Anyone else tune their basses as I do?

[ole Jason]

I would think that alternate tunings but with standard intervals betwen strings are common, non-standard intervals not so much. The one exception being a down tuned E string.

This, absolutely. Changing the intervals simply serves no purpose on electric bass unless you're playing in a non-traditional or solo context like Manring.

 

[Mushroo]

This, absolutely. Changing the intervals simply serves no purpose on electric bass unless you're playing in a non-traditional or solo context like Manring.

Do players get to decide for themselves whether they are "non traditional" (and therefore allowed to use alternate tunings like Manring/Sheehan/Wooten/Lee) or must they be vetted by a committee of talkbassers to determine whether they have enough "purpose"?

 

[D. Gallis]

Do players get to decide for themselves whether they are "non traditional" (and therefore allowed to use alternate tunings like Manring/Sheehan/Wooten/Lee) or must they be vetted by a committee of talkbassers to determine whether they have enough "purpose"?

Who do I talk to, to fill out the proper paperwork. I'd like to change my bass to be tuned in minor 3rds.

 

[elBandito]

When you transpose a song to a different key, you're actually playing in a different key. Changing the tuning of the bass, then relearning the fretboard, just to play the same stuff is redundant. Even if you change the tuning, you're still going to have to apply the same musical knowledge, to transpose to a different key, play in different positions, different fingerings etc WITH the new tuning. All those are pretty much universal regardless of how you tune the bass.

I disagree. I am always looking for ways to play familiar material in new ways. Doing so is a fun mental challenge and helps me grow as a player. For example I will take a familiar song and practice it in various permutations like: transposed to a different key, moved around higher/lower on the neck or to different strings, switch from 4 string to 5 string (or vice versa), try to play using open strings vs. closed fingerings, play the bass line on the piano instead of the bass, simplify the rhythm (or add complexity/variation), alter the harmony, etc.

In fact I have observed that the top achievers in any field are constantly refining the fundamentals of their technique. YMMV.

 

[ole Jason]

Do players get to decide for themselves whether they are "non traditional" (and therefore allowed to use alternate tunings like Manring/Sheehan/Wooten/Lee) or must they be vetted by a committee of talkbassers to determine whether they have enough "purpose"?

Yeah funny. Should be pretty clear what I mean when I say non-traditional ways of playing the bass.

 

[Mushroo]

Yeah funny. Should be pretty clear what I mean when I say non-traditional ways of playing the bass.

When I had my private lesson with Michael Manring, and we worked on a 17th century J.S. Bach composition in non-standard tuning, does that count as a "traditional" or "non-traditional" way of playing the bass? Genuinely curious.

note: The altered tuning is totally justified in this case because it allows you to play certain chords that would otherwise be difficult to finger.

 

[Cosmiceddie]

So down three half steps on the top strings and down a half step on the bottoms? I might be overly cautious but I would worry about uneven tension twisting the neck, and probably would get OCD over differences in tone and feel. That's just a prediction and I have no data to draw a conclusion from.

There's no twisting with the neck of my basses whatsoever.

 

[Mushroo]

So down three half steps on the top strings and down a half step on the bottoms? I might be overly cautious but I would worry about uneven tension twisting the neck, and probably would get OCD over differences in tone and feel. That's just a prediction and I have no data to draw a conclusion from.

It would be less strain on the neck than, for example, changing a string (which people do all the time without hurting the instrument).

 

[tfer]

There's no twisting with the neck of my basses whatsoever.

Its because your strings are ridiculously loose.

 

[I am Soma]

Really? Cuz I play a 35" 5 string and won't use anything under a .125 for my B string because it's too floppy.

Also, Tuning my 4 string to C with a set of .105 DR DDTs is floppy...there's no way that low A has enough tension with a .100 (that's standard E string territory).

define "enough tension" and "too floppy" please - i would imagine we are talking personal pref. does it hold tune, play great, and sound even better? yes IMHO. probably been in this tuning for over two years and tried a bunch of different string gauges. the 100s work/sound/feel the best to me. get quite a few compliments from sound guys, musicians, and when we recently recorded from the engineer

 

[I am Soma]

Its because your strings are ridiculously loose.

based on your opinion - probably not the guy playing them

 

[Luke19Boarder]

Basically, the OP will have to relearn how to play the instrument; properly this time.

That's quite an exaggeration, don't you think?

I'll list the phenomenal bass players who use standard tunings, and you list the same who use more bizarre intervals, and let's see who's finished first!

If odd tunings worked, I'm confident that the Billy Sheehans, Geddy Lees, Victor Wootens, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, would have standardized them.

Oh, I didn't realize we shouldn't do things that haven't been standardized by the "greats."

Give me a break. Tune your bass however you want. If it helps you make good music to do something (even if it doesn't have an objective advantage), who cares?

 

[awilkie84]

define "enough tension" and "too floppy" please - i would imagine we are talking personal pref. does it hold tune, play great, and sound even better? yes IMHO. probably been in this tuning for over two years and tried a bunch of different string gauges. the 100s work/sound/feel the best to me. get quite a few compliments from sound guys, musicians, and when we recently recorded from the engineer

If I turn my string down to an A, it's not even holding tension in the saddle or nut slots. That's not even personal preference. That's physically unplayable.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

This, absolutely. Changing the intervals simply serves no purpose on electric bass unless you're playing in a non-traditional or solo context like Manring.

Sure it does. The purpose is to have different intervals between strings.

 

[ole Jason]

Sure it does. The purpose is to have different intervals between strings.

But that serves no practical purpose unless you're playing chords or you tune in such a way to increase the range of the instrument.

 

[I am Soma]

If I turn my string down to an A, it's not even holding tension in the saddle or nut slots. That's not even personal preference. That's physically unplayable.

works for me on both my fender p-bass and jaguar. would you like a link to a recording i recently did in this tuning and string gauge? sorry man works perfectly for me

 

[Mushroo]

I've recorded with a .100 low A string and it sounded great. Low-tension strings have a different sound than high-tension strings, so it is perfectly natural to have a preference one way or the other.

 

[I am Soma]

I've recorded with a .100 low A string and it sounded great. Low-tension strings have a different sound than high-tension strings, so it is perfectly natural to have a preference one way or the other.

shhhhh according to awilkie84 it is impossible lol

 

[ole Jason]

When I had my private lesson with Michael Manring, and we worked on a 17th century J.S. Bach composition in non-standard tuning, does that count as a "traditional" or "non-traditional" way of playing the bass? Genuinely curious.

note: The altered tuning is totally justified in this case because it allows you to play certain chords that would otherwise be difficult to finger.

Sure. Playing something like Bach outside the context of a band is what I would consider non-traditional. And as I've stated many times in this thread and elsewhere there is no issue with alternate tunings when they serve a practical purpose such as playing chord extensions on a 4 string bass. I just find it a little silly to use an open tuning and then thump away one note & one string at a time in a rock band.

 

[I am Soma]

If I turn my string down to an A, it's not even holding tension in the saddle or nut slots. That's not even personal preference. That's physically unplayable.

i should add our guitarist plays a six string in the same tuning with the lightest gauge strings he can find as well... but he must be lying/defying reality too