Does anyone play all (cover) songs in E Flat?

[lpcarter]

I played in a country cover bar band for a while, and everything was in Eb tuning. Apparently more common than I thought! I never REALLY liked it, but it wasn't a big deal to tune my bass down... It was apparently quite beneficial for our vocalist and it did give the songs a slightly more aggressive sound.

[Bert Slide]

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

OP: "in E-flat" means that's the key signature of the song. "Drop tuned 1/2 step" means it's down a semitone but played in the written key.

You are correct but it is common in many areas to hear "those guys tune to E flat" used to mean a half-step down. It does not connote that all songs are played in that key but I see how it can confuse people and really isn't correct but it seems to be part of the lexicon, esp. in heavy metal circles.

[jonas_24112]

We tune down half step in my main band. Easier on the pipes, especially for harmonies. Another cover band I sub for a bit also tunes down half step. Their lead vocalist has an amazing voice and it helps him stay strong through all sets.

[paganjack]

Yeah it's pretty common to tune down a 1/2 step. It makes songs slightly easier to sing and makes the band sound a little heavier.

I enjoy it sometimes but tuning a bass guitar down much further than that gets pretty unusable IME. Guitars are very forgiving with retuning ( I love leaving my guitar in open C# for example) but basses aren't.

[stratovani]

I play in a Tom Petty tribute band, and we've thought more than once about downtuning a step, but our singer seems to be able to handle the songs in normal tuning, so we leave it at that. But he hates Refugee!

[oniman7]

I auditioned for a band where I showed up, went to do a jam in E minor, and got a wall of noise. The guitarist stopped and said "Oops, forgot to tell you we tune down half a step". My E minor was their Eb minor. Tuned down and played everything the same way I would have. I don't understand why they call it E minor and not Eb minor. I like to give and work with the actual pitch, especially as I tune everywhere from standard to Drop A. But, it's easy when you can tune down and go.

[Downunderwonder]

Originally Posted by oniman7

I auditioned for a band where I showed up, went to do a jam in E minor, and got a wall of noise. The guitarist stopped and said "Oops, forgot to tell you we tune down half a step". My E minor was their Eb minor. Tuned down and played everything the same way I would have. I don't understand why they call it E minor and not Eb minor. I like to give and work with the actual pitch, especially as I tune everywhere from standard to Drop A. But, it's easy when you can tune down and go.

That way of working is probably the exception. I've always considered fingered key to be the key and downtuning is whatever it is. Transposing on the spot in weekender rock bands, yeah right!

In the audition situation I imagine they were a bunch of amateurs not to have told you upfront. In a sub situation you would get it all worked out before hitting a stage. In a band situation it's all well understood.

[geddeeee]

We only do songs in the original key....

We think it shows respect to the original artist.

[Shardik]

We play original key, unless it seems impossible for the vocalist to make it.

[Nashrakh]

Originally Posted by oniman7

I auditioned for a band where I showed up, went to do a jam in E minor, and got a wall of noise. The guitarist stopped and said "Oops, forgot to tell you we tune down half a step". My E minor was their Eb minor. Tuned down and played everything the same way I would have. I don't understand why they call it E minor and not Eb minor. I like to give and work with the actual pitch, especially as I tune everywhere from standard to Drop A. But, it's easy when you can tune down and go.

Never got behind this as well. Exact same deal with capo. If you put a capo on second fret and play an f# minor chord, why in heck notate it as e minor? I think it's kind of silly, music theory flies right out the window there.

[hrodbert696]

Yep, we tune down half a step. No jumping around between different tunings, except the guitarist has to go drop-D, or I guess it's drop-Db, for some songs, which is just a quick twist of the tuning peg. I play a 5er so I just play the one bass all night.

[john m]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

We are a 440 band, and we are one of the few in this area. We do a few songs in Eb, just because they don't sound right any other way, (Guns -n- Roses sound too "happy" tuned to pitch.) We do a bit of drop D, and no other alternative tunings. I don't re-tune at all. If I need any lower notes, I play the five string, but most of the Drop D are done with my wife on bass. She likes that stuff, I guess.

Most Classic Rock songs that are at 440 just don't sound right when you drop them down. It kills the lead vocal too much, for my taste. We do have the bizarre habit of playing Hendrix to pitch. I don't know why.

It's all relative to the singer's "tone" in their range.
TIMBRE is different for an individual's vocal chords, just as playing a chord on the upper frets of a 6 string bass sounds different than in the middle of the neck of guitar, though they are musically the same note.

[imdkoz]

Thanks for all the replies but guitar player said I can't do it, it freaks me out. So, it's back to playing the songs in the correct tuning and him bringing 4 or 5 guitars to shows. Not a big deal for me as I'll still bring 2 basses but wanted to eliminate some of the guitar changes.

[Nashrakh]

Why exactly does he need that many guitars? I mean, you could always tune up and down... Unless all his guitars have locked nuts, I don't see much of a reason.

[echoSE7EN]

Originally Posted by Nashrakh

Why exactly does he need that many guitars? I mean, you could always tune up and down... Unless all his guitars have locked nuts, I don't see much of a reason.

The constant tweak tuning between songs is one thing, but waiting around for a guitarist to tune to an open-tuning, or DADGAD, or whatever else has been a bit of an annoyance of mine in the past. Also, IMO it looks slightly unprofessional to have extended lulls between songs for tuning. The last band I was in, our singer used those lulls to talk to the crowd, but again, people want to hear music, not a speech.

We asked the guy to buy a capo, and once money permitted, he bought a second guitar and tuned to whatever he needed. We then grouped similarly tuned songs into the same set(s), and he tuned to the required tuning during the set breaks. We were a three-piece with a singer, and the guitarist wrote a ton of stuff that wound up capo'd at 2, 4, 6, or in Open G and Open D. Some cool tunes, but it was a nightmare at times.

[Jarrett]

Originally Posted by oniman7

I don't understand why they call it E minor and not Eb minor.

It's funny I see this thread as I was just having this conversation on a guitar forum and it was going no where. The main point I was trying to get across was:



Tune however you want, but know what key you are in. It's amazing how guitar players comprehend these concepts compared to other musicians.

[Edward G.]

I play with a blues guitarist who tunes down a half-step. I always thought it accomplishes two things: it makes bending notes easier on guitar and it makes singing a whole night of material a little less bruising (as long as you play the original position on the neck). If you tune down, what's the point of playing a song in its original key? You lose all the benefit of detuning, and IMO it just introduces a new layer of confusion as far as fingerings and coordination with other instruments that don't detune. Then, one day you'll have to re-learn the song with new tricks based on a new position. I suppose the key is to understand why it is done at all.

[Nashrakh]

Originally Posted by echoSE7EN

The constant tweak tuning between songs is one thing, but waiting around for a guitarist to tune to an open-tuning, or DADGAD, or whatever else has been a bit of an annoyance of mine in the past. Also, IMO it looks slightly unprofessional to have extended lulls between songs for tuning. The last band I was in, our singer used those lulls to talk to the crowd, but again, people want to hear music, not a speech.

Okay, good point actually. Maybe I'm just a bit pamperd by a guitarist who can tune on the fly by ear.

[Shardik]

I tune DGCF on both my basses.

This is not because of easier bending nor is it because of vocals. There are other reasons. The most important is the deep D. I could of course go for a 5 string, but I like the slender neck of a 4 string.

Furthermore, I find that I play many songs in G or C, which makes a DGCF tuning really cool.

I don't see the problem with other instruments that don't detune. I also play guitar and use standard E tuning most of the time. To me these are very different instruments to play, and I haven't had any problems with switching between them, since I transfer very little of the playing techniques between them.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

We are a 440 band, and we are one of the few in this area. We do a few songs in Eb.......

Even if you're tuned a half step down, you can still be tuned to A440. Don't know of any bands that tune to anything other than A440, but have toyed with tuning to A439 after reading about how its easier on the voice and ear. In the end tuned a half step down was easier on everyone else.