I have one bass tuned DGCF. In this bass, it actually sounds better than standard tuning and I find it easier to play drop D songs this way than just by detuning the E string because I don't have to think about changing my fingering patterns.
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Are All-Fourth tunings overrated ?
- Thread starter z14giv1
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Sort of the opposite of my experience.
I prefer the sound achieved by playing closer to the nut; especially on the lower strings. The reason is partly because the fat strings develop inharmonicity as you play up the neck. Inharmonicity means the harmonics are slightly out of tune. On the B string of my #1, I hear inharmonicity by about the 5th fret. On the E it starts becoming noticeable by about the 10th fret. On my first bass, the E string drove me nuts as it sounded cardboardy and less focused than the other strings. It also developed inharmonicity by the 6th or 7th fret.
My understanding is 3-string uprights are more resonant because there is one less string damping the acoustic chamber. I have never read anything about the extra resonance being related to tuning in 5ths. Interaction between the strings could be a small factor though. AFAIK it was more common to tune 3-string double basses in 4ths, although it varied by region.
IMHO, The main reason for 4ths tuning is due to the scale of the instrument in comparison to the hand. For upright I use Simandl fingers (1,2,4). Lot's of shifts are required. Lot's more would be required if I tuned in 5ths. On bass guitar the scale is significantly shorter and I use primarily one-finger-per-fret (OFPF). IME OFPF significantly reduces the amount of shifting. I would not want to give that up in favor of the extra range provided by tuning in 5ths...my #1 is a 6-string; so I have plenty of range.
I started on viola tune in 5ths (CGDA). I also messed around with guitar for several years tuned to E standard (EADGBE)
My advice: You do You. If tuning in 5ths makes sense to you that's all that is required. But you don't speak for the rest of us. I will be staying with 4ths on bass.
Me too even though I am comfortable with 5ths tuning on cello and mandolin, for me it's too much of a stretch on bass.
I’m a firm believer you tune, perform, or practice however you want.
The only concern I see about not using tuning in 4ths is intonation on a fretted instrument.
AFAIK, the frets are placed to have optimal intonation in equal temperament across all string while in standard tuning.
With bass having notes with longer wavelengths intonation is even more important because out of tune bass notes will clash more and produce less harmonic content when playing with other instruments.
The only concern I see about not using tuning in 4ths is intonation on a fretted instrument.
AFAIK, the frets are placed to have optimal intonation in equal temperament across all string while in standard tuning.
With bass having notes with longer wavelengths intonation is even more important because out of tune bass notes will clash more and produce less harmonic content when playing with other instruments.
tbh I think you are misunderstanding OP? he's not prescribing anything he's just saying that he likes EADF#. afaik he's not advocating for 5ths.
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that tuning sounds like a great idea to me I love the idea of the flatted G. I play a few instruments including guitar and mando family. LOTS of tunings options for those instruments and plenty of folks roll their own. there really aren't any rules to any of this stuff.
Lower notes don't cause inharmonicity as much as heavier strings do. And they're not producing less harmonic content -- they're actually producing more, and it sounds bad and that's what the problem is. Positions of the frets don't have any bearing on the issue.
It sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but if you were to use longer scales on the lowest strings you can get away with lighter gauges to mitigate some of the problem. This is a known issue among piano builders, and there are some pretty outrageous designs to try to incorporate longer, lighter strings to mitigate inharmonicity.
This piano is 15 foot (4.5m) tall. You can't see the keyboard but it's on the wooden plank behind the stool, on the scaffold. The big vertical sheet of wood is the soundboard.
I read a great article (which I unfortunately can't reference) years ago about the reason guitar tuning evolved as E/A/D/G/B/E. It made sense to me. For many years I played a 5 string tuned E/A/D/G/B in a guitar and bass duo. It helped me comp some triads when the guitarist (R.I.P.) soloed. Fourths works for me. And where you play notes on the neck obviously affects the timbre so I love that little G string! 
BBB
BBB
The OP is free to use whatever tuning makes sense to him/her. For me tuning in 4ths makes the most sense.
I get what you are saying about pianos. We have 3 grands an 2 upright pianos at work.
A Yamaha upright sounds like trash compared to a Yamaha grand.
Maybe I didn’t express myself well enough when referring to harmonic content.
I was referring to harmonics created between 2 different instruments or voices.
Not about the harmonics of a note on an instrument.
As an example I play a C#on a bass and a piano is playing right hand only C# chord.
The closer I play that C# in tune the more sympathetic harmonic content will propagate between the 2 instruments.
The further away that C# is from Equal Temperament the less sympathetic harmonic content will propagate between the same 2 instruments.
(I am not going down the harmonic vs ET rabbit hole, ET is what it is and I’m happy to deal with it.)
Now let’s talk about piano and bass doubling parts.
A piano when properly tunes will be pretty damn spot on Equal Temperament, the closer the bass is to proper intonation the better the 2 instruments will sound together.
So this is what I was referring to when I spoke about tuning an fretted instrument out of the ratios and scale it was designed for, and why the intonation might be of concern when going with alternate scale and ratios.
My vernacular might not still be correct but I hope the meaning is getting across.
Before people get defensive because the didn’t read my previous post.
Tune, play, perform your bass however you wish.
Want to play it with your toes and teaspoons, have at it.
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12 tone equal temperament privileges certain combinations but others sound like dookie even within the instrument itself. an open D chord on the guitar sounds like trash in standard tuning. to me this is one of the major reasons for adopting an alternate tuning, the other being ergonomics.
Pfffft, amateurs. I'm often playing in different tunings and different time signatures in the same song. At random. Without warning.
You do you. You want to tune to open B flat do it.
I also get where you’re coming from, having song in choirs, played in wind ensembles, and playing fretless bass, when you play you intonate by ear. So you will drift from ET because your ears will steer you to the relative harmonic tuning.
But in general when playing bass it’s best to stick to ET intonation. It’s universal to western music. Keys and pitched percussion like xylophones/marimbas are tuned ET.
Now I’m going to go watch paint dry because I’d rather do that than have another conversation about ET 440.
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I guess if you are playing Other People's Music it probably makes sense to follow their recipe? cheers!
Best part about playing fretless is being able to play the note that sounds good and not the one you are stuck with at the fret wire.
I really need to get a fretless again, I miss it.
No getting around the G string being a guitar string strung out longer. Either live with it if it fits in with what you do. Or lose it if it don’t.
It's always amusing when someone wants to reinvent the wheel before they understand what the wheel is or why it's round.
@wompwomp
The only alternate tuning I have used with bass is drop D. I used drop D because I had a 4-string and needed D1 for a couple of songs. The idea was to detune only for songs that required drop D, but there was not always time to tune back to E standard before the next song started. This meant I had to learn several songs in both tunings. Not that big of a deal for pop cover tunes, but no way I would want to try and improvise a walking bassline tuned in drop D. If I had played a 5- or 6-string at the time, I would have played the D on my B string rather than detuning.
I could see using drop tuning consistently if I was playing a genre where dop tuning is the norm. If the guitar player is in drop D, I think there are several good reasons for the bass to use drop D, rather than a B string.
Regarding tuning one string in a 3rd. That makes sense for guitar because of its harmonic function. AFAIK the benefit is it makes common chord structures easier to play. Likewise alternate tunings facilitate different chord structures with an accompanying change sonority. I do play some chords and double stops on bass, but not frequently; so I don't see any point in tuning one string on bass in a 3rd. Way more beneficial to have consistency across the strings IMHO.
I do understand that another potential benefit of alternate tunings is it can break you out of defaulting to standardized patterns. In other words it can facilitate melodic variation. I experienced this to some degree when I was messing around on guitar.
I assume alternate tunings can also provide advantage in playing certain patterns and intervals. But IMHO there are also costs. As far as I am concerned tuning all string in 4ths is what makes the most sense overall for bass.
But of course YMMV
The only alternate tuning I have used with bass is drop D. I used drop D because I had a 4-string and needed D1 for a couple of songs. The idea was to detune only for songs that required drop D, but there was not always time to tune back to E standard before the next song started. This meant I had to learn several songs in both tunings. Not that big of a deal for pop cover tunes, but no way I would want to try and improvise a walking bassline tuned in drop D. If I had played a 5- or 6-string at the time, I would have played the D on my B string rather than detuning.
I could see using drop tuning consistently if I was playing a genre where dop tuning is the norm. If the guitar player is in drop D, I think there are several good reasons for the bass to use drop D, rather than a B string.
Regarding tuning one string in a 3rd. That makes sense for guitar because of its harmonic function. AFAIK the benefit is it makes common chord structures easier to play. Likewise alternate tunings facilitate different chord structures with an accompanying change sonority. I do play some chords and double stops on bass, but not frequently; so I don't see any point in tuning one string on bass in a 3rd. Way more beneficial to have consistency across the strings IMHO.
I do understand that another potential benefit of alternate tunings is it can break you out of defaulting to standardized patterns. In other words it can facilitate melodic variation. I experienced this to some degree when I was messing around on guitar.
I assume alternate tunings can also provide advantage in playing certain patterns and intervals. But IMHO there are also costs. As far as I am concerned tuning all string in 4ths is what makes the most sense overall for bass.
But of course YMMV
