Drop D on a 5 string

[Joebin]

i would tune it dadgc, but what im really looking for is not to get rid of the b because i dont use it, but to always have a d along with standard tuning just to make it that much easier.

 

[wrathofgod]

i found myself in a similar position, playing drop d on a five stringer, and not knowing what to do with the b string.

what you might think about is to drop tune your b to an a.
this would leave you with an ADADG tuning, which is really nice to play with.

just try it out for once, it´ll open up some new posibilities...

 

[christoph h.]

That's some creative thinking, but I don't see many advantages to your idea. As someone already mentioned, having an E string sitting between the D and A string will introduce it's own set of difficulties and probably turn out to be very annoying in the long run. I can't imagine it being "that much easier" and it will put some unbalanced tension on your bass' neck.

 

[39-Bassist]

Just buy a 4 string and put on a hipshot D tuner,,,much cheaper and easier too.
Plus faster neck due to smaller size and less strings, duh...

 

[ggunn]

Everyone has different tastes and methodologies. Me, I want all my string intervals to be the same so that my bass line patterns are the same no matter where on the neck I am playing and what key we are in. I would tune my guitars EADBCF if it wouldn't make chording impossible. Having a D string and an E string right next to each other would totally screw me up. YMMV.

 

[knuckle_head]

Look for a set that is similar to;

.112 .076 .055 .040 .029

The kicker is the extra whole step on bottom - the set above will have similar tension at every gauge.

If you're inclined to put a B under this set a .130 ought to sit well.

 

[Andy_D]

Everyone has different tastes and methodologies. Me, I want all my string intervals to be the same so that my bass line patterns are the same no matter where on the neck I am playing and what key we are in. I would tune my guitars EADBCF if it wouldn't make chording impossible. Having a D string and an E string right next to each other would totally screw me up. YMMV.

I'm with you on that. I am working at scales and such and trying to burn those patterns into my mind and muscle memory. My goal is to be able to play fluently anywhere on the neck. I have so much to learn still (probably always will) and I think tuning differently would really screw me up. IMHO the best thing that one can do as player is to master the tools that you have. All of this drop tuning and such to make some songs "easier" to play just seems like cheating to me and would only serve to stunt my growth as a player. I figure as long as the notes are there I should learn to use them as is. I own 3 5-string basses and the 5's are by far my favorites. I love both the extended range and economy of movement that a 5'er provides. I'm sure there are many here that disagree with what I've said and that's fine... whatever floats your boat.

 

[ggunn]

All of this drop tuning and such to make some songs "easier" to play just seems like cheating to me and would only serve to stunt my growth as a player.

Well, I don't look at it as cheating, exactly. It's a tradeoff that doesn't net out as positive, IMO. But as you say, floats yer boat, blows your skirt up, etc.

 

[Mayers]

I would buy a normal 4 strings set and a E strings so I could have DEADG ( open D and open E !!! )

 

[seedokebass]

I usually own a 5 string bass for a while, then sell them... when I DO have them, I normally tune it BDADG, or ADADG.

My band plays in drop 99% of the time, and the extra low notes aren't totally necessary. To me anyways

 

[MarkMyWordsXx]

Sure seems kind of pointless to me. I mean dropping your tuning on a four banger if you need to go lower I can see. but if you can already get a D and below on a five sting what's the point? Yes, I know it's supposed to make some metal songs easier to play (I don't do metal so I wouldn't know) but that seems like cheating to me. Just apply yourself and learn to play it all on the fiver.

i just want to point out how ignorant this post is, without any hate.

A. metal is not the only genre of music that uses drop D tuning. Im not going to hyjack the post by listing the countless songs in drop D that are not metal. Ever hear of the Beatles? Start your search there.

B. Whats the point? The point is playing an open note is now a D, not an E. Get it?

ex. [-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-0---10-0-0-12-0-0-10-0-0--0---0--0-10-0-0-12--0-10-0-0-12-0-10--]

[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-0---10-0-0-12-0-0-10-0-0--0---0--0-10-0-0-12--0-10-0-0-13-0-10--]

[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------------------------------]
[-0---10-0-0-12-0-0-10-0-0--0---0--0-10-0-0-13--0-10-0-0-13-0-10--]

[-----------------------------------------]
[-----------------------------------------]
[-------5----------5------------5-------3-]
[-0--0-----0-0--0-----0-0--0-0----0-0-3---]

This is from the Pot by Tool. Try playing that on a 5 and realize how different it is. Not better or worse, different.

C. An open note has a different sound than a fretted note, unless you have a zero fret installed.

The best solution for the OP imo is going DADGC. if you find your not using the C string, you should be playing a 4 string.

Happy thanksgiving!

 

[bareass]

the pot isn't the best example to you, because i have played it on a 5 with a very similar tone, not hard to do. once you add some distortion, you lose a lot of the distinction between an open string and the 3rd fret on the b string.

46 and two, also by tool, would be a much better example here, needing the D to ring out while playing other notes.

there are times where it is needed to tune differently, and other time where a 5 string would be beneficial.

What I find to be counterproductive is people insisting "Just learn to play it on a 5 string". Some of the songs I play in drop C are almost impossible to pull off with a 5 string. The intervals between the C and G strings are totally different, and there's a ton of open C notes. Why make it harder than it has to be?

In fact, I only need 3 strings, not 5. I never play on the high F string. It's only there to keep idiots from asking me why my nice bass is missing a string.

this still dones't answer my question about your tuning. also, wen you drop to c, are you tuning your e string down 2 tones, of buying a .130 and tuning it to C, big difference, i would hate to play a 100 tuned down to c, and if your buying the other string set, you might as well be playing a 5er

i'm not saying i'm against playing in different tuning. but people think because the original band does it, then so should you, not always the case. if you are playing covers, you probably don't care 5 basses with you all tuned differently, and a tech handing the right one to you between songs.
buy a five and play everything you need to, if you play in drop d for a few songs and thata as low as your band goes, buy a 4 with a drop tuner.

i bought my carvin with a drop tuner, and i absolutly love it. for the few songs that i need a drop d, its a flick away. i've even flicked it when a song ends on a D for the bigger ending. and it looks much cleaner on stage. no tuning needed!

 

[Mayers]

And why not use a capo ????

 

[ggunn]

C. An open note has a different sound than a fretted note, unless you have a zero fret installed.

Why should a zero fret bass sound different than a conventionally nutted one on an open string? Sure, a fretted A on the E string sounds different than the open A, but that's because the strings themselves and their speaking lengths are different. That's not the same thing at all.

The other guy's post wasn't ignorant; it's just a difference in preferences and perspective. Of course there are songs that in order to play the bass part exactly as recorded, you have to tune like the bassist who played it.

 

[bareass]

using a zero frt would sound more like fretting the same note on te string above. i'm sure there is a bit of difference, but not much that anyone else would ever notice. try droping your string a half step and playing the first fret. should sound the same as a zero fret, now whether there is any noticable difference i'm not sure. i for one have never played a bass with a zero fret, but would like to.

 

[ixlramp]

I think Joebin should tune exactly how he wants to

 

[FunkMetalBass]

using a zero frt would sound more like fretting the same note on te string above. i'm sure there is a bit of difference, but not much that anyone else would ever notice. try droping your string a half step and playing the first fret. should sound the same as a zero fret, now whether there is any noticable difference i'm not sure. i for one have never played a bass with a zero fret, but would like to.

A little, but it depends entirely on the tone you want to achieve and the strings you normally use. They will sound different, and potentially different enough for someone else to actually care.

The real benefit to the zero fret is actually the fact that nut slot heights are nearly negligible, so it provides you with an easier means of achieving the lowest action possible.


TS, Speaking from experience, I found the DEADG tuning to be a bit of a hassle. I'm exclusively an ERB player, but I found the BDADG or ADADG to be more comfortable than the DEADG because the extra string skipping nullifies many benefits of drop tuning.

Since you don't much care for the low B, it sounds like you may prefer a 4-string bass and a Hipshot Xtender (surprisingly, only one mention of that yet) to easily and quickly switch between Standard and Drop-D tunings.

 

[Joebin]

with so many people throwing it out there, having it tuned EADGC sounds like it could be pretty fun, and that way i could throw a hipshot D tuner on the E string and have it be much more accessible. But finding a set of strings that are low gauge, but will still fit in the nut would be pretty hard.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Look for a 6-string set or one of Circle K's 5-string sets with a .112 on the bottom.

 

[ixlramp]

But finding a set of strings that are low gauge, but will still fit in the nut would be pretty hard.

That will very probably not be a problem. Strings are not held in place through contact with the nut slot walls. Since the nut slots have a curved floor the downforce on the string at the nut makes the string sit at the bottom of the curve. I have never had problems using thinner strings in wider nut slots, I have even filed my nut out to .165 and afterwards used a .050, it stayed centred in the slot. I have also used a plain .007 in a slot cut for .032 with no problem.

If you go E/D ADGC, it's best to create a set from singles to balance the tensions and take into account the dropping of the E.