"B" and "A" tuning for Bass

[morgansterne]

I will defend the role of drop tuning. I was in a math-rock/shoegaze kind of band a while back where the guitar player tuned CGCFAD. I could have played everything on a five string, but
1) I would lack the open strings he had, making my parts generally more difficult
2) discussing the songs would have been torture since he still referred to his notes as if the guitar was tuned DADGBE.

Also, I didn't own a five string at the time so I tuned my four string CGCF.

In a cover band, I encourage people not to be lazy -- our guitarists now play lots of songs on half step down tuned guitars, but I just learned to play my parts on my standard tuned five string.
HOWEVER, when my band does Velvet Revolver's "Slither" I drop my E string to D. I sing that song as well. Try playing that song on a standard tuned five string, and sing it also. Yuck!

 

[beaglesandbass]

I don't even know why this is an issue for anyone. Don't like drop tuning? Ok, great. No one is asking you to drop tune. OP asked a simple question, one that has a factual answer. Whatever your opinion is on drop tuning, it's not relevant in this thread.

 

[Matthew_84]

Could you explain this in more detail, or link me to somewhere I can learn more about this? I'm a new bass player (only a month) and I'd like to know exactly what makes certain patterns nearly impossible to play without the use of open strings.

One example I can think of is a pattern repeated throughout Tool's "The Pot". This part is played on the open D string (the standard D string at one part, and an E string dropped to a low D at another). This part is very fast and contains the D an octave up (12th fret) as well as the C (10th fret) and Eb (13th fret), with the open D string in between these fretted notes. This passage is hard enough to play as it is (and this is the way the song was recorded), but is doable because you can put your hand at the fretted notes and don't have to move out of position to play the open D string.

It is pretty much impossible to play the part that was recorded on the dropped D string, using a B string fretting the 3rd fret because the transitions to the higher frets or strings is too quick to do cleanly and accurately.

 

[ThePresident777]

I've never understood these special tuning for bass. I mean I can understand with guitar as you need to play chords, but bass?

A lot of pop has bass and guitar playing in unison. I guess having both instruments tuned the same makes it easier for the band to communicate, "uh dude, 5th fret 4th string".

 

[BassMagilla]

Different tunings allow for playing open notes that let's say your regular tuned 5 string doesn't have. Let's say If you're playing a riff that requires playing the D below the lowest E, and then sliding to a different high note on the neck while the D is ringing, then you need an open D below E. You can't play the D (3rd fret on the B string) and slide to a different note while the D is stil ringing. Now think of a different note let's say C. Same problem.

Also, the D (3rd fret on your low B) sounds different than the open D. Either would be appropriate depending on the case. Does it make sense?

Sure does make sense plenty of to meself. As you undoubtly know, (so for any whom might not). The open D in going to 'ring' much nicer (when needed) than the Fretted Low B.

Drop em when you can!

 

[BassMagilla]

That's just one of the jobs of the bass. There are several. John Entwistle and Chris Squire weren't known for laying down groove.

J.A.E. Sure opened up a whole new way. As Pete sed He (John) changed the whole Fword v instrument. Saw The Who in 76!

 

[Tom Henry]

seems like some people in here got trolled hard.

 

[E.J. T.N.T.]

5 string solves that. That's all I play.

Try and play this on a 5 string

 

[Guitalia]

Just footnoting an earlier comment that stated that Tony Iommi was the first to drop tune to C#---in fact, Sean Bonniwell of the Music Machine drop tuned the guitars and bass to C# in 1966, as you'll see if you play along with "Talk Talk."

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I still remember the first time I heard Chuck Rainey play 10ths, on a Steely Dan recording... Or maybe it was Alphonso Johnson, on Weather Report's _Cucumber Slumber_. Just sayin'...

Tritones (3rd and 7th) and tenths (root and 3rd an octave up) are pretty common for funk and RnB. They do sound best in the upper register, true dat.

Actually, that is what I meant. root and 3rd and octave up is fine, root and 3rd is painful.

 

[khutch]

I've never understood these special tuning for bass. I mean I can understand with guitar as you need to play chords, but bass?

The reason for special tunings for bass is very simple: not everyone likes to do things the same way as others do them or even the same way all the time. It's not hard to understand. If you feel no need for a special tuning then you stick with the standard tunings. If you do feel a need for a special tuning then you explore what tuning scratches your itch. You might also try a different tuning just to shake yourself out of a rut. The very notion of standard tunings for stringed instruments is somewhat recent and in the orchestral world variant tunings are common enough that they have an Italian word associated with them: scordatura. A scordatura is a special tuning most commonly used by a soloist for a specific musical piece that was written around that tuning.

Special tunings have a long musical pedigree and they are as useful for a bassist as for any other musician.

 

[Doner Designs]

Where's the popcorn smiley when you need it?

 

[jlepre]

Well...It looks like I've stirred the pot a bit. It really wasn't my intention I can assure you, but I now have a better understanding why alt tunings can be cool. I will continue to stick with my standard tuning as it has worked for me for over 30 years. Thanks for those of you who responded professionally, and to those of you who didn't? :***:

 

[jlepre]

Try and play this on a 5 string

Actually this would be pretty easy on a 5 string, but thanks for posting.

 

[Slevage]

I've played 5th, but anything closer than that sound like a horrible mistake.

Try going up the neck a bit higher--- nice stuff can happen there.

Also, 10th's and major 7th's can sound nice in places if not over used.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Hey my name is Cooper and i'm filling in for a band that has a song in "A" tuning and a song in "B" tuning i was hoping someone could help me figure out the tuning cus i am kinda lost, my band mostly does Drop D but i have a 5 string and a 4 string so if anyone has any recommendations on which bass to use as well that would be neat. thanks!

In my band our guitarists uses several guitars, his main tuning is drop b but he also uses drop A, c# standard, and even standard eadgbe and dadgbe. I just play my 5 string in beadg for all except for the songs where he plays the drop A guitar. In that case I just drop the low B to A. I've used a dozen different basses for this band over a 15 year span. Musicmans, warwicks, conklins, fenders, peaveys, currently playing an ESP f-415fm which does a better job with the low A stuff, might be because it's 35" scale or it may be the emg 40dc pickups aren't a design or a copy of a design that's 60 years old like several of the other basses I've owned.

 

[Bourbongangster]

Chords on guitar...bass is single notes. If you're playing chords and need special tuning them you need to switch instruments.

Dinosaur Jr. made me a believer in playing chords on a Ric.

 

[City]

For what it is worth, you can put a BEAD set on a 4 string bass, but usually not without filing out the nut a little and adjusting the neck. An ADGC tuning on a four string is a dicey proposition. Even with a 35" scale and a truss rod adjustment, you'd need at least a .135 low string, which means really widening the nut slot a bunch.
If you drop a Heavy Core or DDT .115 set to B you might be able to get away with it if you crank up your action and put some bow in the neck. If this is a one time deal, that WAY too much work.

Bravo, was hoping someone would get to this. Last band tuned down 1/2 step. For ease of learning the tunes in the band practice room setting, and not fighting transposing on the fly, I tuned down. In doing so I had to raise my action, especially for Low B (ala Ab). Now I'm back to normal tuning band. My set up is much better, back to what I remember. I like my action low in standard tuning. Tuning down requires work as said above.

 

[angrychair]

you guys are making me miss my 5 string with all this AEADG tuning talk.

 

[markmeloney]

I've never understood these special tuning for bass. I mean I can understand with guitar as you need to play chords, but bass?

When following the guitar riffs, particularly in metal, it helps if your open note is the same as the guitarists open note. otherwise some of the riffs they play would be much more difficult to replicate on a bass. lazy guitarists in drop D tend to riff with the D as a root