5 String - Need to tune down?

[frankneill]

I have an upcoming audition with a band that tunes down a whole step. Since I play a 5 string bass and have that low D, should I tune down as well or can I get away with keeping standard tuning? Would any issues or weirdness happen when playing with the rest of the band?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Mushroo]

Did they send you recordings of the songs they want you to learn for the audition? If so, when you play along with the recordings, does it sound good? Would you hire yourself?

Personally (this is just me, YMMV) I would show up for the audition with two basses: a 5-string in standard tuning and a 4-string in D tuning. Try both and ask their opinion which they prefer. This demonstrates that you are a versatile and flexible musician.

 

[biguglyman]

If you're playing stuff you already know in standard tuning it might give you a bit of a twitch trying to convert on the fly. If you're learning the tunes for the first time I would just go with the standard tune five. I had a somewhat similar issue learning And You And I by Yes. Tabs were for a four with drop d. I had to re-figure it for my five.

 

[Groove Master]

I have an upcoming audition with a band that tunes down a whole step. Since I play a 5 string bass and have that low D, should I tune down as well or can I get away with keeping standard tuning? Would any issues or weirdness happen when playing with the rest of the band?

Thanks for any help.

It depends on the tunes you have to play. Does it sound like a drop D ? or is it possible to do it in a closed fingering?

I played many songs transposed in closed fingerings even if they were open strings.

 

[frankneill]

Thanks, all!

 

[Malcolm35]

Coming in late. My money is to stay in standard tuning. What with different tuning, capos, etc. if I am unsure of the key I ask the keyboard what she will use and I do likewise.

Staying in standard tuning has not been a problem with who I play with.

 

[ruju]

Short answer. No, you can stay in standard tuning..
I played with a group before and the guitar players mind was blown when he play in drop c and I just transposed it to my bass standard tuning..

 

[Ronzo]

Ok. Here is the old man's Get Off My Lawn rant:

I don't see the need to vary from standard tuning.

There are numerous articles available online that explains why standard guitar tuning developed. Not going to recap that. If a guitarist wants to be able to bend another semitones or two, there are lighter gauge strings and lower tension strings available for that. But if I hear another guitarist say, "But I need the music to be heavier, man!", it'll take all the self-control I can muster not to slap the crap out of him.

The guitars need to play in their own space in the band's mix. They need to stay out of the bass' range. Most horrible mixes I've heard are a result of having too many sound sources competing for space in the sound spectrum.

I learned this when I was re-voicing midi tracks for the last band I worked with in the NYC metro area in the late '80s and the '90s. I invested a lot of time A) reading and inculcating the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Manual, and B) applying the principles I learned to make the mix on the midi tracks sound as good as they could. This includes understanding through auditioning voicings that the tracks that sounded good soloed often sounded like poop in the mix, and that the soloed parts that sounded like garbage were often exactly what the mix needed. Hundreds of hours tweaking patches through headphones and the full FOH system taught me more than I could have imagined.

Management of the mix's spectrum is critical to good sound, in ways I never truly understood until I undertook that effort. Having space for each instrument, each virtual instrument, and each human voice in that mix allows the mix to be clear, clean, and adaptable to varying types of rooms that a band might have to play. Live rooms with a lot of glass or mirrors to dead, cavelike spaces were a lot easier to manage once we found these things out.

It isn't only guitarists. Keyboard players need to understand that even if they have 10 fingers, they don't need to use them all at one time (and that key signatures with sharps can be played as well as key signatures with flats). Horns can do that too. And vocalists don't need to transpose a half-step to accommodate their 1/2 octave vocal range.

In short: everyone in a band needs to be a MUSICIAN, to the extent their talent allows. That means:
- know your role
- know your space
- be accommodating, and know when to occupy a different role or space for a GOOD MUSICAL REASON.

End rant. Back to your local station.

 

[beaglesandbass]

The only real reason I could see to tune down is that their songs were probably written that way, so the fingering may be physically easier to play, with some notes being open or not.

When I need to be a half or whole step down, I stay in standard and use this. Works wonders..

DigiTech Drop Polyphonic Drop Tune Pitch-Shift Pedal

 

[AFRO]

I am in the "Stay Standard" camp too, however late to the party I have arrived.

I used to play in a cover band when I played the Eb tunings I had to de-tune and re-tune frequently enough that I bought a 5 string and all that drama went away cause it was just moving positions a fret or so.. and the Drop D stuff was easily enough adapted cause I had a Low-D in my D scales anyhow.

As far as the guitarist tuning down; just remember they have their own sonic space and you have yours. They need to leave enough low end for you to operate and contribute as well.. at least IMHO. otherwise do they really need a bassist? or do they need 2-3 Low tuned guitars to fight over the low end sonic space?

and finally, Bass that has notes below Low C sounds incredibly muddy and just plain unpleasant IME/IMO (Id go out on a limb and say Low C is the lowest you need to go in all actuality). the Bass should be the lowest in the bandwidth if Im adding my $0.02 cents. If you have a 5 string you should have all the sonic low end you need so sound good and fill practically ANY song (or Genre) with good sounding low end.

Good Luck.

 

[bassbully]

My band is tunes down a half step. I play a five but tune it down a half step as well. Call me lazy but it works for me.

 

[dreads311]

If the guitarist tunes down to Eb or something, you can probably stay in standard.
Just throwing this out there, but to me, it depends on the song. For instance, my band used to play 'Slither' by Velvet Revolver. Even though I play 5 (standard tuning) I would drop the E to D because that's by far easier to play. Try playing that song using standard 5 string tuning. Your arm will fall off.
Sorry if this didn't add anything helpful.

 

[QweziRider]

should I tune down as well or can I get away with keeping standard tuning?

Your choice. Whichever you feel comfortable with and sounds best. I like to keep the fiver at standard tuning to make them wonder what the hell I'm playing. But I'm a jerk like that.

 

[GastonD]

I play a 5 and when I used to play with a band that tuned to Eb, so did I, but did not detune for the Drop D songs. However, tuning down a whole step...I probably wouldn't like the tension on the strings.

 

[IamGroot]

Ok. Here is the old man's Get Off My Lawn rant:

I don't see the need to vary from standard tuning.

There are numerous articles available online that explains why standard guitar tuning developed. Not going to recap that. If a guitarist wants to be able to bend another semitones or two, there are lighter gauge strings and lower tension strings available for that. But if I hear another guitarist say, "But I need the music to be heavier, man!", it'll take all the self-control I can muster not to slap the crap out of him.

The guitars need to play in their own space in the band's mix. They need to stay out of the bass' range. Most horrible mixes I've heard are a result of having too many sound sources competing for space in the sound spectrum.

I learned this when I was re-voicing midi tracks for the last band I worked with in the NYC metro area in the late '80s and the '90s. I invested a lot of time A) reading and inculcating the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Manual, and B) applying the principles I learned to make the mix on the midi tracks sound as good as they could. This includes understanding through auditioning voicings that the tracks that sounded good soloed often sounded like poop in the mix, and that the soloed parts that sounded like garbage were often exactly what the mix needed. Hundreds of hours tweaking patches through headphones and the full FOH system taught me more than I could have imagined.

Management of the mix's spectrum is critical to good sound, in ways I never truly understood until I undertook that effort. Having space for each instrument, each virtual instrument, and each human voice in that mix allows the mix to be clear, clean, and adaptable to varying types of rooms that a band might have to play. Live rooms with a lot of glass or mirrors to dead, cavelike spaces were a lot easier to manage once we found these things out.

It isn't only guitarists. Keyboard players need to understand that even if they have 10 fingers, they don't need to use them all at one time (and that key signatures with sharps can be played as well as key signatures with flats). Horns can do that too. And vocalists don't need to transpose a half-step to accommodate their 1/2 octave vocal range.

In short: everyone in a band needs to be a MUSICIAN, to the extent their talent allows. That means:
- know your role
- know your space
- be accommodating, and know when to occupy a different role or space for a GOOD MUSICAL REASON.

End rant. Back to your local station.

Bravo!

 

[IamGroot]

I usually cart 2 basses = a std 4 plus a 5.
I bring a bass in Eb tuning when necessary. Eb Sounds fine. Tuning lower tban Eb changes the sound and response negatively imo and I usually dont like it.

But Jaco did it in C for Cotton Avenue. With 4 strings.