Why tune down a bass???

[bubinga5]

Can anyone explain why people tune down basses..is it something to do with playing along with guitar...?

why E to D?? please explain..

[xshawnxearthx]

because people want their sound to be heavier.

[bass_freq]

because it makes playing certain riffs easier at fast speeds, and its for metal, most metal play tuned down cause its a heavier sound. I don't see why people SHOULDN'T tune down, this thread dosn't make sense, didn't know tuning from E to D would complex someone so much

[uaudio]

Lots of songs are in a drop D tuning on guitar, so tuning down a regular 4 string bass bass gives you the ability to access the root D across 3+ octaves.

Why are songs in drop D tuning on guitar? So the guitarist can form a 5th power chord up and down anywhere on the first three strings...and also because it sounds gooooood.

[DudeistMonk]

The guitar usually down tunes to D-A-D-G-B-E

Which allows them to form "power chords" with ease...The bass player would tune down to have a low D instead of having to play in the high range...If you have a 5-er there is no reason to down tune.

[RobertPaulson]

to play lower notes...

[bass_freq]

Originally Posted by DudeistMonk

The guitar usually down tunes to D-A-D-G-B-E

Which allows them to form "power chords" with ease...The bass player would tune down to have a low D instead of having to play in the high range...If you have a 5-er there is no reason to down tune.

I disagree with that, you would still have to tune your E to D, even with a 5 string, I know it seems redundant, but alot of songs require you to play an open D instead of a fretted D on the B string causing your hand to be stuck and not move freely when your jumping from high notes and chugging the D string in between, it would be alot of unnecessary jumping around

[insomniac2295]

to play lower notes and for a guy like me, to make it easier to play 5 string chords that are similar to the guitarist chords when he needs some supportive rhythm guitar/bass as well going on

[debassr]

Originally Posted by bass_freq

I disagree with that, you would still have to tune your E to D, even with a 5 string, I know it seems redundant, but alot of songs require you to play an open D instead of a fretted D on the B string causing your hand to be stuck and not move freely when your jumping from high notes and chugging the D string in between, it would be alot of unnecessary jumping around

...and that's why I play 4 bangers with hipshots.

[bubinga5]

Originally Posted by bass_freq

because it makes playing certain riffs easier at fast speeds, and its for metal, most metal play tuned down cause its a heavier sound. I don't see why people SHOULDN'T tune down, this thread dosn't make sense, didn't know tuning from E to D would complex someone so much

Its just a question!!! maybe i dont have the knowledge that you obviously have!!!

[lunarpollen]

It's mostly (but not always) because people mistakenly think that lower pitch automatically = heavier.

[bambambass]

My band tunes bown half a step as it makes it easier for our singer. We started doing this with an old singer who struggled with singing to standard tuning but could manage with everything down half a step. It was easier for me to tune with the guitar.

[Oric]

goes lower

[badsneakers]

With my current band the guitarist tunes D-A-D-A-B-E
sounds great! I just go to D

With two former bands I had to have a bass tuned C#G#C#F#

[Bassmickeyd]

Any question is a good question if you don't know.
Van Halen and ZZ top used to tune down a 1/2 step, (E to Eb) to fatten up the sound of a trio. Hipshot D-tuners drop certain strings down as far as 2-whole tones (E down to C). In blues guitars would be tuned to open tunings. 1) to get that old blues sound and 2) for slide guitar.
I personally put Hipshot D-tuners on all my basses so on a four string I'm only 3-notes away from a 5-string bass.

[Blueszilla]

Originally Posted by bubinga5

Can anyone explain why people tune down basses..is it something to do with playing along with guitar...?

why E to D?? please explain..

We tune down 1/2 step also, but I can't explain it. Is there a problem?

[DudeistMonk]

I disagree with that, you would still have to tune your E to D, even with a 5 string, I know it seems redundant, but alot of songs require you to play an open D instead of a fretted D on the B string causing your hand to be stuck and not move freely when your jumping from high notes and chugging the D string in between, it would be alot of unnecessary jumping around

I'll agree with you that it's certainly easier in most cases to just tune down ( I can think of a few TOOL songs that would be a pain to play on the 5 in standard)...but you could transpose if you really wanted to...and if you are the one writing the line then it shouldn't be a problem at all.

[chokeslam512]

Originally Posted by Oric

goes lower

FTW!!!!!!111!!shiftone!!!!11!!1!

[ssbass]

In regards to the topic. If you normally play a song in standard, but change the song to be played half a step down would you move up a fret or down a fret? That's if you didn't want to retune your bass. Also is up meaning towards the headstock or towards the bridge.

[TheVoiceless]

Down tuning changes everything about how the notes react to your playing and what key you can play open notes in. Standard 440 with a drop E to D creates a new vibe to my playing.

I find that it gives you a different approach to how music is written. Yes some people tune a half step down to accommodate singers. Others do it for a darker tuning. I play in a low tuning ( C G C F) It took me a while to adjust because I play by ear for the most part and when I would hear a note the guitar player was playing I would have to guess where on the neck it was.