings all together when I learned the songs, by playing in the upper register. Now that I'm more comfortable with the changes and don't need to ask the guitar players about the changes (and be told D when it's actually E) I am much more comfortable moving around.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by Marley's Ghost

It's really up to the vocalist. If he/she can handle it, play it in D. For learning it in D, use a pitch shifter to change the key.

+1 about the vocalist. -1 about the pitch shifter. Learn it in C#, it'll improve your skills in odd key signatures. Then when playing it with the band, play it in D, or in C.

[ysand]

The correct notes are C# B F#
Taht's what u play along with the original song. That's what they recorded. When they did it, the bass was tuned half step down.
This means that in your bass, the 5th fret of the A string is D
But in THEIR bass, the 5th fret of the same string is C# (of course then it's not A string, it's G# string hehe)

On tabs, they show 5-3 But they note that the tuning is dropped half step down.
3

IF you decide as a band to not tune half step down, and play what the tab shows, your vocalist will have a HARD time to sing it :P

[TOM274]

we're doing it same as the original but on standard tuned instruments, i hv some adjustments on the bassline though as i don't hv the D# n stuff...... C#..that would be sharped for the whole song?

[Qvist]

Dude it's really simple, when you learn the song from the album, tune your bass 1/2 a step down and play it like that. If you don't want to tune down when you play it with the band, you just play what you learned in D# G# C# F# and play it in E A D G.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

As already said, the song is originally played as if it were in D, but the instruments are tuned one half step down, so the key that can be heard in the recording is Db. It is not C#, because key signatures are supposed to be written in the simplest possible way, with the least possible amount of alterations => Db has 5 flats and C# has 7 sharps, so Db is the key in which the piece should be written if transcribed as it sounds in the recording. Think of it this way: If the song were originally played in the key of E with downtuned instruments, the actual key in which it would be heard is Eb, not D#, since the D# key doesn't exist unless you notate it like this:



Which is totally impractical. So, going back to "Sweet Child O' Mine", the key signature that can be heard in the recording is Db and the verse's chord progression is Db, Cb and Gb. Anyway, I agree that the "correct" way of transcribing this piece for playing it as it sounds with a 4-string bass is in D with a tuning annotation, since the low Eb needed for the modulation (from 3:35 to the end of the song) isn't available unless you detune the instrument.

Around two months ago, I had to learn a 13-song set for playing a gig with a band that asked me to play with them since their bassist quit in not so good terms. Problem was, I was told about it two days before the gig and I only knew two songs from their set (mostly well-known 80's songs that I never tried to play before), so it was impossible to learn 11 songs in two days (for me, unless I had plenty of free time). Because of that, I transcribed some guide sheets with the songs' structure, chords and some key sections to be played exactly as recorded. "Sweet Child o' Mine" was one of those songs and here's my rushed (but adequate) transcription, thought for a 5-string bass in standard tuning:



BTW, it was a terrific gig! The only thing I disliked (and I was very upset about it) was the fact of being there, standing on stage with a rock band and reading sheet music . That's not fun. But everything went fine and I felt really good about it.

[MarkTAW]

Musicians need those teleprompters politicians use where nobody can see what's on it but them...

[tswd]

Originally Posted by TOM274

we're doing it same as the original but on standard tuned instruments, i hv some adjustments on the bassline though as i don't hv the D# n stuff...... C#..that would be sharped for the whole song?

Then subtract one from all the tabs. For the open E string (which is actually Eb), you'll have to play the octave instead since you don't have the lower note on your instrument. For other open strings, you play the 4th fret of the next lower string. So the open A string becomes the 4th fret of the E string.

So,
|----------------|----------------|-----------------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------7-----|---------------3-2-----|----------------|
|-5--0-5--5--0-5-|5--0-5--9---9-0-|-3--0-3--3--0-3----5-3-|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|-----------------------|-3--0-3--3--0-3-|

becomes

|----------------|----------------|-----------------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------6-----|---------------2-1-----|----1-------1---|
|-4----4--4----4-|4----4--8---8---|-2----2--2----2----4-2-|----------------|
|----4-------4---|---4----------4-|----4-------4----------|-2----2--2----2-|

[BillMason]

Originally Posted by tswd

Then subtract one from all the tabs. For the open E string (which is actually Eb), you'll have to play the octave instead since you don't have the lower note on your instrument.

Or just play the F (1st fret E), it's more "correct" anyway.

[Just J]

Originally Posted by TOM274

we're doing it same as the original but on standard tuned instruments, i hv some adjustments on the bassline though as i don't hv the D# n stuff...... C#..that would be sharped for the whole song?

The album version (as said here) is C# mixolydian. They tune down a half step because it's easier on Axl's voice, so unless your singer prefers to sing it in the same key, you can play it standard tuning playing the song exactly as it's transcribed (all the transciptions I've seen assume you're tuned down a half step) and I'm sure NO ONE will ever know the difference. If you're doing the transcription, I suggest you tune down a half step, transcribe it, then give use the same fingering, only standard tuned.

I think you're thinking this one through too much, I wouldn't recommend trying to transpose the song as you'll end up having to play a Eb during the solo and outro. Plus it's nice to be able to bounce off the open strings during fills.

My band plays this song, and we play it in the key of D mixo... so the fingering is identical to the album version. When I play along with the album version I either raise it a half step using a program I have, or just tune down a half step.