I understand, but for one song, really? I've never needed to down tune in 40 years, not once. Sure, there were times it may have been awesome, but at the end of the day everyone survived.
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Drop D for one song?
- Thread starter abarson
- Start date
I understand, but for one song, really? I've never needed to down tune in 40 years, not once. Sure, there were times it may have been awesome, but at the end of the day everyone survived.
I write the set lists in my band and I will lump drop d songs for the guitarists so we don't spend time tuning up and down. Maybe suggest this is the first song of the set?
I can tune my E down to D in about two seconds without a Drop Tuner. I have had to do this a billion times in my not so short "career". Happened to me a lot in my days, seeing Drop D tunes on lists. I got very good at it over the years. Because I practiced doing it. Along the way, I acquired the taste for Low B strings. So, today, I rarely tune for songs in lowered tunings. But drop D songs such as Sober, 46 and 2, Unchained, Slither, and a couple others are still more effective with the Drop D. So, I still, on occasion, have to use the ole acquired skill of tuning my E to D and back, if only so I don't add further difficulty in writing set lists, or hold my band(s) up in any way on stage. If you practice this for a few hours, I'm confident you'll be able to do it with a minimum of wasted time. And it's one more arrow in your quiver that sets you apart when bands are hiring or need a sub.
Of course, as suggested, there are floor tuners that mute when tuning, or mutes on amps while you use your headstock tuner. Those are quite effective. But I can tune faster than the steps it takes to use those techniques, just using harmonics to tune and my ears.
Of course, as suggested, there are floor tuners that mute when tuning, or mutes on amps while you use your headstock tuner. Those are quite effective. But I can tune faster than the steps it takes to use those techniques, just using harmonics to tune and my ears.
OK. Breathe and relax. In addition to your one bass you have one tuner right? So just before the detune song, you take a moment and detune your bass. I've been there a million times and it's really that easy. I detuned so much in one band that I just learned how far to turn the tuning key but this really is not the crisis you think it is.
Best way to deal with it? Detune your freakin' bass. Problem solved
Best way to deal with it? Detune your freakin' bass. Problem solved
Been playing for over 50 years, and multiple instruments. I know exactly what was typing. The comment was supposed to be funny in it’s entirety, including the bottom 3 strings. You just didn’t get my joke. So, there are some that did get it and some that didn’t, so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t try and become a comedian, or write jokes for a living.
Hopefully you understand now what I was doing and forgive my inability to make my humor more easily understood.
Without a major derail, I might add.
I’ll ignore you from here on out. Also, reporting you as you are violating basic rules.
It’s sad that those who feel the need to police everyone around them are the least able to understand humor and are unable to police themselves.
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It's simple, OP: Just hit the harmonic at the A string 12th fret and detune the E string until its 7th fret harmonic matches that A string harmonic.
Just a few seconds (practice will make things quicker) and you'll be in Drop D territory.
Just a few seconds (practice will make things quicker) and you'll be in Drop D territory.
Come on, guys! It's just a thread about drop-D tuning...
Wants to make personal attacks and doubles down when they know they are wrong. Feels like cancel culture to me and the world has way too many of those people for me.
Sorry, enough is enough.
Sure, especially for one or two songs. A group I played with back in 2007 did Shine by Collective Soul in D instead of the original Db. I played it both ways and everyone liked the drop D best because riding on that low D sounded a lot better than riding the D on the A string or playing open D. At the time it was the only drop D song I had to play. Then a few months later we added Black Velvet by Alannah Miles and did that in drop D too. Good news was most of the time we'd play one after the other, but sometimes we'd play them in different sets.
If you don't have a 5 string bass, or a drop D tuner, you'll either have to get the band to forget the song, or retune on the fly, or play a higher D. I'd probably play the higher D.
All valid solutions, but what lesson do you learn from this situation? Do you get a drop D tuner, have a bass permanently tuned with a low D or BEAD, or buy a 5 string? I sub a lot and use a 5 string bass. So far I've never been asked for something I couldn't deliver.
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I'm not suggesting that it's a perfect solution, it's definitely a compromise. Also, when playing live, the room may determine whether you can actually pull off notes lower than a low E. If you have the gear and room on your side, then obviously it would sound better.
You're right. But it has been my experience that if a room can't pull of lower notes, it probably has issues higher up the scale as well. I often play in one of those rooms that seats 800+ with giant high ceilings. I've taken to using one of my pedals that has compression I can dial in and then EQ the rest. But we're talking low D at this moment. Also, when I'm playing on the low B string I have to attack it differently to maintain the tonal shape. Sometimes a tapered B helps even out the timbre.
I tune to down to D for one song and then back up. It's easy.
No Xtender, really not that big of a deal, can you tune with harmonics .... the sound gets less wavy the more accurately you are tuned. Hit the harmonic on the D string at the 12th fret. You get a nice hi D pitch chime. While the harmonic is ringing can last 30 seconds or more. Hit the harmonic on the 12th fret of the E string and turn peg down unit the sounds are pure. If you have a tin ear, then you are looking at having the singer try to entertain the audience while You tune down and then back up. You really dont want that do you? Hipshots do work well.
